Review of Year of the Dragon (1985) by Stuart K — 05 Aug 2013

Directed by Michael Cimino, whose career had self-destructed beyond repair with Heaven's Gate (1980), it looked like he would never direct again, but he was thrown a lifeline by Dino De Laurentiis, who offered Cimino this adaptation of Robert Daley's 1981 novel, which Cimino adapted for the screen with Oliver Stone.

It's a good film, and it showed Cimino could do good, entertaining commercial films, something he's seldom done since. Captain Stanley White (Mickey Rourke) is a respected New York Cop and decorated Vietnam veteran, married to Connie (Caroline Kava).

He's newly assigned to Chinatown, where White makes it his mission to come down hard on Chinese gangs, there's an uneasy truce with Joey Tai (John Lone), a young gangster who rises through the ranks to become head of the triads.

With the truce ended, an all out war begins between the police and Tai's gang. Caught in the crossfire is TV reporter Tracy Tzu (Ariane Koizumi), but White promises to protect Tzu, as she knows too much, and it makes him even more determined to bring down Tai.

It's a very epic film, and Cimino brings out the best in his cast, especially Rourke who was aged to look older, it's a decision that worked. It's not very sympathetic towards the Chinese or other ethnic minorities, but it manages to be a good action film that reeks of the 1980's.