Today’s quick review: Revenge of the Green Dragons. In the 1980s, Sonny (Justin Chon) and Steven (Kevin Wu) immigrate to America in search of a better life. What they find instead is the Green Dragons, one of the half-dozen gangs vying for control of Flushing, Queens and its community of Chinese immigrants. Joining the Dragons at a young age, Sonny and Steven grow into successful criminals—at the cost of the peace and safety of a normal life.
Revenge of the Green Dragons is a gritty crime drama about the lives of two Chinese immigrants who become embroiled in New York’s criminal underworld. The movie successfully captures the violence and the flaky notion of brotherhood at a gang’s core, making it a visceral and impactful watch. However, it lacks the sympathetic characters, the sharp script, or the intricate plot needed to build on this foundation, making it a mediocre pick.
Unusually for the crime genre, Revenge of the Green Dragons is not about action, glory, or power, but rather the personal cost of crime. Sonny and Steven are just boys when they’re pressured into tying their fortunes to the Green Dragons. From then on, their lives are a tangled web of moral compromise, loyalty to the gang, and repercussions for their actions. The two are never on top of the world; at best, they merely think they are.
As such, Revenge of the Green Dragons makes for a dark watch. The movie is at its best—and its most disturbing—when it shows the Green Dragons in all their baseness and brutality. The Dragons are sadistic criminals who destroy what they can’t take, and running with them costs Sonny and Steven much of what they hold dear. The movie’s shocking violence has the intended effect, and its refusal to pull its punches gives it some weight as a drama.
However, in spite of its potent individual scenes, Revenge of the Green Dragons has no firm endgame in mind. The plot charts the fluctuating fortunes of the Green Dragons as they battle their rivals, expand their operation, and evade the notice of the cops. But there is no climax for the movie to build to, nor are its final revelations worth the wait. The movie sets up some interesting threads but never figures out the best way to resolve them.
The problem is exacerbated by characters that are only half as sympathetic as intended. Sonny and Steven do show occasional fits of regret for their crimes, but the sheer magnitude of what they are complicit in or instigate themselves makes them hard to relate to. With their redeeming qualities few and far between, the tragic parts of the movie fall flat and much of the film’s dramatic potential goes unrealized.
Revenge of the Green Dragons holds modest value for those interested in the darkest depths of the crime genre and aren’t too particular about character or plot. Its grounded look at gang violence in a specific era of New York’s history gives the film a niche of its own, but it’s missing the depth of story and character needed to make the most of what it has. Most crime fans will find they can do better.
For a richer biographical story about the Chinese drug trade, try Chasing the Dragon. For similar tales of criminal success with more effective drama, try Lord of War or Kill the Irishman. For the mafia equivalent, check out Goodfellas or Casino. For a more cerebral tale of gang warfare and split loyalty, try Miller’s Crossing.
5.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 for decent shock value without the characters or plot to make much of it.