Classic Movie - The Last Dragon
May 6, 2008
Y’all remember this classic from 1985? Sho’nuff!
I used to watch this movie all the time. It’s your classic 80’s wannabe martial arts/ cheesy love story flick, but perhaps the most unique of its kind.
For starters, the two lead actors were basically unknowns who went by single names: Taimak (Bruce Lee-Roy) & Vanity (Laura Charles). Vanity was an ex-girlfriend of Prince who would later co-star in Action Jackson with Carl Weathers. Supposedly, Prince wanted her stage/band name to be “Vagina,” but she refused and they settled on “Vanity.”
Of course, the guy who really shines in this movie is The Shogun of Harlem AKA Sho’nuff. That actor (Julius Carry) has appeared in numerous popular TV shows since then, but sadly, no major movie roles.
So I think it’s safe to say that the most successful actor with a semi-major role in The Last Dragon has been Ernie Reyes Jr. AKA the little asian kid who also starred in Red Sonja. Reyes Jr. has competed in muay tai and holds a 4th degree black belt in Taekwondo, which has enabled him to get (relatively) consistent work in some pretty solid films: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, Surf Ninjas, Rush Hour 2 & The Rundown (yeah, he played that crazy rebel warrior who kicked the shit outta The Rock!) to name a few.
Don’t expect a masterpiece if you’ve never seen The Last Dragon before, but it’s a classic 80’s film that can be pretty damn funny at times. I mean, it’s worth watching just for the Chinese guys in mesh shirts playing craps and smokin herb. So here it is, in its entirety. Sho’nuff!







No love for The Last Dragon? Busta Rhymes knows wassup (peep the video in the sidebar).
I hate martial arts movies.
Well, this is a nostalgicomedy more than anything.