User reviews

If you occasionally get nostalgic for break dancing, too much hairspray, De Barge, and Cyndi Lauper-style hair extensions, then this movie will give you an awesome blast from the past! I watched it on a Saturday morning and it made me feel like a kid again.

As many of the naysayers have already posted here, this ain't no bona fide martial arts flick. But it does make Tarantino-esque allusions to kung-fu pop culture- namely, Bruce Lee's films- that will be appreciated by 'true' kung-fu fans. And the fight scenes were co-choreographed by Ernie Reyes, Sr., so that gives them some credence.

In my opinion, the "worst" parts of this movie are actually the best because of their kitsch value: Prince protégé Vanity performs a ridiculously bad song and dance number; Leroy finds his inner "glow"; Sho'Nuff and his gang interrupt a screening of ENTER THE DRAGON; the list goes on. I think I'll watch it again next Saturday!

Why have this movie got so long a rating? Probably the most funky martial arts movie ever made. An absolute 80s masterpiece. Full of honour for Bruce Lee and that period as well as containing the spirit of Van Damme and the 80s - and afro-american funk as well as saturday night fever dance movies. This movie definitely got the glow!

Needless to say, this movie is incredibly cheesy. But it's also deceptively clever at times, and if you just go with it, it's a lot of fun.

Leads Taimak and Vanity (yes, they each have only one name) are surrounded by a talented and colorful supporting cast, allowing them to do what they do best; look good (and in the case of Taimak) kick a lot of butt.

It's sort of a mash-up of two of the most prominent b-movie genres of the 70s; Blaxploitation and Kung-Fu. But it's the 80s, so there's pop music and it has a happy ending.

Lest we forget, this is BERRY GORDY's The Last Dragon. He was the head of Motown Records. It has the look of a music video for a good reason, it was produced and directed by music video people. Made to sell soundtracks like almost every Robert Stigwood movie of the 1970s.

Tiamak play Leroy, often called Bruce LeeRoy in this movie(ouch). It's amazing that he didnt do more in Hollywood than he did, maybe it was a personal choice of his, it certainly does not seem to be because of any lack of talent. He could have been an action hero on the level of a Van Damme in my opinion (with a little acting talent added in...).

Vanity is beautiful, as usual, as the host of a TV video show, remember them? She is very easy on the eyes and the role does not require too much in the way of her acting, so she does very well.

The story line is silly and improbable. All this action and no police ever show up? The movie makers and Tiamak seem to obviously love Bruce Lee movies, and for Lee fans this was a nice way of seeing Bruce back on the big screen after 12 years or so of nothing after his death. The scene where Vanity presents Leroy with a video compilation of some of Bruce's greatest moves is a highlight of this movie.

Worth seeing. Be in a light, silly mood and you will get the most out of it. Be sarcastic and critical and you will have a miserable time. Remember, your children will laugh at your favorite movies as well.

Probably THE most '80s thing I've seen in a long time by way of a Motown/Bruce Lee mashup. Honestly, it's like Miami Vice, The Running Man and Big Trouble in Little China all went into a blender and this is what poured out. Hey, I'm not complaining, that's right up my alley.

Although not the smoothest thing in the world; its draggy in spots and the gangster scenes are unnecessary baggage. But Taimak and Vanity both have youthful charm to spare and the fight scenes are rad. There's a little bit of a dark tonal shift during the final fight, but it yields satisfying results.

And then there's Julius Carry with his million dollar glare, outsizing an already outlandish movie. I got a real kick out of this every time Sho'Nuff made an appearance.

This love letter to Bruce Lee and martial arts classic movies is not so well made; however, it is delightful to watch. The characters are over the top. The cinematography, set design, and costumes are dripping with the 80's. The story is a fun, light story of a martial arts student in Harlem, NY forced to find a balance between his desire to avoid violence with his need to use his unique skills for good. The music is good, being a Berry Gordy production. Vanity is beautiful and good. Tiamat has become a legend from this one film, and he is perfect for this role. Julius Carey's Shogun of Harlem is one of my favorite characters. The film is infused with its adoration of Enter the Dragon and Bruce Lee and does not take itself too seriously, so why should we. Check out the various small performances from actors that became much bigger, like William H. Macy. The fight choreography is fun- not great but fun.

