The Last Dragon Reviews

An enjoyable pastiche of martial arts, romance, music, and video, THE LAST DRAGON presents a likable young hero, Leroy (Taimak), who aspires to become a kung fu master. Though black and living in Harlem with his family, Leroy lives like a Chinese. He dresses like a peasant and eats all his meals, including popcorn, with chopsticks. The kids in the neighborhood call him "Bruce Leroy," a joke connecting him with his hero, kung fu star Bruce Lee. Trouble arises in the form of a huge black man who calls himself "Sho' Nuff, the Shogun of Harlem" (Julius J. Carry III), who is determined to prove himself the kung fu master of the neighborhood. All this is very silly of course, but THE LAST DRAGON has a certain sweetness about it that is engaging. Leroy is a truly humble, quietly heroic character who possesses an admirable spirituality. The film stresses family values, friendship, self-respect, discipline, and romantic love, while presenting it all in a wholly entertaining format with little foul language or sadistic violence. The film's only major fault is that it stops in its tracks to present a few rock videos, but when Motown executive Berry Gordy puts up the money, that is to be expected.