WHOA. Could this be it? Could Revenge of the Green Dragons (2014) be the next big all Asian-American cast film since Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)? I mean hell, Martin Scorsese is executive producing this 1990's NYC-set action crime drama with Andrew Lau & Andrew Loo who was inspired by Frederick Dannen's New Yorker article chronicling Asian-American gang life in Queens, NY. It's awesome to hear Scorsese and Lau sort of "reuniting" after Scorsese remade Lau's Hong Kong crime pic Infernal Affairs into his own Oscar-winning 2006 film The Departed!
The story follow immigrant siblings Sonny (Justin Chon) and Steven (Kevin Wu aka KevJumba) who join Chinatown's Green Dragons in pursuit of their own American Dream, only to find themselves at odds when Sonny turns against his brother and the organization. Ray Liotta and Harry Shum, Jr. (Glee) and Shuya Chang also star in this crime drama. It's heart-warming to know that YouTube status super stars like KevJumba was able to jump from the small screen to the big screen. It's known that the Asian American community is pretty knit-tight and it's obvious from YouTube that Chon, Shum, and Wu have all been huge collaborators from the very beginning. This is our generations Better Luck Tomorrow! I am overly excited to see this film because it will discuss some of the same Asian American struggle that I have gone through and still do. Also, I love screaming AMURIKAN DREAM!
Normally, I wouldn't feel so hopeful for another gangster-type of film especially with an all Asian American cast because come on, we all know for some reason there is a serious lack of Asian American films that are intelligently crafted, acted, and executed besides probably erm.. (mutters under breath) Better Luck Tomorrow (In love with this movie OBV). But considering Scorsese, Lau, and A24's stamp on it, I can only hope to turn this cynicism right-side up! It will also premiere at TIFF this September and will be available on DirecTV for 30 days starting September 11 before A24 takes it to theater in October.
