Executive producer Martin Scorsese‘s influence is readily apparent in the crime drama Revenge of the Green Dragon. On a first glance, comparisons to Mean Streets may surface, given some parallels — namely, both films feature two main characters who live in tough New York neighborhoods and rise through the ranks of gangs. But that’s pretty much where the comparisons end, for much is missing in this effort, most notably the lack of lead performances that are as alive and electric as what De Niro and Keitel delivered. The writing from Michael Di Jiacomo and Andrew Lau is hackneyed, which might’ve been forgiven if this felt more like an action piece than the drama it aspires to be.
The tale centers on Sonny (Justin Chon) and Steven (Kevin Wu), immigrant brothers in New York circal the ’80s. Around them are feuds between Chinese and Korean gangs, each jockeying for turf. The brothers get coerced and seduced by Chinatown gang The Green Dragons and, over the years, rise up its ranks. For the most part, the police pay little attention to the Asian gangs until one detective, Bloom (Ray Liotta), takes it upon himself to dig deeper. As the police pressure builds, the gang and its affiliates turn upon itself, and what moral code they follow disintegrates.
It’s rare to see a relatively high-profile English-language film with Asian males as the leads, all while supported by a predominantly Asian cast. With Scorsese producing and Andrew Lau (the Infernal Affairs trilogy, the Young and Dangerous series) directing, expectations are high. However, there simply are too many glaring flaws to overlook. The core of the film seems to rest on the relationship between Sonny and Steven; while the actors that were chosen are competent, they don’t have the magnitude of appeal that is necessary to carry a feature. Perhaps they would’ve been sufficient if the writing weren’t weak and cliché-ridden. At one mystifying point, the narrator explicitly warns, “There’s a storm coming, and I don’t know of any umbrella that can keep the city dry.”
Dragons‘ script also beats its audience over the head with the idea of immigrants struggling to live the American dream. For instance, when Liotta’s character makes a big arrest, he tells the officers to treat the criminal lightly — that she’s “an American citizen.” And then there are scenes of gang torture we’ve seen in dozens of other movies — victims dangling from chains, crowds jeering, fingers being cut off. In other words, there’s nothing new and fresh here. Despite his involvement, it simply feels like we’re watching a glaringly meager imitation of a Scorsese picture.
Revenge of the Green Dragons hits theaters on Friday, October 24th.