Line #91 Film/TheLastDragon


1	[[quoteright:237:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_last_dragon_poster_5890.jpg]]
2
3	->''"Who's the master?!"''
4	-->-- '''Sho'nuff'''
5
6	A 1985 {{Blaxploitation}}/[[MartialArtsMovie Kung-Fu movie]], in which the pious martial arts student Leroy Green (AKA "Bruce Leroy") who, having practiced and studied for years under his Master's patient tutelage, finally attains the pinnacle of skill possible while a student. To finally achieve his pursuit of "The Glow", a manifestation of perfect kung fu, Leroy must leave his master's supervision and go out into the world and reach this "final level" on his own.
7
8	Along the way he saves the local distressed damsel, and goes up against the villainous duo of Sho'Nuff, the Shogun of Harlem, and white business mogul Eddie Arkadian.
9
10	Directed by Michael Shultz, who also directed ''Film/KrushGroove''. [[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not to be confused]] with the 2004 novel ''Literature/TheLastDragon'', the 2008 novel ''Literature/LastDragon'', or the novel series ''Literature/TheLastDragonChronicles''.
11
12	----
13	!!Contains examples of:
14	* EleventhHourSuperpower: In the final fight against Sho'Nuff, Bruce Leroy is losing badly, until, [[EpiphanyComeback in a moment of self-reflection]], he realizes that his master was trying to teach him that the only place he could find the final level of martial arts was within himself. He then masters 'The Glow', his entire body glowing with a brilliant golden light, which allows him to easily dominate and defeat the Shogun of Harlem.
15	* TheEighties: Noticeably so, especially when the CelebrityStar is {{Creator/Vanity}}.
16	* EightiesHair: Laura is sporting an absolutely glorious example.
17	* AchievementsInIgnorance: Early in the film, Johnny claims to have mastered "the art of fighting without knowing how to fight". When the dojo students invade the club just before TheClimax, it turns out he learned more than he realized and managed to turn his improvisation into an effective technique.
18	* AffectionateParody: Of 70s [[MartialArtsMovie martial arts movies]], especially those by Creator/BruceLee. A movie theater that seems to mainly show such is a central location in the story.
19	* AllAsiansKnowMartialArts: Leroy's student Johnny attempts to weaponize this assumption, claiming all he really needs to do is ''look'' like he knows what he's doing and people will back off. It doesn't work. [[spoiler: Fortunately it turns out he knows his stuff well enough to be part of TheCavalry at the end of the movie.]]
20	* ArrogantKungFuGuy: "Sho'Nuff!!"
21	* ArrowCatch: Leroy is deemed ready to leave his training when he is able to catch the right arrow [[DontThinkFeel without understanding]] how he did it.
22	* BadassBoast: "Who's the master?! Sho'Nuff!! Shogun of Harlem!!"
23	* BattleAura: Leroy spends the movie trying to understand how to call upon [[PowerGlows "The Glow"]]. He is more than a little surprised [[spoiler: when Sho'Nuff summons it without effort]].
24	** But only in his hands. A true Master's entire body glows.
25	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Leroy is generally a kind, respectful, and mild-mannered guy, but harm innocent people or his loved ones and he'll make you pay for it!
26	* BigBadDuumvirate: Sho'Nuff, crime lord of Harlem, and Eddie Arkadian, a CorruptCorporateExecutive willing to do anything for a client to make it big, unite to take Leroy down.
27	* {{Blaxploitation}}: Made way past the genre's heyday, but fits the basic requirements (and also could be considered a StealthParody).
28	* BloodKnight: Sho'nuff fights only for the supremacy of battle and the spoils of victory. Every action he takes is to goad Leroy into a fight. When Arkadian offers him a BriefcaseFullOfMoney, he refuses it, telling Eddie that the fight against Leroy is payment enough.
29	--> '''Sho'nuff''': Keep your money. You just get that sucker to the designated place at the designated time, and I will gladly designate his ass... for dismemberment!
30	* BondVillainStupidity: Sho'Nuff and his gang insist on martial arts beatdowns. The media-obsessed Arkadian's desire to "put on a show" is more important to him than immediately winning; he even [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim stops one of his henchmen]] from shooting Leroy during a big staged fight. Once the show is over, however ...
31	* BrickJoke: Laura notes that the medallion she's returning to Leroy looks like a belt buckle. Later, Leroy's master reveals that's exactly what it is.
