Tuesday, August 31, 2010

A Powerful Synopsis Of The Movie The Last Dragon

By Dwayne Todd

The Last Dragon was a film produced by Motown Records in the mid-eighties, and while it was sort of created as a way to market a few singles, notably Oh Sheila, the film still stands as a pretty good Kung Fu movie, a good comedy, and one of the all time must download movies of the eighties. It's fun, funny, sort of corny and very eighties.

The story follows a young man nicknamed "Bruce Leroy", a Harlem martial artist who teaches Kung Fu to the local kids. He works at his father's pizza place, delivering pies on foot and deals with his rival, Sho'Nuff, the Shogun of Harlem... Yep. Sho'Nuff... The Shogun of Harlem. This incredibly goofy martial arts tale takes place on the real streets of modern day Harlem and creates a really quirky, one of a kind movie.

Sho'Nuff, the Shogun of Harlem, is really a cinematic treasure as far as great film characters go. He tries to egg Bruce Leroy into a fight so that he can prove, once and for all, who the strongest fighter in the city is. Every time he steps on scene, it's with a short speech, aided by his lackeys. "Am I the prettiest?!" "SHO NUFF!" "Am I the baddest?!" "SHO NUFF!" "Am I the meanest, leanest mofo around dis town?!" "SHO NUFF!" "SHO'NUFF! Da Shogun of Harlem!" He wears visor sunglasses, a samurai's hakama (those baggy pants that disguise foot movement), and shoulder pads, as well as a top knot... He looks ridiculous and he's just a joy to behold.

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!

But don't worry, it gets back to that soon enough when the promoter hires the meanest hombres in town to take Leroy down, culminating in a massive brawl with Leroy and his students on one side, and a gang of colorful thugs on the other, including a great big fat white guy with a gray Mr. T mohawk and a gold colored jumpsuit... Strange characters, indeed.

Besides the action and jokes, there are also some classic eighties scenes that you couldn't see in any other era, such as Leroy trying to find the man who writes the wise sayings on fortune cookies, only to find that the whole process is automated by a computer that prints them out.

Could the movie have been a bit better without the subplot about the record promoter and his girlfriend? Sure, but there's always something about every movie where it "could have been better". Regardless, what's there is a fun, funny, corny, exciting little gem of a film. Half kung fu, half spoof of kung fu, and all eighties.

So it's exciting, it's funny, and it has all the goofiness and colorful style you want from an eighties movie. Give it a download.

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