Martin Scorsese loves to lend his name to films, especially ones that fall into the gangster genre, and I don’t blame him. There’s a lot of great gangster flicks out there and Asian gangster films tend to be pretty damn cool, think Infernal Affairs, hence why Scorsese is executive producing the new film Revenge of the Green Dragons co-directed by Andrew Lau (Infernal Affairs) and Andrew Loo. Funny enough Scorsese’s only Oscar came from a remake of Lau’s film, so I think he owes him one.
Any who, Revenge of the Green Dragons, which is premiering at TIFF, then getting a DirecTV release for 30 days followed by a theatrical run, chronicles Asian-American gang life in the 1980s. It stars Justin Chon (TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN), Kevin Wu, Harry Shum, Jr. (GLEE), Shuya Chang (CHINESE PUZZLE), with Geoff Pierson (J. EDGAR), Billy Magnussen (seen in the upcoming INTO THE WOODS) and Ray Liotta. It’s not a cast that’s well known but one that fits the mold for what the filmmakers are likely trying to achieve.
Today the first trailer and poster were released and while I absolutely love the poster, I’m very skeptical about the trailer, I don’t trust the lead actors enough to pull off these serious roles that require a lot of convincing. When you look at gang movies, especially Asian gang films, there’s usually some primo talent that handles these gritty, cool roles but someone like Justin Chon doesn’t have my full confidence to pull off a vengeance fueled role. I’m hoping directors Andrew Lau and Andrew Loo can deliver a quality gangster film with these young actors but for now I’m going to keep my excitement in check in case this ends up not living up to the names that have attached themselves to the project.
Check out the trailer and synopsis below and let us know what you think of the film.
In the vein of crime classics like MEAN STREETS and INFERNAL AFFAIRS, REVENGE OF THE GREEN DRAGONS follows two immigrant brothers Sonny (Justin Chon) and Steven (Kevin Wu) who survive the impoverished
despair of New York in the 1980s by joining Chinatown gang “The Green Dragons”. The brothers quickly rise up the ranks, drawing the unwanted attention of hard-boiled city cops. After an ill- fated love affair pits Sonny against his own brother, he sets out for revenge on the very gang who made him who he is. From acclaimed Director Andrew Lau and Andrew Loo, and legendary Executive Producer Martin Scorsese comes a brilliant mix between a Hong Kong action film and a New York City crime thriller, portraying the never-before-told true story of “The Green Dragons”.
Recent Comments