32	* BriefcaseFullOfMoney: Offered to and refused by Sho'nuff.
33	* BulletCatch: Leroy does this at the end of the film, ''[[NowThatsUsingYourTeeth with his teeth]]''. Much earlier Sho'Nuff mentions such a trick mockingly:
34	--> "I am sick of hearing these bullshit Superman stories about the Legendary Bruce Leroy catching bullets with his teeth... Catches bullets with his teeth?! Nigga, PLEASE!"
35	* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: Leroy's refusal to fight Sho'Nuff leads to his father's pizza place getting wrecked.
36	* CarnivalOfKillers: Mr. Arkadian's response to Leroy's repeated [[CurbStompBattle beatdowns]] of his thugs.
37	* CatchPhrase: Sho'nuff has a call-and-response catchphrase. First he asks "Who's the master?!" then his gang will respond with an emphatic "SHO'NUFF!"
38	** In the climax, as he beats the stuffing out of Leeroy he tries to force him to acknowledge defeat by doing the call and response. Unfortunately for him, Leeroy gets his HeroicSecondWind and instead responds with "''[[LetsGetDangerous I am.]]''"
39	* TheCavalry: Leroy's dojo crew arrives at the 7th Heaven just when Leroy is getting beaten down by Eddie's mercenaries.
40	* ChasteHero: Bruce Leroy [[UnusualEuphemism does not even have a paintbrush]]. He cannot even draw.
41	* ChekhovsGun: Sho'Nuff mocks the stories he's heard of Leeroy, including that he "[[BulletCatch catches bullets with his teeth!]]" At the end of the movie, you can probably guess what Leroy does.
42	** At the beginning of the movie, Leroy's master tells him that Confusion, Fear, Revenge, and Love are all parts of the world he needs to experience. Over the course of the adventure, he does.
43	* CombatPragmatist:
44	** Sho'Nuff bites a man's Achilles tendon in one fight.
45	** Laura bites the hand of one of her would-be kidnappers.
46	* ConservationOfNinjitsu: Arkadian's carnival of killers (mixed with Sho'Nuff's gang) are easily handled by Leroy and his students. The fight with Sho'nuff is much more difficult for him.
47	* CowardlyLion: Johnny, who is afraid of fighting but somewhat competent at it.
48	* DamselInDistress: Laura Charles, all the time.
49	* DanceBattler: Richie uses break-dancing to get untied (with accompanying background music).
50	* DeliveryGuyInfiltration: Leroy succeeds only because the guards are all drunk and stoned. It's not that they're too blitzed to recognize him either, it's because they had the munchies and he was carrying a pizza.
51	* DisruptingTheTheater: Sho'nuff interrupts a showing of ''Film/EnterTheDragon'' to challenge Bruce Leroy to a kung fu fight. Leroy refuses to fight him, but other patrons annoyed by Sho'nuff interrupting the movie agree to fight him. [[CurbStompBattle Sho'nuff destroys them all]].
52	* DumbMuscle: Rock is an odd variant, in that Arkadian uses him like this in spite the fact that he's an absolutely terrible fighter. He also gets in a [[DeadpanSnarker few good lines]].
53	* EqualOpportunityEvil: Sho'Nuff's gang.
54	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Sho'nuff stops one of his guys from going after Mama Green after she hits him in the face with pizza dough.
55	** Angela (who really isn't that evil) leaves once she realizes Eddie is planning to kill people to start her music career.
56	* EverybodyWasKungFuFighting: Most notable in the theater.
57	* EvilIsHammy: Sho'nuff and Eddie. That is all.
58	* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: Laura wants to hire Leroy to be a bodyguard, who will "guard my body."
59	* {{Expy}}: Leroy Green is one of Bruce Lee ([[SarcasmMode hard to see, I know.]])
60	** Sho'Nuff the Shogun of Harlem, with his mustache, [[SamuraiPonytail topknot]], [[TheNickNamer prediliction for giving his enemies odd nicknames]] and leopard skin obi seems to be one of UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga.
61	* FacePalm: Leroy's brother is less than impressed with Sho'Nuff's LargeHam entrance in the movie theater.
62	* ForeignCultureFetish: Leroy is decidedly an Asian-phile; wearing stereotypical "rice paddy" garb, speaks Chinese and eating everything (including movie popcorn!) with chopsticks. He's taken it so far that he no longer fits in with his own culture at all, but would probably be perfectly at home in China. (His little brother is less than impressed, or amused.)