It's so easy to dismiss a movie from another time-line as pure trash. Why, if I just pick up any car-chase movie from the 70's, or some old spy movie from the 60's WITHOUT considering the era & what was in it, I'd be lost.

The 80's introduced a pop culture focused in music, thanks to MTV. Break-dancing was the norm. Synthesized keyboards backing up great, and some not so great singers were all over. Also, movies in the 80's carried over what Bruce Lee & others had brought from the 70's: martial arts. Lots of movies with the word 'ninja' in it, and of course 'Karate Kid' made a big impact in 1984.

If you were already into the hip-hop scene, & you liked the American dance pop music that was playing all over New York, then going to see 'The Last Dragon' would have been a natural extension for your weekend experience at the movies.

The story is simple- Young kung-fu master Leroy Green (Taimak) must seek his inner-self by obtaining what is called 'the glow', and is faced with wrath of a great, cheesy bad guy called Sho'nuff, along with his gang. Along the way he will learn about his family, himself, and even find love. There's plenty of side stories that include our hero, who, by the ways, eats popcorn with chopsticks. He's a modest, gentle young man who is faced with other challenges you wouldn't expect, like, for example, how to be 'black', and the fact that he's a virgin.

There is some hilarious lines, and I remember the entire theater in a riot with some of these:

Sho'nuff: Now, when I say, "Who's da mastah?" you say, "Sho'nuff!" Who's the Master?"

Gang: "Sho'nuff!"

Leroy Green: "The truth will be revealed only to eyes unclouded by desire."

Sho'nuff: "It's mumbo jumbo like that & skinny little lizards like you thinking' they the Last Dragon that gives kung-fu a bad name."

Those who really watch Kung Fu films are in for a treat, as this one really lays on the Bruce Lee references. The villain, Sho'nuff, is a just oozing with the typical kung-fu bad guy look & sound. There are some good fighting scenes, as Taimak is really an expert in martial arts (there were some karate how to videos he did), but there is one little kid in this movie who really kicks butt. You have to see him in action to believe it.

Nope. There are no Oscar winners in here. You won't see an outstanding story line. No expensive SFX. Just a moderately low budget, flashy movie filled with that decade's influence- like bright colored clothes, neon lights, & music. It's the right blend of kung-fu, fantasy, romance and comedy together with 80's clicks and buzzes that really make this movie. If you like kung-fu, forget the nay-sayers and watch this, you won't regret.

9 out of 10

This movie is like a guilty pleasure- nobody really talks about it, but every time it comes up in a crowd, within seconds people are using classic lines like "Who's the master?" and "Hey my man, what it look like?" and laughing like maniacs.

This was my favorite movie as a teenager and I've probably seen it 100 times. From the hilarious over-the-top performances to the hybrid karate/comedy/musical genre, it's a movie that kept me laughing the whole way through.

If you like classic movies, then don't waste your time- you'd be better off watching "The Sound of Music" for the 800th time. But if you didn't like this movie, odds are you tried not to.

Leroy Green (Taimak) is an avid martial arts enthusiast who has recently completed his mater's (Thomas Ikeda) training. Still not having attained "the Glow" a martial arts master is supposed exhibit when attaining the final level, the master tells Leroy the name of a master named "Sum Dum Goy" who is in New York but the master doesn't know where. Leroy's reputation attracts the attention of gang leader Sho'nuff (Julius Carry), the self-proclaimed Shogun of Harlem, who seeks to provoke a fight with Leroy to prove his superiority which Leroy refuses at every turn. Meanwhile video DJ Laura Charles (Vanity) hosts the hottest music video showcase show on TV and attracts the attention of sleazy producer Eddie Arkadian (Christopher Mrney) who responds to Laura's refusal to showcase his prospects by having thugs attempt to intimidate here. A chance encounter with Leroy results in Laura getting saved from the thugs and Laura develops feelings for Leroy.

