THE LAST DRAGON (1985)

The official title of this martial arts comedy is Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon, a nod to the Motown founder who produced it. Despite the presence of Motown artists on the soundtrack, it’s very much an expression of director Michael Schultz’s commitment to telling a positive story starring a Black action hero. Young Leroy Green models himself on cinema legend Bruce Lee and dreams of ascending to the top ranks of martial arts. He draws the attention of a beautiful singer and TV host (Vanity) while finding himself in conflict with the self-styled Shogun of Harlem (Julius Carry). After testing actors like Denzel Washington and Mario Van Peebles for the lead, Schultz chose an actual black belt, Taimak. Although most critics were unimpressed, the stars charmed audiences as much as the action thrilled them, making the film a hit and driving it to cult status. The film also launched the DeBarge hit “Rhythm of the Night.”

d. Michael Schultz, 108m, DCP

Courtesy of Sony Pictures.

Restored in 4K by Sony Pictures Entertainment. 4K wet-gate scanning and digital image restoration at Cineric, Inc., New York, of the 35mm original picture negative. Audio restoration at Deluxe Audio Services, Hollywood, following previous work completed at Chace Audio. Color grading, conforming, 4K DCP completed at Roundabout Entertainment with colorist Trent Johnson, and approved by director Michael Schultz. Restoration supervised by James Owsley.