63	** Leroy isn't the only one. Consider the Chinese guys who run the fortune cookie factory. They dress and act sterotypically black and speak jive turkey slang. Leroy runs into them part way through the movie. When they meet it could also be considered a StereotypeFlip.
64	** Sho'nuff is influenced by Japanese culture; aside from his "Shogun of Harlem" nickname, his costume was influenced by samurai, while his gangs' costumes were based on ninja.
65	* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler: There are rumors Leroy caught bullets with his teeth? You don't say...]]
66	* GangOfHats: Sho'Nuff styles himself as the "Shogun of Harlem", with his people wearing martial arts outfits with a red and black color scheme.
67	* FunnyBruceLeeNoises: Johnny Yu does a lot of these when he fights.
68	* GoldenSuperMode: Leroy's Glow is gold and covers his entire body, vs. Sho'Nuff's red glow, which is only in his hands. The difference between their {{Super Mode}}s is spelled out by [[MrExposition Leroy's former master]] in the opening scene.
69	* GoodColorsEvilColors: Leroy's [[TheAce gold]] vs. Sho'Nuff's [[AxCrazy blood red]] "[[PowerGlows glow]]".
70	* GroinAttack: The signature attack of Leroy's little brother. His attempt to take on the baddies is abruptly ended by a {{Mook}} with the foresight to wear a cup.
71	** Sho'nuff stomps a guy's groin at one point.
72	* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Leroy's lacking in self-esteem, and it's holding him back.
73	* HighHeelFaceTurn: Angela Viracco (who was GoodAllAlong) pulls one of these while delivering a genuinely badass verbal beatdown to Eddie Arkadian.
74	* IHaveThisFriend: When Leroy asks Laura about "moves".
75	* [[InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt In Case You Forgot Who Produced It]]: Officially titled ''Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon'', marking the Creator/{{Motown}} founder's last big stab at becoming a film mogul.
76	* InformedAttribute: Sho'nuff allegedly all but controls Harlem. However his gang consists of about five people, and even though he has a reputation, no one seems particularly intimidated by him until he starts beating people up.
77	** When he shows up with his gang in Leroy's family pizzeria everyone there is visibly confused as to who these nutbars are. An odd reaction for an infamous crime lord.
78	** When Eddie recruits Sho'nuff at his dojo, a lot more of his pupils/lackeys can be seen.
79	* InformedFlaw: Angela isn't as bad a singer as she's supposed to be, particularly by [[TheEighties 80s]] standards. Considering that Faith Prince went on to a wildly successful career on Broadway, it's probably StylisticSuck.
80	* IntercourseWithYou: Vanity's "7th Heaven" is...not a subtle song.
81	* ItWasWithYouAllAlong: Downplayed. Leroy has all but one thing he needs to get the glow.
82	* ItsPersonal: Both antagonists declare this in their hatred for Leroy.
83	** For Arkadian, he wants him dead because he saves Laura when he was trying to intimidate her into giving Angela a spot on her show, Leroy beating his goons and nearly feeding him to his client's carnivorous fish by accident.
84	** For Sho'nuff, he wants to prove that he is a better fighter than Leroy. When Leroy refuses to fight, he tries threatening his students and his family's pizza shop to goad him into it. When Arkadian offers him a small fortune to kill him, [[KeepTheReward he turns it down]], the only payment he wants being the opportunity to kill Leroy himself.
85	* KeepTheReward: Sho'Nuff doesn't want Arkadian's money. He just wants to fight Leroy.
86	* KidAnova: Leroy's brother fancies himself as this, to a somewhat creepy extent. He doesn't look a day over twelve, but his dialogue when talking about Laura is highly suggestive and seems to imply that he expects her to sleep with him.
87	* KneelBeforeZod: Sho'Nuff's repeated demands for Leroy to acknowledge his greatness.
88	* LampshadeHanging: "[[PowerGlows The Glow]]" plays when Leroy attains his BattleAura.
89	* LargeHam: Sho'nuff, Eddie Arkadian and their mooks. Angela and Leroy's brother also qualify.
90	* TheLastTitle: The title.
91	* LovedOnesMontage: Leroy has one when getting his head dunked in a bucket.
92	* MagicFeather: Leroy's mentor gives him a secret talisman used to unlock "The Glow". It turns out to be a belt buckle.
