Film

The Last Dragon

Name: The Last Dragon
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama
Released: 1985
Cast: Taimak, Vanity, Christopher Murney, Julius Carry, Faith Prince

Martial arts action

A 1985 martial-arts fantasy where a Harlem kid seeks the legendary "glow"—the ultimate martial arts power—battling a flamboyant villain and rescuing a pop star. Part action film, part comic-book movie, part love letter to '80s style. It's earnest and goofy in equal measure, with genuine heart beneath the cheese. For anyone who loves its specific era or wants action that doesn't take itself seriously.

TMDb rating

3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like your kung fu served with a boombox, where a sincere hero, a gleefully theatrical villain and a glossy 1980s music-video look make every fight feel like a party.

Skip it if you find broad comedy and syrupy 1980s pop tiresome, since the jokes land heavily and the songs and dated style take up a lot of the running time.

What it asks of you: A brisk, unpretentious ride of a little under two hours, with the tone swinging from playful to earnest and fights arriving often enough to keep the energy high.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Bloodsport1988

Jean-Claude Van Damme's breakthrough: a martial-arts underdog story with real stakes, wild tournament action, and genuine emotional weight. If you love the fighting in The Last Dragon, this goes further and meaner.

But It's slower and more dramatically serious than you might expect. Some scenes drag, and the 80s production values show their age.

Big Trouble in Little China1986

Another '80s gem that mixes martial arts, comedy, and fantasy adventure without apology. Kurt Russell stumbles through a supernatural Chinatown with the same good-natured bewilderment that makes The Last Dragon so charming.

But The pacing is deliberately goofy and meandering. If you want a tight plot, this isn't it.

Gleaming the Cube1989

A skateboarding teenager searches for his brother's killer through martial-arts action and mystery. Same era, same blend of youth culture and fight choreography, equally committed to its own wild tone.

But It's obscure for a reason—the script is messy and the dramatic bits strain credibility. The skateboarding doesn't always integrate smoothly with the action.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Last Dragon

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Kung Fu Hustle2004

Both feature a nobody discovering hidden martial-arts power while caught between a colourful villain and a woman he wants to protect, played for comedy and genuine emotion in equal measure.

Stephen Chow's Hong Kong action-comedy: a hapless con man caught in a gang war discovers martial-arts mastery. Same DNA as The Last Dragon—earnest hero, outrageous villain, hand-to-hand combat mixed with comedy and stylized action—but with two decades of technical brilliance behind it.

But It's fast and chaotic; subtitles move quickly and the humour is surreal and visual. If you prefer plot clarity, it'll frustrate you.

Commando1985

Schwarzenegger in the same year as The Last Dragon: absurdist action, bright colours, a hero fighting for love, and a camp villain. It commits completely to its own ridiculousness and dares you not to laugh.

But There's almost no plot beneath the explosions. If you need character development or sense, keep walking.

Police Story1985

Jackie Chan's masterpiece, released the same year. Real stunts, genuine comedy, a cop protecting a witness. The action is brilliantly choreographed and inventive in ways Western action wasn't yet.

But It's a subtitled Hong Kong film from the '80s—the dubbing options are rough, and the tone shifts between slapstick and violence can feel jarring if you're not prepared.

American Ninja1985

Michael Dudikoff discovers he's a ninja and must rescue a woman from an evil warlord. Peak '80s earnestness, genuine fight sequences, and that same willingness to be completely sincere about its own absurdity.

But The acting is stiff and the script is thin. It asks you to care about characters who barely register as real.

Above the Law1988

Steven Seagal's debut: a ex-CIA aikido master taking on corruption. Brutal, unapologetic action and a genuinely interesting premise about institutional power, wrapped in '80s action-movie DNA.

But Seagal's screen presence is wooden and the film takes itself far more seriously than The Last Dragon, which some find tedious rather than compelling.

The Karate Kid1984

Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita: a teenager learns karate and faces a bully in a tournament. It nails the underdog-training-montage formula that The Last Dragon also uses, with genuine emotional sincerity and excellent chemistry.

But It's sentimental and straightforward. If you want something weirder or more stylish, this is comfort food, not adventure.

Enter the Ninja1981

Franco Nero as a ninja returning home to help a widow. '80s martial-arts cinema at its most earnest and least concerned with making sense. Pure style and fight choreography, very much of its moment.

But The plot barely exists and the acting is flat. You're watching it for the ninja fights, not the story.

Black Dynamite2009

Both are sincere love letters to a specific era and aesthetic—one to '80s action-movie fantasy, one to '70s blaxploitation—and both understand that the best way to honour that era is to play it completely straight while being genuinely funny.

A parody of '70s blaxploitation films that loves its subject so completely it becomes its own thing. The action is genuine, the comedy is sharp, and it has the same fearless commitment to style and silliness that makes The Last Dragon work.

But It's a comedy first, which means the action serves jokes rather than tension. If you want The Last Dragon played straight, this isn't it.

Phantom of the Paradise1974

Both pair a humble hero's quest for mastery against a charismatic, scene-stealing villain obsessed with controlling a talented woman, using stylized action and genre elements (martial arts, rock music) as the framework for genuine romantic stakes.

Brian De Palma's wild musical about a composer battling a rock-music mogul. A glam-rock opera with opera-house action, a beautiful singer caught between men, and a villain so theatrical and campy he steals every scene. Pure style over sense, but with real passion underneath.

But It's deliberately theatrical and artificial—singing, blood, and melodrama pile on constantly. If you want realism or subtlety, this is the opposite.