American Dragons

A very well written and superbly directed film with the old standby mis-matched cop theme. Lots of action, slick camera work and nicely done fight scenes throughout with last ten minutes that always makes for good entertainment. Yes we love it when the bad guys get their just reward. Subtle twist ending left open for sequel.

New York detective Tony Luca is paired with South Korean detective Kim after a failed sting, as they navigate a deadly Mafia-Yakuza conflict while facing cultural clashes and personal demons.

Orion's American Dragons (1998), also known as Double Edge and The First to Die, inexplicably skipped a release in the U. K. until 2005. Director Ralph Hemecker blends action and drama with shades of American Yakuza (1993) and Black Rain (1989). The cinematography by Ernest Holzman enhances the noir-like atmosphere, while Joel Goldsmith's score adds tension and intensity. The action sequences are a mixed bag-some are executed with precision, while others are less well executed. With scattered fistfights and shootouts the tense opening, alley fight, bowling alley encounter are particularly notable highlights.

Michael Biehn delivers a strong performance as the hardened Luca, bringing both edge and depth to his role. Park Joong-hoon holds his own, adding humor and charm. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa makes an impression as Matsuyama, though his screen time is limited. Don Stark as mobster Rocco injects energy, making his scenes particularly engaging.

The film strikes a balance between gritty action and lighter moments, offering amusing one-liners without veering into full buddy-cop comedy. Biehn shines and carries the film effortlessly.

While Hemecker's offering may not have the scale or reach the heights of likes of Red Heat (1988), it's still wonderfully atmospheric, embracing the fish-out-of-water dynamic, creating a stylish crime shoot-em-up.

The movie is a slightly-above average violent action flick about a mismatched pairing of a rebellious American cop and a foreign policeman. Interesting setting, involving the Italian Mafia fighting it out with the Japanese Mafia and a mysterious Asian assassin in New York City. Michael Biehn is the hot-tempered policeman who gets paired with a Korean cop from Seoul, Korea (Joong-Hoon Park), while investigating the beginnings of a gangland war between the two crime syndicates. Lots of silly fights and violent action scenes. What raises the film above the standard is the Asian motif, the Mafia vs. Yakuza, and the good performances of Biehn and Park.

American Dragons is a hugely underrated film that more people should definitely know about.

Biehn plays Tony Luca, an NYC detective working undercover trying to take down the Fiorino Mafia family. When some unfortunate events cause that investigation to "go sideways", he is transferred to another case, in the Chinatown area where there have been some murders. It seems someone is bumping off Yakuza gangsters and leaving a mysterious Black Lotus emblem. Enter Detective Kim (Park) from the Seoul police department. He comes to America because he has a score to settle with the evil Matsuyama (Tagawa, playing yet another gun-toting bad guy, see Danger Zone ,1996). He teams up with Luca, who also has his own score to settle with amoral gangster Rocco (Stark). So it goes that, despite some initial conflicts due to their different cultures, the two pugilistic cops must take down their respective enemies before a mob war breaks out between the Mafia and the Yakuza.

American Dragons is stylish and artsy, yet dark and brooding. It has an engaging storyline, and despite the fact that it has some brutal, gritty violence, it also has some unexpected humor which leavens everything out.

You really get your money's worth, as there are two personal vendettas that must be settled, and two super-evil bad guys that must get their comeuppance. Luckily, there are two heroes, in the form of Park and Biehn. Biehn gets some great lines and seems as intense as the movie itself. Try to imagine a better, more adult, mature version of Last to Surrender (1999). Also, if you can, try to imagine a MUCH better version of Massacre (1985). While 'Dragons shares some plot elements from those two films, what's really interesting is the similarity it bears to Punisher: War Zone (2008), both in the style in which it is filmed and the plot.

The cinematography truly is a double edged sword here, as it is inventive and stylish, but often the scenes are just too dark to see. It's almost funny how every bar, restaurant, police station or anywhere else in the movie never turns its lights on. A lot of the time it looks like they are talking in the dark. The station house resembles the one from the Law and Order franchises, and that adds to the "police procedural on steroids" feel and even the Captain of the Precinct is reminiscent of that show's Van Buren. But here they're clearly trying to save money on electricity.

The whole movie is a of a much higher caliber than the usual action junk, and you can tell some thought went into everything, from the rockin' soundtrack to the fact that even here there's a training sequence! This, and other clues tell me the filmmakers are action fans themselves and know what they are doing. It's nice to know you're in good hands when you watch a movie.

So remember, "So foul a sky clears not without a storm" and watch American Dragons tonight - it's a cut above the rest.

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Okay, if you want a good movie with comedy between America and China, pick up the Rush Hour franchise. Don't get me wrong, I love Rush Hour, but I love the seriousness and suspense that's felt in some of the scenes, especially when the leader of the Yakuza meets his underlings in the harbor office. If you understand a bit of Japanese customs and culture, you would be able to feel that level of tension that I'm talking about.

I'm also a nut about Korean and Japanese cultures and customs and I was able to get into it easily. What Michael Biehn said at the end, "kahnsahamnida," is Korean for "Thank you very much." I train in Tae Kwon Do (a Korean Martial Art), and it's what drives my fascination about the cultures of Korea and Japan. Okay, I'm drifting off the subject, so I'll get back ON the subject.

A murder in Seoul,Korea of a detective's family...a black lotus origami-styled folding (I have no idea what they call it in Korea, so I'm using the Japanese similarity. If anyone knows what it's called, please let me know.) is the only clue that's given. Fast forward several years later to a murder in the New York alleyways; several members of the Yakuza are flat on their backs with their throats slashed out. A NY detective (Biehn) investigates the area and notices a black lotus origami floating by and scans the design to be sent to all police networks around the world. It is the same detective who's family was murdered that picks up the bulletin and when the two meet, you can tell there's some resentment until they have at it. It gets even better when the two go meet the Yakuza at the Harbor office.

I won't say anything more, but it gets better and better. I recommend this movie for anyone who wants good serious police work between two cultures.