93	* ManBehindTheCurtain: Sum Dum Goy [[spoiler: is not a wise master, but is just a machine that makes up fortune cookie messages.]]
94	* ManBitesMan: Sho'Nuff bites a man's ankle during the theater fight.
95	* MartialPacifist: Leroy. He's fine with fighting, so long as no one sees him doing it, as he doesn't want to set a bad example for his students.
96	* TheMaster
97	** "Sho'Nuff!!"
98	** [[spoiler: Bruce Leroy.]]
99	* NWordPrivileges: "Catches bullets, WITH HIS TEETH?! Nigga Please..."
100	* NiceJobFixingItVillain
101	** Leroy was a badass and competent martial artist at the start of the film. But due to the events of the plot set largely in motion by Eddie Arkadian, Leroy [[spoiler: advances to "the final level" and attains "The Glow".]] Becoming nearly unstoppable.
102	** Sho'nuff is clearly more powerful than Leroy, having mastered the first level of The Glow. As he repeatedly [[HumiliationConga beats down a fallen Leroy]] to try and get him to [[DudeWheresMyRespect admit that Sho'nuff is the master]], Leroy discovers the inner strength he needs [[spoiler: to surpass Sho'Nuff.]]
103	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Angela is basically a spoof of Music/CyndiLauper. In fact, Faith Prince says that Berry Gordy even tried to talk her into spinning off from the film into becoming Motown's RealLife Lauper counterpart.
104	* NonActorVehicle: Neither lead had much acting experience, with Taimak chosen for his martial arts skills, and Vanity being known mainly for fronting Vanity 6, a GirlGroup in Music/{{Prince}}'s musical stable. In Taimak's case, he'd ''never'' acted before in his life ([[{{Narm}} and it shows]]), though his odd delivery actually works pretty well for a guy as socially awkward as Leroy.
105	* ObliviousToLove: Leroy's a bit too eccentric to pick up on Laura's interest in him, at least until she grabs his head and plants one on him.
106	* OddlySmallOrganization: Sho'nuff and his gang.
107	* OffscreenTeleportation:
108	** Leeroy pulls one on Laura as she collects her belongings. Even the cab driver loses track of him.
109	** Thinking he's knocked out Sho'Nuff, Leroy turns his back on his body. Then there's a yell of "Leroy!", to which Leroy turns around to find Sho'Nuff gone.
110	** Leeroy is gone the second Laura and Richie look away after the FinalBattle.
111	* OhCrap
112	** Arkadian and Sho'Nuff when Leroy [[spoiler: awakens to the Glow.]]
113	** Leroy also gets one when Sho'Nuff gets The Glow.
114	** Eddie's reaction when Tai reacts to Johnny getting hurt.
115	* OnlyOneName: A rare film that stars two people who do this in RealLife: Taimak as Bruce Leroy and Vanity as Laura Charles.
116	* PowerGlows: According to the movie, a true master of Kung-Fu literally lights up when he fights. {{Lampshaded}} in both the song "The Glow" by Willie Hutch and the ExpositoryThemeTune.
117	* PreAssKickingOneLiner: Leeroy isn't the wittiest protagonist, but in the climax, he turns Sho'nuff's rhetorical "Who's the master?!" around on him by responding with "I AM!" before unleashing a serious beatdown on the villain.
118	* PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy: The three Asian rapper wannabes. Reversed with Bruce.
119	* PunnyName
120	** The master Leroy is sent to find is named Sum Dum Goy.
121	** His study of martial arts and Chinese culture has earned Leroy the nickname [[Creator/BruceLee Bruce Leroy]]. It's actually so pervasive that some people/tropers spell his name Le''e''roy even when they are leaving out the "Bruce".
122	** Eddie Arkadian (pronounced "Arkade-ian") made his money off of video arcades.
123	* QuirkyMinibossSquad: Mr. Arkadian's gang of fighters is ... colorful.
124	** Special mention goes to Sho'Nuff's gang of thugs dressed in camouflage, sporting pads, and silk robes.
125	*** Albino. Biker. Santa.
126	*** With a MOHAWK.
127	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Eddie and Angela each give the other really good ones before she leaves him for good.
128	* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: The color scheme for the clothes Sho'Nuff and his gang wear.
129	* RedBaron: "Bruce Leroy"
130	* ScaryBlackMan: "Sho'Nuff!!"