The Last Dragon was the final film production of Mowtown Productions, the film and TV production arm of Mowtown Records. Following the critical and commercial failure of The Wiz, The Last Dragon was a seemingly risking endeavor for the company as the movie is an homage to blaxploitation and kung-fu films which had fallen out of popularity in the 1980s with paradigm shifts moving away from the films that had once played in the grindhouses of 42nd Street and the availability of home video lead to many films once staples of such grindhouses being released on the home video market. A decent sized success upon release making three times its $10 million budget despite mixed reviews. In the year's since the film's release The Last Dragon has attained a cult following, and deservedly so because it's the best martial-arts, Blaxploitation, romance, musical, parody, homage you could hope to see.

The movie is a strange journey that should be seen to be believed. If you were to mix elements of Bruce Lee movies, Xanadu, some Phantom of the Paradise, and Black Belt Jones, you'd only begin to approach the experience that comes from watching this movie. With its tongue firmly in cheek but not going into full on parody still taking its martial arts plot fairly seriously (to a point) with most of the plot points seen in Bruce Lee's films or the various Shaw Brothers productions proudly on display with a mash-up of 70s attitudes and sounds along with contemporary music of the 80s with a mixture of 70s sounding funk and 80s New Wave making the film a rollercoaster ride through music and martial arts.

Now with that said there's plenty about the film that doesn't work or isn't up to the level of the rest of the film. Taimak was a 19 year old martial artist with no prior acting experience and it shows. Taimak beat out Wesley Snipes, Mario Van Peebles, Laurence Fishburne and even Denzel Washington for the lead role and the fact that Taimak's career never really took off is proof of his lack of stage presence. Now with its mashup tone and homage to 70s martial arts flicks the movie uses Taimak's stilted acting to its advantage by making it fit within its strange world. The movie also has one too many comic relief characters with Leroy's brother Richie played by Leo O'Brien a rather grating presence in the film that could've easily been merged with the other better comic relief character Johnny Yu with little effort. The movie also feels like it's about 15 minutes too long and would've benefitted greatly from a leaner 90 minute runtime.

The Last Dragon is an enjoyable bit of mashup nonsense that pays homage to the bygone days of Blaxploitation and Martial Arts films that had largely died off with the advent of the 1980s. The film is filled with all manner of visual and auditory marvels be it its eclectic soundtrack, it's engaging fight scenes, and fun comedy. The Last Dragon is a movie that needs to seen as words can't really do justice to the playfully silly world it creates. The movie does overdo some comic relief characters and the film could've benefited from a leaner runtime, but as a movie The Last Dragon leaves its mark in a way you won't soon forget.

Some well-presented pyrotechnics and an exciting score cannot camoflauge the utter dumbness of this whole escapade. Amateurishly directed and acted, even for a martial arts film, and oh so very overlong. Take a long pass on this utter piece of tripe. Watch something intellectual instead, like Five Fingers of Death.

The Last Dragon had everything a kung fu classic should have. As a chlid this was one of my favorite films. Tamiak surpisply never did another movie but it's still a lot of fun. Soon I'll own the DVD. Check this movie out for a good time.

In this 1980s favourite, the likable Taimak stars as "Bruce" Leroy, a very earnest martial arts student. His goal in life is to find a character known as The Master and attain the highest level of martial arts wizardry, otherwise known as The Glow. Along the way, he becomes smitten with a stunning VJ named Laura Charles (Vanity), and is forced to confront villains such as loudmouth gangster Eddie Arkadian (Christopher Murney) and the overbearing "Shogun of Harlem", also known as "Sho'nuff" (Julius Carry), who travels with a flamboyant entourage.

It's true enough that "The Last Dragon" would have the most appeal for kids, or people who saw this as kids. It ultimately goes on a little too long and does get pretty tiresome at times; Johnny Yu (Glen Eaton) is a particularly annoying character. But this feature length combination of MA and music video stylings gets by on amiability. A series of showdowns can boast some good action, plus it's a fair deal of fun when levels of cheese get higher as Leroy does battle with Mr. Sho'nuff.

