''The Last Dragon'' (sometimes listed as ''Berry Gordy's'' ''The Last Dragon'') is a 1985 American

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

Martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expression a ...

directed by

Michael Schultz Michael Schultz (born November 10, 1938) is an American director and producer of theater, film and television. Life and career Schultz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of an African-American mother Katherine Frances Leslie (1917–199 ...

, written by Louis Venosta, and produced by

Rupert Hitzig Rupert Hitzig (born August 15, 1938) is an American director, producer, actor and screenwriter. He graduated from Harvard University. Career With executive producer Berry Gordy he produced ''The Last Dragon'' (1985), directed by Michael Schult ...

for

Berry Gordy Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), also known as Berry Gordy Jr., is an American retired record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record label and i ...

. The film stars

Taimak Taimak Guarriello (born June 27, 1964), known mononymously as Taimak (), is an American actor, martial artist and stuntman, known for his lead role as Leroy Green ("Bruce Leroy") in the 1985 martial arts film ''The Last Dragon''. Personal life ...

Vanity Vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness compared to others. Prior to the 14th century, it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant ''futility''. The related term vainglory is now often seen as ...

Julius Carry Julius John Carry III (March 12, 1952 – August 19, 2008) was an American actor. He made his acting debut in the 1979 film '' Disco Godfather'' starring Rudy Ray Moore. He played Sho'Nuff in the martial arts film '' The Last Dragon''. He also a ...

Christopher Murney Christopher Murney is an American actor and voice artist. Early life and education Murney earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Rhode Island and a Master of Fine Arts in theatre from Pennsylvania State University. Career Murney ...

Keshia Knight Pulliam Keshia Knight Pulliam (born April 9, 1979) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress. She landed her breakthrough role as Rudy Huxtable, on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby Show'' (1984–1992), and became the youngest person to ...

, and

Faith Prince Faith Prince is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on Broadway in musical theatre. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in ''Guys and Dolls'' in 1992, and received three other Tony nominations. Life and career Prince wa ...

. Choreography was created by Lester Wilson and

Lawrence Leritz Lawrence Leritz (born September 26, 1952) is an American actor, dancer, singer, producer, director, fitness expert and choreographer. Life and career Born in Alton, Illinois, Leritz made his stage debut in the children's chorus of the world stag ...

. ''The Last Dragon'' was released in theaters by

Tri-Star Pictures TriStar Pictures, Inc. (spelled as Tri-Star until 1991) is an American film studio and production company that is part of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, which is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. The company wa ...

on March 22, 1985. The film was a financial success despite a mixed reception by critics and is considered a

cult classic A cult following is a group of Fan (person), fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some List of art media, medium. The latter is often cal ...

Plot

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, martial arts student Leroy Green (also known as "Bruce Leeroy") has dreams of becoming a great martial artist like his idol

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...

. His master explains that he has almost reached the final level of martial arts accomplishment, known as "The Last Dragon". Martial artists who reach this final level are said to be able to concentrate such mystical energy into their hands that they begin to glow. Only a true martial arts master would be able to exhibit "The Glow" over his entire body. Leroy doesn't fully understand and, in possession of a medal supposedly belonging to Bruce Lee, Leroy embarks upon a

spiritual journey In esotericism, astral projection (also known as astral travel, soul journey, soul wandering, spiritual journey, spiritual travel) is an intentional out-of-body experience (OBE) in which a subtle body, known as the astral body or body of lig ...

to find Master Sum Dum Goy, who supposedly has the other half of the medal, and who his master claims can help Leroy unlock the power of "The Glow". Another martial artist, Sho'nuff (also known as "The

Shogun , officially , was the title of the military aristocracy, rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor of Japan, Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, exc ...

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

"), sees Leroy as the only obstacle to being acknowledged as the true master of martial arts. However, Leroy refuses to fight him when Sho'nuff's gang interrupts a Bruce Lee film screening. A furious Sho'nuff attempts to menace Leroy into accepting his challenge. Accompanied by his minions Crunch, Beast, and Cyclone, Sho'nuff barges into Leroy's martial arts school. The gang assaults Leroy and Johnny Yu, one of Leroy's students, demanding that Leroy bow before Sho'nuff. Meanwhile, video-arcade mogul Eddie Arkadian sends his men to kidnap local VJ Laura Charles, owner of the "7th Heaven" studio, where she films a TV series similar to ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. After airing locally on WCIU-TV in Chicago, Illinois, for a year, it aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featu ...

