Plot
Two best friends rise through the ranks of New York's Chinese underworld in the 1980s.
Release Year: 2014
Rating: 5.5/10 (299 voted)
Critic's Score: /100
Director: Wai-keung Lau
Stars: Justin Chon, Kevin Wu, Harry Shum Jr.
Storyline
REVENGE OF THE GREEN DRAGONS follows two immigrant brothers Sonny (Justin Chon) and Steven (Kevin Wu) who survive the impoverished despair of New York in the 1980s by joining Chinatown gang "The Green Dragons". The brothers quickly rise up the ranks, drawing the unwanted attention of hard-boiled city cops. After an ill- fated love affair pits Sonny against his own brother, he sets out for revenge on the very gang who made him who he is.
Writers: Michael Di Jiacomo, Andrew Loo
Cast: Justin Chon -
Sonny
Kevin Wu -
Steven
Harry Shum Jr. -
Paul Wong
Ray Liotta -
Michael Bloom
Jin Auyeung -
Detective Tang
Shuya Chang -
Tina
Carl Li -
Chicken Wing
Leonard Wu -
Chen I Chung
Eugenia Yuan -
Snakehead Mama
Celia Au -
Bobo
Michael Gregory Fung -
Young Steven
Alex Fox -
Young Sonny
Jon Kit Lee -
Geoff Pierson -
Captain Higgins
Linda Wang -
Mrs. Wan
Trivia:
The first film Wai-keung Lau and Martin Scorsese officially work on together (after Wai-keung Lau's Infernal Affairs (2002) inspired Martin Scorsese's The Departed (2006)). See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 7/10
Traveling across an ocean or desert and into a new country, one becomes
subject to different rules, and vulnerable to thugs who know the system
better. Those unable or unwilling to control their own destinies in
this new climate, invite others to do it for them. "Captain leads,
sailor sails," is the saying, and some unsavory, yet deceptively
wholesome looking, captains appear at the helm. The American dream
depends more on one's luck, resources and strength of character, than
on equal opportunity, liberty or other tenuous threads. Based on actual
events from the 1980s, the film follows the lives of Chinese immigrants
to New York City who are pressured into gangs, menial labor and
violence. The main characters are two boys who become part of the
notorious Green Dragon gang. Despite shaky acting and disjointed
transitions, it is an intriguing and insightful glimpse into the
underworld of U.S. immigration. Many scenes are predictable, yet there
were some twists and turns, especially at the end, that I did not see
coming. Seen at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.
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