Year of the Dragon, Michael Cimino/Oliver Stone triad thriller set in New York’s Chinatown
- Michael Cimino’s 1985 film, scripted by Oliver Stone, could have been a potent study of clashing cultures. Instead it is cynical and racist
It may sound like just another maverick cop film, but Michael Cimino’s 1985 thriller Year of the Dragon is a fascinating footnote in Asian-American cinema history.
Set in New York’s Chinatown, and starring Mickey Rourke as a police captain taking on the triads, it features breakout roles for Chinese-American actors such as John Lone and Dennis Dun, as well as an explosive combination of behind-the-scenes talent.
Year of the Dragon was produced by Dino De Laurentiis (1919-2010), the flamboyant Italian behind everything from Death Wish (1974) to Dune (1984).
Co-writer Oliver Stone, meanwhile, would go on to court both controversy and acclaim with the likes of Platoon (1986), Wall Street (1987) and Natural Born Killers (1994).
But what might have been a powerful exploration of clashing cultures feels more like a clash between competing voices, with each of the filmmakers trying to tell a different story.