131	* ScreamingWarrior: Johnny, one of Leroy's students, theorizes that people are naturally afraid of screaming Asian guys -- and discovers that intimidation works better when you don't explain exactly how it works in front of the guy you're trying to scare. Later when he [[LetsGetDangerous gets dangerous]], he incorporates a lot of kiais into his fighting.
132	* SevenMinuteLull: "Could you teach me some moves??" shouted by Leroy when the music stops just before the end credits.
133	* ShoutOut: Unsurprisingly, Creator/BruceLee is a major motif here.
134	** Leroy Green is often known by the nickname "Bruce Leroy".
135	** Early in the film, Leroy attends a screening of ''Film/EnterTheDragon''. All the dragon motifs in this movie are likely also a nod to that film's title.
136	** Johnny's line about "the art of fighting without knowing how to fight" is a riff on a line from ''Enter the Dragon'' about "the art of fighting without fighting."
137	** Laura shows Leroy a music video she is working on, which has clips from a variety of Bruce Lee movies; Leroy points out ''Film/FistOfFury'' and ''Film/ChineseConnection'', the latter of which inspires him to put on a disguise to sneak into Sum Dum Goy's restaurant.
138	** And Leroy winds up wearing the yellow and black track suit from ''Film/GameOfDeath'' for a scene.
139	** Johnny mockingly compares Sho'Nuff's appearance to Music/RickJames.
140	* SmallNameBigEgo: "Who is Eddie Arkadian?"
141	* SmugSnake: Mr.Arkadian believes he's a TheChessmaster but lacks the finesse to live up to the title. Angela's TheReasonYouSuckSpeech point blank runs down how much he's nothing but all talk and zero charisma to back it up.
142	* SnipeHunt: Leroy's former master sends him on a quest to find "an old sage called [[PunnyName Sum Dum Goy]]". Naturally, Leroy never finds him.
143	* StealthHiBye: Leroy hails a cab for Laura, then vanishes while she is collecting the things that fell out of her purse.
144	-->'''Laura:''' Did you see where that guy went?\
145	'''Cabbie:''' Yeah, he's right...I don't know. You getting in or what?
146	* StylisticSuck: Angela's attempts at musical numbers are deliberately framed to look as gaudy and incomprehensible as possible.
147	* SurpassedTheTeacher: Leroy's master {{invoke\|dTrope}}s this at the beginning of the film when telling him to seek a new master. It's also {{lampshaded}} in the ExpositoryThemeTune with "The journey now before you is the final test. You've learned your lesson well; I can teach you no more".
148	* ThemeMusicPowerUp: ♪ "You are the Last Dragon...!" ♫
149	* TigerVersusDragon: Leroy is beginning his new dragon cycle. Sho'Nuff's outfits all have tiger (or at one point, leopard) motifs.
150	* TricksterMentor: Leroy's sensei teaches him the deeper meaning of Kung Fu primarily by sending him on wild goose chases.
151	* TriumphantReprise: “Inside You” gets a fast-paced reprise during disco fight when [[TheCavalry Leroy’s dojo crew]] shows up.
152	* TheUnreveal: Just what exactly is in the tank is never revealed.
153	* UncleTomFoolery: Parodied, as the [[PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy ''Chinese'' characters engage in this...]]
154	* UrbanFantasy: The Glow is what pushes it over the top.
155	* WhyDontYaJustShootHim: As mentioned above, Rock's about to shoot Leroy, but is stopped by Arkadian, who doesn't want all the effort he put into his CarnivalOfKillers to go to waste. Later Arkadian decides to shoot Leroy himself, [[spoiler: but by then Leroy actually ''can'' catch bullets in his teeth.]]
156	* WorldOfHam: Egads, if this movie were any hammier, it wouldn't be Kosher.
157	* WouldntHitAGirl: Double-Subverted. Sho'Nuff has his female mooks mockingly spar with Leroy to get a rise out of him. Leroy remains stoic until one of them makes a light contact with his face, at which point he drops into a fighting stance, ready to start hitting back. However, he stops himself and bows when he remembers that goading him into a fight was what Sho'Nuff wanted to do in the first place.
158	* WrongGenreSavvy: Subverted. Leroy's master often chides him for thinking and acting too much like a character is a Kung-Fu flick. Shortly after completing his training however, Leroy's life becomes one.
159	* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: Bruce Leroy defeats Sho’nuff after a grueling battle, only to have Eddie pull a gun on him.

Context Film / TheLastDragon