http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c-YiIC5Bz4
http://revengeofthegreendragons.com
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i liked it
This definitely looks worth checking out.
Greetings,
As much as I like action films, gang movies I abhor.
I remember when they put "The Warriors" out on dvd, there was this one idiot who wished that they could have the gangs back again. New York gangs were no joke regardless of how they looked. I hope this film does not glamorize the lifestyle.
To Add:
If I was a child who watched "The Wire" and "OZ", I would be afraid to grow up. I don't know why shows like that exist. They are filth.
mickey
mickey,
From the trailer, this movie looks like it could be more of a cautionary tale. I could be wrong. I don't like movies that glorify the gangster life, but I do like crime films like Goodfellas, Casino, A Bronx Tale, etc., because they ultimately show the pitfalls of engaging in crime.
Other crime/gang movies like John Woo's Hard-Boiled, Ringo Lam's Full Contact, etc., featuring triads, I like for the combination of stories, characters and action, and not for any realism. I also enjoy some of the Japanese Yakuza movies. If fact, the Zatoichi character IS a Yakuza, so in a way, the original Zatoichi movies were closer to being period Yakuza films than samurai films.
I've never watched OZ, or The Wire, or Sons of Anarchy. Most people I know who have seen the latter show say it's awesome, but I have no interest in it. I think there's a difference between movies and TV shows that glorify the 'gangsta' life and those that show the consequences of a life of crime.
Much of old-school kung fu cinema also deals with gangs, whether literal, modern 1970s or '80s-era gangs, or 'clans' in period pieces.
Greetings Jimbo,
Let me differentiate the difference between Gang and Gangster movies in my book:
Gangster movies: Adults making the choices/decisions to do wrong things. It is how they chose to live their lives.
Gang movies: Involve adolescent youth doing wrong things, as if there is no better way. I do not like how Hollywood plays with this.
We really have to try to offer better to our future (children). I saw the undercurrent gang element in the Shaw brothers' movies and I was always overjoyed when Liu Chia Liang took the movies in another direction by instilling strong elements of morality.
When it comes to gangster movies, I can watch them. They have pretty much lost their steam. The best gangster movie to come about was "This Thing of Ours". I think it is a more accurate portrayal of the Maffia life that any other. It is not overstated, yet it is profound.
mickey
So i checked this out last night, so figured i'd write about it here, i will note that i might be a bit biased since i personally know a good number of the cast are friends of mine but ill be as honest as possible.
So revenge of the green dragons is based on a article by the same name Directed by andrew lau and andrew loo, written by andrew loo, dealing with an 80s chinese gang in flushing area of queens new york, flushing was and still is one of the largest if not the largest community of asian's in america, and one of the best places too go for authentic cuisine i might add. the gang is lead by Peter Wong,(played by harry shum), his partner snakehead( played by Eugenia Yuan) and his lieutenant Chen I Chung (played by leonard Wu). Paul is a industrious and ambitious young man who wants the america dream, we are introduced too the gang by our lead characters Sonny(played by justin chon) and his Adopted brother Steven (played by kevin wu) the two are pulled into the gang after steven is kidnapped and tortured by the dragons, he is rescued by Peter and then shows up at the restaurant where his mother and brother work, shunning his mother and taking Sonny with him to join the dragons, we are then introduced too the pantheon of gangs around flushing, including the dragons rivals the white tigers lead by ah tai (played by shing ka). On the side of the Law we have a rookie detective named Tang(played by Rapper Jin Auyueng) and an FBI agent Michael bloom(played by Ray liotta) who are investigating the dragons various criminal activities. So lets dive right in.
WHAT I LIKED: the performances, In a film like this its very easy too end up with alot of crappy or over the top acting but for the most part the acting of the characters was great, there are some casting choices that could have been changed but other then that great job.
The Cinematography This was actually my favorite part of the film incredibly well shot and composed throughout, the ugliness was made beautiful by cinematographer Martin Alghren, who also shoots another favorite of mine the series POWER which probably made him the perfect fit for a movie like this.
THE LOOK good production design goes a long way, as well as excellent color grading, the stark contrasty exteriors mixed with the warm interiors, as well as the overall sets were very well done, it gave it a late 80s, early 90s feel...very hard to do now in new york city, because the city looks completely different from the way it did 25 years ago.
The action this is where the movie shined! the action was jarring and sudden, almost unexpectedas it should be in a film like this, just like in real life you never see it coming or feel, and before you know it you are in the midst of bullets flaring.
WHAT I DIDNT LIKE.
