The Last Dragon is a film that was produced by Motown Records in the mid eighties as a sort of a Kung Fu comedy flick. It was really meant to promote some music from the company like Oh Sheila, but the flick has actually stood the test of time as one of the all time must download movies of the eighties. It’s a lot of fun, it’s kind of corny, and it works as an action movie.
The movie follows a young martial artist nicknamed Bruce Leroy as he teaches the kids at the local dojo and works at his father’s pizza parlor, delivering pies on foot throughout Harlem. He also tries to maintain his composure while dealing with hsi rival, Sho’Nuff, the Shogun of Harlem… Yep. Sho’Nuff… He’s the Shogun of Harlem, you see.
Sho’Nuff is really one of the all time great screen villains. Everything about him is just… Wild, ridiculous and hilarious. He walks around with a crew of lackeys, and wherever he enters the scene, he’s preceded by a little call-and-response speech between himself and his crew, as if they were the mirror on the wall, he asks them if he is the prettiest, the meanest and the baddest, and Sho Nuff, he is. He wears shoulder pads, visor sunglasses and hakama, those baggy pants worn by samurai. For style and attitude, he’s really one of the funniest heavies of all time.
There’s a subplot that you probably… Won’t take too much interest in. See, Leroy is after the heart of this girl who produces a local music show, and there’s this sleazy promoter who’s trying to get his girlfriend’s new single played on her show. When you see the video, you’ll grimace and shudder in embarrassment just for watching it, so… It’s funny, but you find yourself wishing they’d just get back to the kung fu already!
And of course, it does pay off in the end when the manager hires all the baddest dudes in the city to have it out with Bruce Leroy and his students. These “bad dudes” include a big fat old white guy with a Mister T Mohawk and an all gold one piece suit… Yep, real bad dudes, these guys.
There are also some really fun, corny moments along the way. At one point, Leroy tries to seek wisdom from the guy who writes the fortune cookies at the local Chinese restaurant, only to find that they’re written by a computer. Therein he finds that zen wisdom of emptiness and being.
Could the movie have been better without the weird subplot about the record promoter? Sure, but even so, it’s one of the all time classic eighties flicks, and one of the best attempts at spoofing the Kung Fu genre while at the same time honoring it. It’s also just plain a whole lot of fun.
It’s exciting, funny, colorful and kind of corny, and a lot of fun. Get a few beers and some buddies and give it a download. You’ll definitely enjoy the show if nothing else.
(Ironically, this film was underwritten by Standard Oil! Music And Movie Downloads They have chartered success on their own terms on both the artistic and business sides in the music industry. All of them escape to a waiting boat except for Pappadimos and Brown who had given their lives creating a distraction.
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