The cast gives it some value. Taimak is a decent action hero, and the lovely Ms. Vanity is ideal as his object of affection. Leo O'Brien goes to town on the scenery playing Leroy's lively brother, who is himself strongly yearning to be with the leading lady. Both Murney and Carry are completely over the top as the villains. Faith Prince does alright as Eddies' air headed girlfriend who has ambitions of pop stardom. Also appearing are Mike Starr, Jim Moody, Ernie Reyes Jr., Keshia Knight Pulliam, and William H. Macy. Keep an eye out for Chazz Palminteri, in his film debut, as a mustachioed thug.

The non-stop soundtrack is reasonably catchy, and the filmmaking (led by director Michael Schultz) is overall fairly colourful and amusing.

Six out of 10.

This movie is from 1985 and should stay there. Way back in time before any good music videos were made or vevo or Youtube..oh wait! it's not a music video movie? it's a martial arts movie? dedications to Bruce Lee? what an insult. A bunch of morons crash into a theater and start acting out and beating people up on the screen stage, are you kidding me.There is not one once of realism in this whole lousy film.All about a era we would much rather forget only because we can't deny because its recorded on film like this one.Classic is Bruce Lee and good old Godzilla made with effort to please audiences even if they only had plastic toy dinosaurs and a gift for action.Skip this guys video of his 14th birthday party and watch the Discovery Channel or something with some intelligence and meaning. No wounder UFO's wont land on Earth.

Forget the campiness. Who cares about the less-than-Oscar-nomination acting. I never watched The Last Dragon for these reasons. I watched it because I loved the feeling and spirit. Oh, and Vanity. This movie became such a huge influence in my life that I pursued martial arts lessons so that I could be just like LeRoy Green. Now, nineteen years later, I am nearly ready for my Masters rank in the martial arts. This movie was all about basic things in life: good triumphing over evil, the importance of love, family ties, loyalty and plain, old good fun. I find it interesting that LeRoy could reach the Final Level ONLY after he had found someone else to help; i.e. Laura Charles. Rather like life should be, eh?! Love is truly the ingredient for a rich, fulfilled life. Of course, some serious kung fu adds some spice to life. Just one thing: how did LeRoy practice catching a bullet in his teeth? Did his old master train him by throwing bullets to him? Forget the hoakiness. Just enjoy this awesome (and rather poignant)film.

The Last Dragon (1985) was a cheesy action/romance film that was produced by Motown big wig Berry Gordy. The film was meant to be a starring vehicle for kung-fu performer Taimak and pop singer Vanity. Sadly Taimk never became a big star and Vanity's acting was ten times better than her singer (woof). Even though they never became stars this movie captures their only chance at the brass ring of super stardom.

Taimak stars as "Bruce" Le Roy, a kung-fu student who's also a huge Bruce Lee fan. In his spare time he teaches kung-fu and works at the family pizzeria. One day he saves a local V.J. (Vanity) from being assaulted by a gang of hired goons. It's love at first sight for the two. Meanwhile a guy who proclaims himself to be the shogun of Harlem named Sho'nuff (who is his master?) is looking to fight Bruce Le Roy to find out who's fighting skills are the baddest. He wont take no for an answer and proceeds to make his life miserable. To make matters worse, a wanna be record producer is forcing the V.J. to market his new star (and lover). The problem is that she has no real talent and he wont take no for an answer either. Problems in the 'hood. Will Le Roy find true love and defend his family's honor by fighting Sho'nuff? Can Vanity depend on Le Roy to protect her against the crazy record producer. Will anyone care? Watch The Last Dragon to find out all the answers and more!

The movie was also made to capitalize on the resurgence of Bruce Lee nostalgia. Seens from all of his movies are shown in the movie as well as many references. Even though it does a good job of trying to bottle some of Bruce's old magic the film fails as a whole. Taimak became a fight trainer and Vanity appeared in many exploitive and soft-core fair before becoming a reborn again Christian.