PACING Although the movie clocks in at 94mins.. it felt much longer, there were quite a few scenes that dragged on unnecessarily and could have been cut short too either add more action or more character development..which leads to my other dislike.
Character Development Now, here is the problem with films like this that involve so many characters, its hard too give everyone the proper shine necessary too really make you interested in, Sonny ends up dominating the screen time more then everyone else which wasnt necessarily a bad thing as justin chon is very watchable, however i would have liked too see MORE, a film like this should either been given more time (your average gangster film is usually around 2h30min) OR and i would have perfered this... they should have made this into a mini series for netflix or hbo, long form story telling is becoming the new thing now, if you look at anthology series like american horror story, true detective or regular serious like house of cards,sons of anarchy and boardwalk empire. Being able too deliver a 10-13 hour film in 1 hour episodes has proven a successful way too tell a story like this with multiple characters and story lines.
WARDROBE Now this might be considered a nitpicked but i hated the way the lead characters dressed, they never gave me the impression that they were nothing more then wannabes, even paul wong the boss dressed rather cheaply and plainly. nyc gangsters no matter what the race always had that air of flash, you saw that in the white tiger gang particularly the boss AH TAI, and his number two FAT FOO(played by carlos con long) but the visual of the entire crew had an air of authenticity about them, not just the wardrobe but the actors themselves. the other gang that gave off that feel were the BTK(born to kill) boss(played by RON YUAN) although in real life the BTK gang wore green army jackets. in the era where this film took place the americanized chinese gangsters adapted in their environment it wasnt unrealistic too see one or a few of them with gold grills or chains on, and while the other characters had that, the green dragons who were suppose to be the top gang dressed like bums, they didnt give off that essence of gangsterdom, the heir of CRIME DOES PAY, Paul wore cheap suits, even a boss who was hiding the fact that he was a gang leader would still at least wear a ralph lauren off the rack suit.
CASTING the one glaring casting problem was harry shum jr. who was WAY to young for the role IMHO, although acting wise he did well, i didnt believe Shum who was born the year the story starts as paul wong who i believe was in his 30s at the time, i would have liked too see someone older in that role Russel Wong would have been brilliant, or if it was more name recognition they wanted Sung Kang(fast and furious franchise) both would have been a better paul in my opinion. also Eugenia Yuan as snakehead, the actress was ok for the role but again they needed someone a bit older and the character needed to be sharper she didnt get the name snakehead for nothing.
THE SCREENPLAY alot of reviews attacked the dialogue for the film, but overall it did its job, with the exception of some glaring cliche's.. "A storm is coming" should be illegal in all 50 states in any film to be made, it is single handedly the most over used line in cinematic history. the problem was the film didnt feel like an american gangster film, it felt like a hong kong gangster film shot in america, which kind of misses the point of this being a chinese american film, in the beginning Paul gives a young sonny a hot dog and he says in america you eat what they eat, i think it was a missed opportunity too show the balance between assimilating and yet trying to hold on too the roots or giving them up all together, which every immigrant faces when they come too america particularly. Also the tone of the film, the best parts of any gangster movie is how the characters live, you never really got a sense of them enjoying the fruits of their labors, it was very grim from start to finish and comes off as a cautionary tale, you never saw any of the characters really enjoying the lifestyle it was touched upon but we really didnt get to be in it.. like goodfellas, casino, american gangster, and a countless slew of other gangster films, even asian gangster films have that moment the showing of "this is why we do it"...the characters would often talk about the american dream, but none of them were living it, at least not our green dragons.
NITPICKS: this is just a little nitpick of mine that annoyed me, the constant roof scenes, which again is very hong kong gangster film cliche, plus the roof was really non descript there was really know reason to be there, maybe a line of this is where sonny lived or it reminded hiom of something would have given it a bit more power. there was a scene using a timelapse where sonny was talking too detective Tang and i thought wow is the whole scene going to be like this, fantastic something ive never seen before but the shot was quickly abandoned for safer close ups.
THE END: the ending turned me off completely, it just felt like that scene belonged in another movie and it just completely takes away from the rest of an otherwise decent movie.
overall i enjoyed the movie believe it or not, and ill probably watch it again, i do wish however this could have been turned into a mini series i feel like we could have gotten a better film with more time, to really explore the world of the green dragons and the characters that existed in it.. the two andrews did a pretty good job weaving the story together, inspite of some missed opportunities, its very rare that a film like this comes along that is predominately asian and its in english, about asian american society albeit the criminal society, so it was a bold step and hopefully we get too see more movies like this, i do recommend it especially if like me you are a fan of gangster films, its worth the watch, if you live in new york city id suggest catching it at the village cinema theater, its still playing for the next few days.
