Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Year of the Dragon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 2, 2016

Michael Cimino's "Year of the Dragon" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Carlotta Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new audio interview with director Michael Cimino; and new filmed video introduction by French film historian Jean-Baptiste Thoret. The release also arrives with a 208-page hardcover book with writings on the film, the original script for the film, reprinted interviews, production notes, and archival production photos. In English, with optional French subtitles for the main feature.

City of violence

Year of the Dragon is essentially a western set in a different era. Mickey Rourke’s detective, Stanley White, is a lot like the many great characters Clint Eastwood played -- a tough loner who isn’t afraid to challenge the bad guys and then fight them on their turf. When he wears his favorite hat, he even looks like a modern cowboy.

The bad guys Stanley wants to fight, however, are damn near impossible to defeat. There are too many of them and they are very well organized. They are also paying a lot of important people in New York City to keep the police away from Chinatown so that they can run their businesses as they wish. Stanley knows who the big bosses that pull all the important strings are, but there is nothing that he can legally do to stop them.

When a young and overly ambitious crime lord (John Lone, The Last Emperor) decides to change the status quo in Chinatown, Stanley concludes that the right time to purge the place and restore order has finally come. However, immediately after his men begin raiding Chinatown he is ordered from above to pull back and reconsider his plan.

At home Stanley is also asked to compromise. His wife (Caroline Kava, Born on the Fourth of July) wants a baby but no longer believes that she and Stanley can be parents -- or at least not while Stanley remains obsessed with his dangerous job. Around the same time, Stanley foolishly falls for a young and very beautiful reporter (Ariane, The King of New York) and further complicates their relationship.

Meanwhile, the rearrangement of powers in Chinatown continues and more blood is spilled on the streets. Thousands of miles away from Chinatown, an important partnership is formed that also threatens to further compromise Stanley’s efforts.

The film is based on the excellent novel by Robert Daley and a script by Oliver Stone, and it was really the first to seriously argue that the Chinese mafia is not only a fact of life, but a cancer that is virtually impossible to contain. It is one of Cimino’s best, oozing tremendous energy and hitting all of its intended targets without ever worrying about being politically correct.

Rourke is at the top of his game here but the supporting cast is equally impressive. Lone looks like a real maniac who would not hesitate to make a deal even with the Devil if it would help him take over the mafia. The beautiful model Ariane is exactly the type of woman that can make a married man leave his family. Kava and Raymond Barry are also perfectly cast for their respective characters. It needs to be said that there are also many non-professional actors whose contribution makes the film look strikingly authentic.

The emphasis on detail is simply extraordinary. In a brand new interview included on this release, Cimino breaks down entire sequences and reveals how they were assembled from footage that was shot in different countries while the reporter’s entire apartment was designed and built at a carefully chosen location so that New York City’s skyline is perfectly captured.

The beautiful orchestral score was composed by David Mansfield, who also collaborated with Cimino on arguably his best film, Heaven's Gate.

Year of the Dragon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Michael Cimino's Year of the Dragon arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Carlotta Films.

Density and especially fluidity are vastly improved. On the existing R1 DVD release a lot of the darker footage can look quite flat, but here the visuals are far better balanced. The light shimmer that occasionally sneaks in on the DVD release is also completely eliminated. Grain is visible throughout the film and appears quite well resolved. I must say, however, that if the film is rescanned in 4K/2K there will be visible improvements (see screencapture #8); there are segments where shadow definition will be managed better as well. Edge-enhancement is not an issue of concern, but some very light halo effects try to sneak in a couple of segments. Colors are stable and well balanced. I feel that saturation should be a bit more convincing and some nuances expanded, but there are no distracting anomalies. Image stability is outstanding. There are no large debris, damage marks, cuts, stains, or warped frames to report. All in all, while there is room for some minor improvements, the Blu-ray release represents a very solid upgrade in quality over the existing DVD release. My score is 4.25/5.00.

Year of the Dragon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional French subtitles are provided for the main feature. Please note that there are no optional English subtitles for the Cantonese dialog/exchanges.

I viewed the film with the 5.1 track and thought that dynamic intensity, separation, and fluidity were excellent. If any future remastering work is done I assume that the only area where some very minor improvements will be made is balance, but the current mix is indeed very good. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions.

Year of the Dragon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Bande-annonce - original theatrical trailer for Year of the Dragon. In English, with optional French subtitles. (3 min).

• Preface de Jean-Baptiste Thoret - exclusive new filmed video introduction by French film historian Jean-Baptiste Thoret. In French, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Au Coeur du Dragon - in this wonderful new audio interview, director Michael Cimino explains how Year of the Dragon came to exist, and discusses how various sequences were choreographed and shot (with some terrific comments about the reconstruction of Chinatown), his interactions with the actors and some real Chinese gangsters, the evolution of Chinatown in New York City, the film's critical reception, some quite interesting comments Stanley Kubrick and Clint Eastwood had about the film and his work, etc. In English, with optional French subtitles. (28 min).

• Book - 208-page hardcover book with writings on the film, the original script for the film, reprinted interviews, and production notes. Also included in the book are 50 archival production photos. Please note that Oliver Stone's script is in English, while the rest of the printed material is in French.

Year of the Dragon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Michael Cimino's Year of the Dragon is one of the landmark American films of the '80s. It is essentially a futuristic western envisioned by a director whose sense of style remains unmatched. I frequently revisit it and the more I see it, the more I find myself agreeing with those who claim that the '80s were the last decade in which American directors were allowed to develop original projects and not worry about the culture of political correctness that would eventually change the industry. Year of the Dragon is now available on Blu-ray in France via Carlotta Films. It looks good in high-definition and the label's Deluxe Collector's set also comes with a 208-page hardcover book which includes Oliver Stone's original script for the film as well as plenty of archival production photos. If you decide to order a copy for your library, please keep in mind that the non-English dialog in the film is subtitled only in French. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (In addition to the Deluxe Collector's set, Carlotta Films have available a cheaper standard Blu-ray edition of Year of the Dragon).