The Last Dragon (1985) is the sort of gloriously over-the-top cult masterpiece that could only come from the deepest corners of the 80s.
It’s got everything: martial arts, magic, Motown, showbiz glitz, and a villain so larger-than-life that his name might as well have been written in fire – Sho’nuff, the Shogun of Harlem, played to absolute perfection by the late, great Julius Carry.
For the uninitiated, This is the story of Leroy Green (Bruce Leroy), a soft-spoken martial artist on a quest to achieve the ultimate level of enlightenment: “The Glow,” a mystical power that turns its masters into legends. Along the way, he falls for a glamorous music video host (played by Vanity) and finds himself on the wrong end of a sleazy showbiz mogul trying to strong-arm her into promoting his trashy videos.
But the real crescendo comes in the form of Sho’nuff, a swaggering, red-armour-clad master of disaster who’s determined to humiliate Leroy and claim Harlem for himself. Carry’s performance is so bombastic, so electric, that he practically is the movie. Without him, it’s a great film. With him, it’s legendary.
The Last Dragon doesn’t just kick ass and kiss Converse, it does it in style – it’s backed by a soundtrack that ranks among the best of the decade. 40 years later, I still have it on heavy rotation.
This is a movie that knows exactly what it is, what it needs to do, and owns it. It’s a wild mix of Hai Karate kung fu, glitzy showbiz shenanigans and the kind of high stakes villainy that involves fish tanks and nunchucks. This, probably more than any movie of the decade, perfectly distills everything I love about 80s cinema.
‘Nuff said.
“Who’s the master?” You know the answer. -Pop