I just got this from our local film promotion office:
Wish I could go but I already have plans for tomorrow.Quote:
Special Q&A during Opening Weekend Showing with REVENGE OF THE GREEN DRAGONS Cast Member and Film Producer on
Saturday, November 1st
WHAT: Saturday night showing of REVENGE OF THE GREEN DRAGONS will be followed by Q&A
WHO: REVENGE OF THE GREEN DRAGONS star, Leonard Wu and film producer, Alan Pao
WHERE: 4-Star Theatre
2200 Clement St.
San Francisco, CA 94112
(415) 666-3488
WHEN: Saturday November 1st following the 8:40pm showing.
To buy tickets, please call 4-Star Theatre or visit their box office.
ABOUT REVENGE OF THE GREEN DRAGONS:
In the vein of crime classics like Mean Streets and Infernal Affairs, Revenge of the Green Dragons follows two immigrant brothers Sonny and Steven who survive the impoverished despair of New York in the 1980s by joining Chinatown gang The Green Dragons. The brothers quickly rise up the ranks, drawing the unwanted attention of hard-boiled city cops. After an ill- fated love affair pits Sonny against his own brother, he sets out for revenge on the very gang who made him who he is.
From acclaimed director Andrew Lau and Andrew Loo, and legendary executive producer Martin Scorsese comes a brilliant mix between a Hong Kong action film and a New York City crime thriller, portraying the never-before-told true story of The Green Dragons.
http://revengeofthegreendragons.com/
ABOUT LEONARD WU:
A native of Washington D.C., Leonard Wu graduated from UCLA with a BA in English. He currently lives in Los Angeles. He has appeared in many of television's highest rated dramas, including "NCIS" and "Bones" and several feature films including "While She Was Out" opposite Kim Basinger, and "17 Again". Leonard is currently working on the gritty feature based on the NY gang warfare of the 1990's, "Revenge of the Green Dragons", from acclaimed director Andrew Lau ("Infernal Affairs"). Leonard is also writing and producing his own projects and currently has several scripts in development.
ABOUT ALAN PAO:
Alan Pao (Executive Producer) is the CEO of Tunnel Post, the Santa Monica based full service post-production company. Having guided over a couple hundred films through various phases of the post-production process, Alan has become one of the foremost experts in the post industry. Over the last decade, Alan has also produced and executive produced over thirty feature films spanning various genres. Some of the upcoming titles include Roger Donaldson’s spy thriller November Man, John Stockwell’s Kid Cannabis and the horror film It Follows.
I watched it, and overall, my opinion of it is a bit similar to Doug's. It's a well-made movie, but I thought the ending was a cheap copout.
It's clear that Ray Liotta was put in for name value alone; his role is small, and frankly, almost any decent white, middle-aged actor could have played it. But I liked that the white characters' screen times were kept at a minimum, being it's an American film about an Asian-American experience. I say this, because so many American films that are ostensibly about Asian-Americans or Asians, end up focusing on the white characters.
Would I watch it again? Probably not. I found it well-made/well-acted and fascinating, but not particularly 'entertaining'.
I almost forgot; I thought I saw Fu Jow Pai master Tak-Wah Eng in a brief role as a triad elder.
Wasn't going to, but at redbox rates and if it's not totally dumb, we will. I figured it would be a punk fest ie asian gang that acts like American mma cul de sac - but if you guys say it's safe....
Besides, I'm an action sucker and it is after all just a movie.
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Ok! It was worth seeing but dang it was harsh in places - the action award goes to Wick, but dragons was a good movie. If awareness is supposed to be raised it would.
Finally caught this because it came up on Netflix. This featured Harry Shum Jr from Glee, Ron Yuan from Marco Polo, and Eugenia Yuan, daughter of the venerated Cheng Pei Pei. Scorsese produced, it's a Chinese gangster flick set in NY in the mid 90s, based on a true story (photos of the real survivors and their fates with the end credits). It's gritty, even sadistic. Gratuitous torture and rape, lots of brutality and bullets to the head. It's somewhat of a Scarface story - Chinese illegal immigrant kids get sucked into a ruthless gang but they don't become kingpins, just thugs in a violent seedy world. Everyone turns in decent performances but its so heavy-handed with its harshness and struggles to be artsy with it, and then shocking. Didn't really enjoy it in the end and wouldn't recommend it unless you're really into Asian gangster flicks, in which case this is amusing because it's a Hollywood take on it. There's a strong anti-immigration message which might not have been so prominent when it was made, but now, given the current immigration climate, it's all I could see.