''. Eddie hopes to get several trashy music videos he has produced, starring his girlfriend Angela Viracco, featured on Laura's show. The kidnap attempt is thwarted by Leroy, who easily fends off the thugs. He loses his medal during the struggle, which Laura recovers. Later, Leroy witnesses Laura being kidnapped by Arkadian's brutish henchman Rock. A clue left behind reveals that the kidnappers work for Eddie Arkadian Productions. Laura refuses to promote Angela's video on her program, but as Arkadian's men prepare to coerce her, Leroy suddenly bursts into the room clothed as a

Ninja A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...

and rescues Laura once again. Back at her apartment, Laura gratefully returns Leroy's medal. Consumed with vengeance, Arkadian hires Sho'nuff to defeat Leroy and takes control of the ''7th Heaven'' studio, capturing Laura and Leroy's younger brother, Richie, who has snuck in hoping to woo Laura. Posing as a pizza delivery man, Leroy manages to infiltrate the assumed lair of Master Sum Dum Goy within a fortune cookie factory, but is shocked to discover that the "Master" is only a computer churning out cookie fortunes, one of which reads: "He who is color blind must never follow a horse of another color". Leroy consults his former master for answers, but his master suggests that Leroy has known the answers all along. Not wanting anyone to get hurt in the process of achieving her stardom, Angela leaves Arkadian and asks Johnny to warn Leroy about his plan. As Leroy returns to ''7th Heaven'', he is ambushed by an army of violent thugs hired by Arkadian. Leroy's students, led by Johnny, charge into the studio to even the odds. Using Laura as bait, Eddie lures Leroy to a dilapidated building where he finally faces off against Sho'nuff. During the battle, Sho'nuff reveals his ability to use "The Glow", his hands pulsating with a red aura, and beats Leroy viciously before attempting to force him to acknowledge Sho'nuff as "The Master." As recent events flash before Leroy's eyes, he realizes that his former master was correct and that everything he needed to achieve the "Final Level" was within him all along. His entire body bathed in the sublime golden light of "The Glow", Leroy uses his newfound power to defeat Sho'nuff. Arkadian appears, derides Leroy's martial arts prowess, and fires a single bullet, which Leroy catches between his teeth before detaining Arkadian for the police. Laura and Leroy are reunited at the studio, where the two kiss.

Cast

Production

''The Last Dragon'' was based on an original screenplay by Louis Venosta, then a struggling young actor/dancer who stated he was "tired of being cast as 'Gang Member #3' in every urban film made in New York". The screenplay was purchased by Tri-Star Pictures for Motown Productions and was quickly approved for production which began in New York City locations on April 16, 1984. This was the first acting role for Taimak, a then-19-year-old black belt who learned to act on the set of this picture. Reyes, martial artist and actor, made his film debut at the age of twelve in this film. Carry, in the role of Sho'nuff, trained in martial arts for the film. Gordy was frequently on the set and had many of his Motown artists visit. Producer

Suzanne de Passe Suzanna Celeste de Passe (born July 19, 1946, 1947 or 1948) is an American businesswoman, television, music and film producer. De Passe serves as the co-chairwoman of de Passe Jones Entertainment Group. Biography Early life and education De Pas ...

was very hands on with the project.

Billy Blanks William Wayne Blanks (born September 1, 1955) is an American actor, martial artist, boxing champion and Fitness culture, fitness personality. He was a nationally ranked competitor in semi-contact and point karate during the 1980s, winning a bro ...

was at one point considered for the role of Leroy Green as was

Wesley Snipes Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor and martial artist. In a film career spanning more than thirty years, Snipes has appeared in a variety of genres, such as numerous thrillers, dramatic feature films, and comedies, th ...

Mario Van Peebles Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is a Mexican-born American director and actor. He is best known for appearing in ''Heartbreak Ridge'' in 1986, and known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991, and ''USS Indianapolis: ...

Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has gained recognition for his roles on stage and screen as militant and authoritative characters. List of awards and nominations received by Laur ...

and even

Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...

. Vanity, who had just left the production of '' Purple Rain'', was cast after Gordy signed her to a four-picture contract. Notable film locations include the Harlem Karate Institute of Grandmaster Ernest Hyman, Japanese Goju-Ryu, in

, New York City where the Dojo and workout scenes were filmed. The Victory Theater on 42nd Street, which was an adult movie theatre, was used for the scene where Sho'nuff interrupts the viewing of ''

Enter the Dragon ''Enter the Dragon'' ( zh, t=龍爭虎鬥) is a 1973 martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse and written by Michael Allin. The film stars Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Ahna Capri, Bob Wall, Shih Kien and Jim Kelly. ''Enter the Dragon'' was ...

''. Ron Van Clief choreographed the fight for this scene in which Carry performed his own stunts. Bernstein's-on-Essex, a kosher Chinese restaurant, was used in the film with its decor intact.

Music

The film has a soundtrack of the same name and features music supervised by executive producer Berry Gordy. Featured in this film is a

DeBarge DeBarge was an American musical recording group composed of several members of the DeBarge family. In addition to various solo projects completed by members of the family, DeBarge was active between 1979 and 1989. The group originally consiste ...

song, " Rhythm of the Night", written by

Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has won an Academy Honorary Award, Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and three consecutive ''Billboard'' Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year from 19 ...

