Revenge of the Green Dragons is an ambitious film for sure with a fascinating subject matter but in the end, it’s also uneven. The performances are least half-decent and the always reliable Ray Liotta lends it some weight, though the bulk of the picture is led by Justin Chon and Kevin Wu.
Revenge of the Green Dragons
(2014)
Genre(s): Crime, Drama
Lionsgate | R – 94 min. – $24.99 | January 13, 2015
 |
MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Andrew Lau and Andrew Loo Writer(s): Fredric Dannen (article); Michael Di Jiacomo and Andrew Loo (screenplay) Cast: Justin Chon, Kevin Wu, Harry Shum Jr., Shuya Chang, Geoff Pierson, Ray Liotta DISC INFO: Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1) |
PLOT SUMMARY
Revenge of the Green Dragons is a gritty crime thriller set in 1980s New York City, based on real events. Two immigrant brothers (JUSTIN CHON and KEVIN WU) join the Green Dragons gang. They quickly rise up the ranks and become notorious in the community, drawing the attention of the NYPD’s Detective Bloom (RAY LIOTTA). But when an ill-fated love affair pits one of the brothers against the gang’s leader (HARRY SHUM JR.) he sets out for revenge on the group.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.5/5
This release comes with a matted slip cover. Inside is a slip with the redemption code for the Digital Copy (UltraViolet only).
Audio Commentary – Director Andrew Lau and Co-Writer/Director Andrew Loo sit down for a formal but informative track breaking down filming locations, casting and other tid-bits.
The Not So American Dream: The Cast (13:37; HD) looks at casting the mostly Asian actors and in particular, the two stars who have been friends in real life. It’s actually kind of interesting to hear from these (for the most part) unknown actors.
Stitches in Time: Costume Design (6:14; HD) examines the retro wardrobe as it takes place throughout the 1980s.
A Claustrophobic World: Production Design (4:47; HD) delves into creating the sets and scouting of locations.
Deleted Scenes (1:56; HD) is only a few (short) scenes removed but nothing particularly significant.
VIDEO – 4.25/5
Revenge of the Green Dragons arrives on Blu-ray presented with a 1080p high-definition transfer and in its original 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio. The transfer for the most part does look good between bright colors and sharp detail levels. There are no obvious signs of artifacting, pixilation or aliasing making for a pleasing looking picture, though not quite fantastic compared with other new releases.
AUDIO – 4.25/5
The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track provided is nice with crisp and clear dialogue levels throughout while the action scenes, with gunshots and fights, give this lossless track decent depth as does the score/soundtrack. As with the video, it’s nothing noteworthy but more than satisfactory.
OVERALL – 3.0/5
Overall, Revenge of the Green Dragons is an ambitious film for sure with a fascinating subject matter but in the end, it’s also uneven. The performances are least half-decent and the always reliable Ray Liotta lends it some weight, though the bulk of the picture is led by Justin Chon and Kevin Wu.
Published: 01/18/2014