Recommended for fans of eighties films.

In New York City, Leroy Green (Taimak) is given Bruce Lee's medallion by his teacher. He is to seek out the Master to reach the final level. Sho'nuff (Julius J. Carry III), The Shogun of Harlem, is also after the final level and sees Leroy as his only competition. Meanwhile, video arcade king Eddie Arkadian (Chris Murney) is desperate to get his girlfriend Angela Viracco (Faith Prince)'s music on Laura Charles (Vanity)'s show. He threatens her manager JJ (William H. Macy). When she rejects him, he sends his henchmen to kidnap her only to be defeated by Leroy. In the chaos, Leroy loses his medallion and Laura picks it up. Eddie sends former fighter great white hope Rock (Mike Starr).

This is exceedingly stupid and cheesy but it's loads of fun. It's basically a spoof but it undoubtedly loves the old Kung Fu movies. At its core, there is a sweet charm to Leroy. The stereotype switcharoo is hilarious. While the Master reveal has some fun, it should be more to teach him a lesson. If he actually fought his teacher, it might be a lesson on him being his own man. It does run on too long. It struggles to maintain the tension once the comedy runs out of steam. The final fight simply goes on too long.

Alright, I acknowledge that there are cheezy scenes. I also realize that the "bad" singer is a Cindy Lauper clone, and that Vanity was a protege of Prince. All that aside, I think the filming was great. The scenes were well shot, the music did a terrific job of matching the scenes and setting the mood, and even the comedy helped to keep the show from being too much of a fight flick - in other words it was more real than most shows. The script was easy to follow (alright, predictable) but it's necessary to reach a broad audience. The fight coreography was well done, and Leroy's struggle to believe what everyone is trying to tell him about himself is the real jem of the show - who among us doesn't struggle with such problems at times?

Good movie, just tends to use stereotypes to produce an urban version of Karate Kid. Vanity is a goddess but nowadays she has fallen off. I think Shonuff provides an outstanding antagonist approach to this movie. I can watch it many many times and not get tired of it.

If you like stupid and fun movies, this is for you. Fun action, retarded yet comical performances by the cast, and a stupid but enjoyable plot. The fxs in the movie are so 80s it is insane, the costumes fall along those lines as well. If you don't like stupid fun movies (example: Evil Dead), then do not bother, but if you do like I said before, The Last Dragon is for you.

Hadn't thought about this movie in years and recently caught it on TV. It hasn't aged well and back in the day it was probably one of the worst movies ever made, nothing has changed. Bad acting,direction and plot make this still one of the worst flicks ever put to film. Don't know why people on IMDb think it's good but everyone's entitled to their opinion even when they are wrong. As an action movie its about as exciting as watching a bingo game. If it was supposed to be a comedy it failed miserably. As a matter of fact there is nothing worth-while in the whole film. Nostalgia is one thing but, nostalgia for this kind of garbage is a total waste of time and effort.

This has been one of my favorite movies ever since the first time I watched it. Bruce Leeroy was one of my heroes growing up in the early 1990s. I have watched this movie over one hundred times at least. All the characters are amazing, from Leeroy portrayed by (Taimak) To Sho'nuff portrayed by (Julius Carry). With all the other characters in between.

In my opinion, everything about this movie is awesome. The music is as 80s as it gets, and the Dialogue is so quotable. It's like the Rocky Horror of martial arts movies, So over the top that you can't help but fall in love with it.

I recommend this film to everyone.

For a martial arts film, it has some of the dullest fight scenes. Poorly choreographed and nothing you haven't see done better in dozens of films.

This was also the worst of 80s music, the lamest third rate MTV knockoffs. An elderly Berry Gordy long past his prime trying to hold onto relevance in the music scene when his last hits were a decade before.

Vanity couldn't act to save her life, and the male lead was a blank cipher.

The only parts worth watching are for camp. The Shogun of Harlem Sho Nuff (really?) and his over the top bluster, with sidekicks dressed in football gear mixed with discount lingerie.

Fast forward to those parts and skip the rest. You'll be done in 25 minutes.