You could say that Martin Scorsese owes Andrew Lau one. Despite having had already attained and maintained his legendary filmmaker status for decades, it wasn’t until 2006 that Scorsese finally landed his Best Director Oscar. The movie he got it for was The Departed, a movie that is actually an English language American remake of Lau’s equally critically lauded Hong Kong crime drama Infernal Affairs.
And now Scorsese seems to be returning the favour, as he has lended his name as Executive Producer to Revenge of the Green Dragons, an American based English language crime drama that Lau has co-directed and written with Andrew Loo. And while, based on this first trailer, I don’t think Lau and Loo will be winning any Oscars of their own, it certainly looks like it could be a great addition to their filmography, and definitely something to keep an eye out for. Even if it is just to see Ray Liotta play a gangster in a Scorsese movie again.
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.”
Revenge of the Green Dragon stars Justin Chon, Kevin Wu, Harry Shum, Jr., Shuya Chang, Geoff Pierson, Billy Magnussen and Ray Liotta. It is set for a limited release on September 11, 2014.
Last Updated: August 15, 2014
