If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

'Year Of The Dragon' is a dark, brutal thriller about the Chinese mafia's turf wars in the United States. This was once celebrated director Michael Cimino's last attempt to create something daring in Hollywood after his previous film 'Heaven's Gate' infamously bankrupted studio United Artists, but while 'Year of the Dragon' might not the be the masterpiece Cimino's multiple Oscar-wining epic 'The Deer Hunter' was, it is still a very good film and remains one of the best cop thrillers of the eighties - plus it features a Mickey Rourke in absolute top form. And it's an interesting film for some other reasons as well. For one, the script was written by none other than a young Oliver Stone. For another, it was the first time a Hollywood movie addressed the topic of Chinese gang violence in America, and although it seems rather tame now when compared to the reality of Triad wars, at the time, it was accused of being racist towards the Chinese community. The controversy it caused when it opened, plus the fact that it flopped badly, were the final nails in Cimino's career (he only made 3 more films until his death in 2016). But it's a very well crafted, gripping cop thriller that deserves to be re-discovered. 8 stars out of 10.In case you're interested in more underrated gems, here's a list with some of my favorites:imdb.com/list/ls070242495

Stanley White (Rourke) is a Cop On The Edge (and Vietnam vet) in New York City. Assigned to Chinatown, he discovers the area is rife with gangs demanding protection money from shopkeepers, illegal gambling, and other activities that are against the law - U.S. law. When White confronts the leaders of the community, he is informed that their traditions are thousands of years old, and he can't just waltz in and change things. But then the violence spins out of control and the murder rate rises. The headstrong Stanley just won't tolerate their growing domination. Meanwhile, Stanley finds himself growing apart not just from his colleagues on the police force, but from his wife Connie (Kava). He develops a relationship with Asian TV reporter Tracy Tzu, and when she gets caught in the middle between Stanley and his growing sense of vengeance to crime leader Joey Tai (Lone), fireworks - literally - occur. Will Stanley clean up the streets of Chinatown? Find out today! Michael Cimino is one of the only currently-living masters of American cinema, and with a screenplay co-written by him and Oliver Stone, in a movie produced by Dino De Laurentiis, you know you're going to get a high-quality production. It's an expertly-shot and acted film as well, and with some of the themes it deals with, it was ahead of its time in 1985. It's filled with intense moments, and its length and pace bespeak its status as an epic crime drama, which would make sense as the novel it's based from was written by Robert Daley of Prince of the City (1981) fame. So we applaud that it did not cave in to the trend of "MTV editing", and it comes out smelling like a rose in the 21st century.Mickey Rourke was the ideal choice to play Stanley. This was at the height of his initial fame in the 80's, and he's looking young and trim. Stanley, despite appearing, on the surface, like a brash, insensitive, politically-incorrect brute, actually has a highly sensitive soul and a powerful and overriding sense of morality. But he's caught up in a corrupt world so he deals with it the best he can. Rourke, one of the most talented actors currently working today, can expertly play that subtlety and complexity. Plus not only does he have cool hair, he has a cool hat, and when he's not wearing his cool hat, the coolness of his hair can shine, and his hair seems to get cooler as the movie goes along.On top of the cultural knowledge and references in the movie, not just of Asian culture but biblical as well (could Stanley's shot in the middle of his hand with its blood be a reference to the stigmata of Jesus?) , it's important to recognize that this was the 80's, after all, and we get the disco scene we all love, and arcade games Pac-Man, Galaga and Defender can be seen. This movie truly has it all.So for a serious-minded, extremely professional cop/crime drama that has all the hallmarks that we know and love, plus a lot more, it's hard to beat Year of the Dragon.

After about 30 years of knowing about this movie, I finally watched Year of the Dragon. Mickey Rourke is very compelling as the police detective out to rid New York's Chinatown of the various drug trafficking and other corrupt influences there based on his experiences in Vietnam. John Lone is the young crime boss who's trying to keep his head above water in his businesses. This was a mostly compelling action drama about two men raising the stakes in their respective territories. Rourke has a wife (Caroline Kava) he doesn't spend enough time with and carries on an affair with a Chinese-American reporter (Ariane) who knows he's not the most stable guy. To tell the truth, I wasn't too thrilled with their affair but that's the only minus with me. Otherwise, fine performances with fine writing by Oliver Stone and Michael Cimino. Fine direction by the latter as well. So I highly recommend Year of the Dragon. Oh, and I also liked the ending credit sequence with that singer from earlier in the movie.

Somehow Mickey Rourke's performance seems to make a big bow to Marlon Brando in "A Streetcar Named Desire" - is it a coincidence that both main characters are Polish and have the same name Stanley? They have a lot in common, and yet they are extremely different. Where Rourke's Stanley is an outspoken idealist, Brando's Stanley is an aimless dreamer. Yet, both of them are in a way the stereotyped Hollywood Polish man who is much less educated than his desired woman, has a tendency to strong violence and, after all, is a lonely, grown-up child. Some scenes remind me a lot of all this, especially the bed scene in Tracy's apartment (and the rape scene in "Streetcar"), the exploding anger in general, and the antagonisms all over both movies, if only in the personal relations. Could anyone tell if Oliver Stone and Michael Cimino consciously included these references in their script? - I sure see a lot of parallels. And if not so, Rourke definitely outgrows even the great Brando.