. The song reached number 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 1 on the ''Billboard'' R&B charts. The film's

Richard Perry Richard Van Perry (June 18, 1942 – December 24, 2024) was an American record producer. He began his musical career as a performer while attending Poly Prep, his high school in Brooklyn. After graduating from college he rose through the late ...

-produced title theme was nominated for Worst "Original" Song at the 1985 Golden Raspberry Awards, as was Vanity's song "7th Heaven". A song that was not featured but still benefited from critical acclaim was "Upset Stomach", written and performed by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

. It also marked the return of

Willie Hutch William McKinley Hutchison (December 6, 1944 – September 19, 2005), better known as Willie Hutch, was an American singer, songwriter as well as a record producer and recording artist for the Motown record label during the 1970s and 1980s. Biog ...

to Motown with the song "The Glow". Charlene performed the song "Fire" for the soundtrack. The score was composed by Segal. The love theme song called "First Time on a Ferris Wheel" was also composed by Segal with lyrics by Harriet Schock and performed by Smokey Robinson and Syreeta.

Reception

The film's total gross is reported as $33 million against a production budget of $10 million.

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

reviewed ''The Last Dragon'' for ''

Imagine Imagine may refer to: * Imagination Music Albums * ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008 * ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002 * ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012 * ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971 ** ''Imagine: John Lennon' ...

'' magazine, and stated that "Will black Kung Fu whiz 'Bruce' Leroy find The Master, defeat wicked Eddie Arcadian, beat Sho-Nuff ('The Shogun of Harlem'), rescue the lovely Laura (Vanity), outsmart the jive-talking Chinese fortune-cookie people, and learn how to get down and boogie? Very probably." In 2002, a paper in the ''

Journal of Asian American Studies The ''Journal of Asian American Studies'' is a triannual academic journal established in 1998 and is the official publication of the Association for Asian American Studies. The journal publishes scholarly articles exploring theoretical development ...

'' applauded the strong character development of the black hero, who reverses the stereotype of the typical Asian in an action film. The hero, while learning from an Asian Zen master, learns to use his internal strength and

aura Aura most commonly refers to: * Aura (paranormal), a purported field of luminous multi-colored radiation around a person or object * Aura (symptom), a symptom experienced before a migraine or seizure * Halo (religious iconography), glory, or aure ...

to overcome obstacles.

In popular culture

In the

LMFAO LMFAO (an initialism for Laughing My Freaking Ass Off) was an American electronic dance music duo consisting of Redfoo and Sky Blu (rapper), Sky Blu. Redfoo is the youngest son of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and Nancy Leiviska. Sky Blu ...

song "

Sexy and I Know It "Sexy and I Know It" is a song by American duo LMFAO from their second and final studio album, '' Sorry for Party Rocking''. It was released as the third single from the album on September 16, 2011. The song was written by Stefan Kendal Gordy, ...

", rapper

Redfoo Stefan Kendal Gordy (born September 3, 1975), better known as Redfoo, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer, DJ, dancer, and tennis player. He came to prominence as one half of the duo LMFAO, formed with his half-nephew Sky ...

references having "The Glow" and Bruce Leeroy. Redfoo is the son of music executive

, who also produced ''The Last Dragon''.

Schoolboy Q Quincy Matthew Hanley (born October 26, 1986), better known by his stage name Schoolboy Q (stylized as ScHoolboy Q), is an American rapper. He began recording in 2007, and released his first two mixtapes, ''ScHoolboy Turned Hustla'' (2008) and '' ...

references Bruce Leeroy and the glow during his feature on the

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett in London, England in 1998. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (gui ...

song "

Pac-Man ''Pac-Man,'' originally called in Japan, is a 1980 maze video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. The pla ...

" from their 2020 album '' Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez''. As Little Movie Moments notes on their eponymous blog, "In the movie ''

Raya and the Last Dragon ''Raya and the Last Dragon'' ( ) is a 2021 American animated fantasy action adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada, co-directed by ...

'' (2021),

Sisu is a Finnish word variously translated as stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness. It is held by Finns to express their national character. It is generally considered not to have a single-word ...

says 'I got the glow!' which is a shout out to the movie ''The Last Dragon'' (1985)".

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Last Dragon, The 1985 films 1985 action comedy films 1985 martial arts films 1980s American films 1980s English-language films 1980s exploitation films 1980s martial arts comedy films 1980s musical comedy films 1980s vigilante films African-American comedy films American action comedy films American exploitation films American martial arts comedy films American vigilante films English-language action comedy films English-language musical comedy films Films about kidnapping in the United States Films about singers Films directed by Michael Schultz Films set in New York City Films set in a movie theatre Films shot in New York City Jeet Kune Do films Karate films Motown Productions films Supernatural action films TriStar Pictures films 1985 musical films