1980s Martial Arts Icon The Last Dragon Roars Back Into Theaters for a 40th Anniversary Showdown
The 1985 cult martial arts hit The Last Dragon is roaring back into theaters for a 40th anniversary run, inviting fans to relive the glow with high-flying kicks, neon style, and a soundtrack that still slaps.
Some movies are instant time machines. For me, The Last Dragon flips that switch the second the credits roll. Good news if you know what I mean: it is heading back to theaters for its 40th anniversary, and yes, it is the full neon-kung-fu-Motown blast you remember.
Iconic Events is giving it a nationwide encore on October 19, 20, and 22, playing on over 500 handpicked screens across the U.S. This is the first time the film has gotten a national re-release since 1985, which is kind of wild. Tickets are up at IconicReleasing.com. Bonus: the screening includes a brand-new introduction from star Taimak.
If you missed it in the 80s or only caught it half-watching cable, The Last Dragon is that wonderfully odd mash-up where martial arts cinema, music video swagger, and comedy-adventure all live together in the same dojo. Michael Schultz directs from a script by Louis Venosta, and the plot is pure cult-classic fuel: a New York kid named Leroy Green trains to reach Bruce Lee-level mastery, saves TV host Laura Charles from a sleazy mogul named Eddie Arkadian, falls into a romance he absolutely did not schedule, and then has to deal with Sho'nuff, the self-appointed Shogun of Harlem. It is as fun as that sounds.
- Key dates: October 19, 20, and 22 only; over 500 theaters nationwide; first national re-release since 1985; tickets at IconicReleasing.com
- Who made it: Directed by Michael Schultz; written by Louis Venosta; produced by Rupert Hitzig; executive producer Berry Gordy
- Story snapshot: Leroy Green chases Bruce Lee-level greatness, rescues TV star Laura Charles from villain Eddie Arkadian, and faces off with Sho'nuff, the Shogun of Harlem
- Special for this run: A new on-screen intro from Taimak
- Cast: Taimak, Vanity, Julius Carry, Christopher Murney, Leo O'Brien, Faith Prince, Glen Eaton, Thomas Ikeda, Jim Moody, Mike Starr, Andre D. Brown, David Claudio, Kirk Taylor, Lisa Loving, Ernie Reyes Jr., Queen Esther Marrow, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Jamal Mason, B.J. Barie, Ariel Reed, Chazz Palminteri, Henry Yuk, Michael G. Chin, Fredric Mao, William H. Macy, Carl Anthony Payne II, London Reyes, Jeffrey Dawson, Verne Williams
- Soundtrack lineup: DeBarge, Stevie Wonder, Vanity, Charlene, Smokey Robinson, Rockwell
Inside baseball note: with Berry Gordy involved, that wall-to-wall pop and Motown energy makes perfect sense. Also, this is a three-night engagement, so if you want to see Sho'nuff flex on the big screen again (or for the first time), you might want to lock it in early.
Planning to catch it when it hits theaters next month? Tell me if you are going full glow for it.