Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- volatile
- operatic
- paranoid
- 1980s crime marathon
- gritty thriller night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film highly charged and entertaining but excessively violent, structurally confused, and weakened by sensationalism and uneven performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Stanley White's policing of Chinatown is shaped by racial slurs and confrontations with Chinese triads, gangs, and community institutions.
Stanley abandons the limited assignment against youth gangs to pursue Joey Tai, making their conflict increasingly personal.
NYPD leadership, the Chinese triad, and the Italian mafia rely on unofficial agreements that Stanley threatens to disrupt.
The film's gangland confrontations, explosive action, inflammatory dialogue, and heightened melodrama exemplify its excess-driven style.
Films like Year of the Dragon, and why
The French Connection
violent urban crime thriller centered on an obsessive law-enforcement protagonist confronting organized crime and institutional compromise
Scarface
morally abrasive crime drama featuring volatile gangland power struggles, racial tension, and explosive action
The Warriors
stylized New York crime film driven by personal rivalry, ethnic conflict, and escalating gangster violence
To Live and Die in L.A.
hard-edged police thriller combining urban corruption, criminal networks, and a confrontational central detective
Movie Details
- Director
- Michael Cimino
- Release Date
- 1985-08-16
- Runtime
- 134 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (507)
Cast
- Mickey Rourke
- John Lone
- Ariane
- Leonard Termo
- Raymond J. Barry
- Caroline Kava
- Eddie Jones
- Joey Chin
- Victor Wong
- K. Dock Yip
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Year of the Dragon about?
- A volatile NYPD captain wages a brutally personal campaign against a rising Chinatown triad boss while the city's criminal alliances collapse around them.
- What is Year of the Dragon like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Year of the Dragon as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Year of the Dragon violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Year of the Dragon as graphic.
- What did critics think of Year of the Dragon?
- Critics broadly found the film highly charged and entertaining but excessively violent, structurally confused, and weakened by sensationalism and uneven performances.
- Which films are like Year of the Dragon?
- Films with a similar feel include The French Connection, Scarface, The Warriors, and To Live and Die in L.A..
- How long is Year of the Dragon?
- Year of the Dragon runs 134 minutes.
- Where can I watch Year of the Dragon?
- In United States, Year of the Dragon is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
