Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Please don't spend money on this.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This story is very inspirational with rooted lessons

Taimak, Vanity, Julius Carry, Christopher Murney, Mike Starr and Faith Prince star in this 1985 action film. This tells the story of young martial artist, Leroy Green (Taimak) who seeks a master to obtain the final level, "The Glow." On his quest, he faces a fighter, Sho'Nuff (Carry) known as the Showgun of Harlem and his thugs. Leroy also finds romance with a beautiful music DJ, Laura Charles (Vanity) and also faces ruthless businessman, Eddie Arkadian (Murney) after saving her from him. Starr plays Arkadian's right-hand man, Rock, Prince plays Arkadian's former girlfriend & singer, Angela and real-life martial artist, Ernie Reyes, Jr. is also featured as Tai. I grew up watching this film and always liked it. It's got a great cast, especially Carry and Murney and it's another classic of the 80's I recommend.

For some dumb reason or another I never watched this flick. Not only that, I never even heard of it. I guess you are what you watch, really. My friends, my family, they were all Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Mortal Kombat, Van Damme fans, so I'm guessing saturating ourselves in that action was enough for us to keep a blind eye towards any other films on the video racks. But the sweet thing, it gave me a chance. And now I'm the baddest! But not as bad as the Harlem Shogun. No way.'Bruce' Leroy Green is a student of the martial arts variety. But his arch nemesis, Sho'nuff, is a student the badass variety! And he's also the self-proclaimed Shogun of Harlem! If I was Leroy I would've packed suit and got the hell outta Dodge! Dodge-Harlem, that is. Anyways, Leroy's got more testicular fortitude than your boy, so he continues on his self-improving journey, which unfortunately gets his family in trouble along the way. And to make matters worse, some flirty, eye-lash batting, cutey-pants, TV singing, dancer star is having problems with some greedy, evil bigwig! And of course, it's only up to Bruce Leroy to put an end to that as well. But can he? He can't glow if he can't find Sum Dumb Gai. If you're a little confused about what I'm trying to tell you...you should be. You should also be ashamed in yourself that you haven't seen this movie yet. Sho'nuff!! The Last Dragon is absolutely, without a doubt, sho'nuff, a classic 80's flick. It's got the cheese, which is almost carried entirely by our lead actor who plays Bruce Leroy Green. It's got the martial arts action, the dazzling dance moves, the bodacious beats, and of course, ya got the Shogun of Harlem himself being the baddest mofo around! If you have a difficult time finding the entertainment in this flick, you're a fool! A damn fool! Sho'nuff!!

Welcome to the 1980s. The 7th Heaven for the adolescent's ingenuous dreams. Some hate the 1980s; maybe because it has nothing to do with them nostalgically, or because the lost relationship between them and the *dreamer adolescent* inside them. For me, dancing with the 1980s is forever my hobby, my fun. Whatever the "date" is, I must enjoy something. Always romantic or meaningful. Its fever is still sweet and electrifying. This time, you may feel that the dancing floor has a beauty queen. Beautiful ? For sure, queen ? Not that sure ! This time, (The Karate Kid) meets the very noisy kids from (The Goonies), meets the honorable MTV ! Actually, the case wasn't that bad at all. You have some charismatic young martial arts fighter, some real dashing girl with charming, too sexy, presence; look at her eyes and her smile.. Pure magic (Taimak, Vanity.. Where are both of them now ?!), some shadows of comedy and action. Plus the fantasy factor. The formula looks nice, it has elements of a world I love. But OH MY GOD, some movies aren't meant to be made !The 1980s was overweight with too many fantasy adventures. For instance, at the same year of 1985 there were : (Red Sonja), (The Black Cauldron), (Ladyhawke), and (Legend). Though (The Last Dragon) didn't even have the opportunity to challenge them or else. But at least it's not the negative version of many innocent dreams that filled the era. It's like a rapid reverie among them.It was the right ambition in the wrong hands, or in the wrong way. While trying to achieve the ambition of one fantasy / musical / romance / comedy / action movie; serious hastiness seriously interrupted, to end up with a campy version of that ambition instead. It's the quick little of everything; knowing that it was so poor as well. In fact, the low budget transformed it into cheap comic-book.Let alone, few provocative elements : The storyline of the bad singer, the idiot characterization of the evil man, the savage presence of that 11 years kid who was screaming so faithfully and unbearably too "Take your hands off my woman" !! To tell you the truth, I hoped that the evil man cooks him and eats him fast enough ! I hated his acting, his role, or even his existence in life. Basically the role must have been for OLDER boy, but if we just bring up the subject of what was necessary to be here and wasn't, I think I'll exceed the limited space of reviewing movies on the IMDb ! Sorrowfully, the final result was bizarre mix of modern fairytale which has gone destitute, and one musical which has been miscarried.Still some moments, or echoes from the original ambition, are available. On the top of course is the great "First Time on a Ferris Wheel" by Smokey Robinson and Syreeta at the finale. Look at the way it's done with pausing the frame and all, WAW it's the best end for a movie I didn't watch. All in all, this dancing was modest. But despite being not one of the 1980s' best performances, it has some of its loveliest ambitions. So look at the remnants : the atmosphere, the soundtrack, Taimak, Vanity, the nostalgia,… Well, still a beauty, like a possible runner-up. And still at heart, as an adolescent dream, yet done adolescently too.I'm nearly whispering : Enjoy it.