Year of the Dragon
US, 1985, 134’, English
Directed by: Michael Cimino
Screenplay: Robert Daley, Oliver Stone, Michael Cimino
Photography (color): Alex Thomson
Producer: Dino De Laurentiis
Production Companies: Dino De Laurentiis Company, AMLF, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Cast: Mickey Rourke, John Lone, Ariane
About halfway through Year of the Dragon, the exhausted and disillusioned cop, Stanley White (the surname is very apposite) tries to find solace in Tracy Tzu, the American Chinese news reporter with whom he had spent the previous night. Tracy politely asks him to leave, to which Stanley responds, “… I just wanna be with somebody tonight… I don’t know anybody else.” And then he falls asleep beside her. Played by Mickey Rourke in his prime, Stanley is a New York Police Department captain, whose marriage is on the rocks. Professionally, he is determined to wipe out a Chinatown gang led by Joey Tai (John Lone), but the Establishment wants him to back off.
Cimino’s film might not have redeemed his reputation after the devastating reception of Heaven’s Gate (1980), and it doesn’t have the refinement and grandeur of The Godfather (1972) or Chinatown (1974), but there is something exceptionally raw, explosive and attractive in Year of the Dragon. The film is constructed in a way that Stanley’s pursuit mirrors that of Joey: while both are determined to set up a New Order against the Old Guard, they also carry their own internal battles and demons.
By casting John Lone as a Chinese gang boss who is essentially Stanley’s equal, alongside fashion model Ariane playing Stanley’s love interest, Cimino was stepping into perilous territory, fashioning a complicated triangle: two Chinese characters bouncing off a Caucasian cop. It is precisely this choice that makes the film special and fascinating.
Compared to The Crimson Kimono (1959), on one level, Year of the Dragon transcends crime, presenting a more sophisticated criticism of systemic corruption: much of Stanley’s constant frustration comes from the fact that his effort is too far ahead of its time to be supported or appreciated by his bosses. In one desperate outburst, he recalls his nation’s troubled and traumatic past, “This is Vietnam all over again.” The political metaphor is obvious.
Yet on the other hand, insofar as interracial relationship is concerned, Year of the Dragon takes a different path with issues of race and ethnicity. When Tracy first turns Stanley down, he keeps asking her who her boyfriend is. Tracy points out to him that he is only concerned with whether his rival is a Chinese. This calls to mind the moment in Sam Fuller’s Crimson Kimono when Charlie asks Joe whether he is going to marry Chris, as if losing to an Asian rival is something humiliating and unimaginable. Whilst Fuller’s representation of this moment and Joe’s breakdown thereafter poses a warning against the peril of such an attitude, there is overt racism in Stanley’s attitude toward Chinatown, the gang, and Tracy. Rather than offering a subtle reflection on ideological standpoints, Cimino embraces this as a core element in Stanley’s being. As much as Tracy fires back at Stanley, Year of the Dragon could not escape being branded as racist. After Joey admits defeat and chooses to escape through suicide, and Tracy relents into a relationship with Stanley, a subtle yet undeniable Orientalist sentiment is apparent: the American Stanley has assimilated “the Chinese.”
Egotistical, selfish, and occasionally childish, Stanley is a complicated man who is at once likable and repulsive, but not unfamiliar, particularly within the crime/police genre. Yet Rourke’s frenzied performance exposes something very real and affecting. Critics have noted that his flawed character and tortured soul is almost autobiographical, or at least bears resemblance to Cimino’s own personality. Considering this added dimension, and while there is a harsh poignancy in Stanley’s life spiralling out of control,Tracy emerges as a form of consolation – whether as an Asian woman stereotype or a critical conscience remains debatable. Year of the Dragon may not be perfect, but it bears witness to a creative who dared to be different, and who was brave enough to confront his own demons.
Michael Cimino
Michael Cimino (1939-2016) became a scriptwriter in 1971. He wrote and was given the opportunity by Clint Eastwood to direct his feature debut Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974). He then co-wrote, co-produced and directed The Deer Hunter (1978), which won five Academy Awards. After this success, Cimino was given free rein by United Artists to make Heaven’s Gate (1980). An ambitious project, the film ran significantly over budget and duration, almost bankrupted the studio, and severely damaged Cimino’s reputation, though he continued to make four more films, including the controversial yet vigorous Year of the Dragon (1985).
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
1974 – Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
1978 – The Deer Hunter
1980 – Heaven’s Gate
1985 – Year of the Dragon
1987 – The Sicilian