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Green Dragon (2001) More at IMDbPro »

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6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
A courageous and beautiful film, 2 August 2002
Author: moeller-1 from Sacramento, CA

This film went beyond anything I had ever expected it to be. The acting was incredible, the scenes were moving and the characters memorable and beautiful. I was so happy to see Patrick Swayze back and looking good and of course Forest Whitaker was fabulous. His relationship with the young Mihn was touching. Please, go rent this movie; you won't regret it.

10/10*

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
My favourite movie of the year, 19 July 2003

Author: Tan CK (upuc0@lycos.com) from Malaysia

'Green Dragon' is a low cost but well made movie. It is about going through the hardship of life. There is hope no matter how dissapointing our life is. Anybody who felt their life worthless should watch this film.

The songs and music are very good also.

8/10

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Very nice film., 22 February 2002

Author: martay-2 from Atlanta, GA

This is a great story told by patient and skilled filmmakers. Tim Bui and his brother Tony Bui ('Three Seasons') know how to make a touching film come alive with great characters and performances. I saw it at Sundance and felt that the performances by Forrest Whitaker and Hiep Thi Lee, and Vietnamese Actor Dong would warrant real attention at least with the Independent Spirit Awards.

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
WATCH IT, 15 September 2004
Author: gte411i from Los Angeles

I would recommend this movie to anyone who would like an accurate perspective of the South Vietnamese people. Unlike the previous critic, I will leave any misinformed politics aside. Although the war was highly political, and the movie does comment on the war, the film is not based on any political agenda like the previous critic leads you to believe. Instead, I believe the movie's focus is on the human stories of people struggling to forge a new life after their country was taken away from them. What is refreshing and what gives the movie credibility is that the director and most of the actors are Vietnamese, many of whom went through similar experiences as depicted in the movie after the war. In that sense, the movie is real, not just some form of propaganda "intended for the not-too-bright oversentimental without-a-dose of a history-lesson or critical thought Americans." It is a movie for Americans, Vietnamese immigrants such as myself, and people who dare regard the United States as the great and imperfect hope that it is.

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
I can't believe this movie is only rated a little over 5/10., 11 July 2003

Author: fredhag from United States

I honestly cannot express how much the movie moved me. I was an emotional wreck at the end of the movie, and that is saying a lot for an old jarhead. Without being an expert or having lived through the turmoil of the time time and place, I can only guess that the movie did a fine job touching on many if not most of the challenges, pressures, and sources of depression that came with being a Vietnamese refugee.

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Interesting piece of history ... badly portrayed., 15 August 2008

Author: oscar-manrique from Mexico

Such a moment in history can certainly provide for an enormous amount of dramatic stories on individuals and families; nevertheless I feel like the production failed to leverage on it.

Instead, the movie feels like a set of patched-up moments. At some point it looks like the scenes were put together only to 'touch' the audience, you know, any director would know that certain scenarios/situations would make the audience sigh or smile like the music scene where Whitaker and the kid paint to the sound of music; or the ones that show Tuc and his girlfriend falling in love.

Dong and Whitaker's acting keep the movie going; Swayze's character (although never thought of him as a good actor) was kind of useless and was given just a set of troubled sentiments and memories to play with.

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Those still alive after a war., 16 November 2005

Author: tvashtar2919 from United States

This story is about tragedy and the uprooting of whole societies. This specific story is a telling of Vietnam, but it could be transferred to many other moments in history. When a people have their whole lives destroyed by war, then how do you start over? We see the various forms that emotions can go through, and how each individual deals with them. Even when everything is gone, you end up with choices. How you handle the worst of times, can determine how you live out the rest of your life. There is not a right answer in most cases, but you have to find a way to continue.

Patrick and Forest are only extras in this movie. They help create the set up for the refugees, who must find a way to begin again. Some want to go back, which is almost impossible as life can never be the same after war. The continual theme throughout this movie is a longing for peace. Emotions are stretched to the end as people search for loved ones, and search for meaning. There is always hope when looking to the future, but the devastation of loss will never be forgotten.

It is a very good telling of how wars affect the survivors. The headlines are written down in the history books, but life is continued on a personal level. It is hard to imagine what it would be like to actually survive, and yet it has happened so many times in the conflicts between cultures.

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I love this great movie, 24 August 2005

Author: monkey-man from Australia

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This movie is really good and this movie stars two actors that i really like and the actors are The great Forest Whitaker from the great movie Phone Booth and Patrick Swayze from the good movie Ponit Break.This movie some times gets a little bit boring And the acting by the hole cast in this movie is really great.

There are some good scenes in this movie like when Forest Whitaker and a kid (Trung Nguyen) are panting a wall and when they finished it turned out to be really beautiful specially the Green Dragon in the painting.

Over all this movie is really great and my rating is 7 out of 10.

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Not so much the story of the Vietnam war but of refugees everywhere, 30 January 2005

Author: venchonduc from United States

The Green Dragon is not particularly a story of the Vietnam war but of the refugees of every war: Their fear for themselves, their missing family members and friends, and their fear of the unknown culture they are being thrust into. Their hopes and their dreams, also. The story itself is about the easy interaction between the little boy who is looking for his lost mother and the black American cook, and the uneasy interaction between the adults of both nations. The Vietnamese characters are very real in their humanity - good, bad, young, old. The film introduces certain aspects of Vietnamese culture (polygamy - filial devotion) that few Americans are acquainted with. It should be noted that the main Vietnamese actor, Don Duong, upon his return to Vietnam was put under house arrest for 6 months for "embarrassing the Vietnamese people".

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One word... AWESOME!!, 7 September 2002

Author: vyperman7 from San Jose, CA

Green Dragon was absolutely amazing. I found it to be very realistic in portraying what it would be like back when the Vietnamese people had to live in the refugee camps.

This film is very touching as well. I loved the relationship between Minh and Addie who is played by Forrest Whitaker. The character Minh is a little boy who is forced to come to America with his uncle and his sister. He is constantly searching the camp for his mother and father. While this is going on, he develops a friendship with Addie. Addie is a cook and a talented artist. Minh and Addie bond because they both like to draw and love comics.

I also liked the other parts of the story as well. Tai's character was great. He plays the camp manager and keeper of the peace. He has to deal with Minh's mother and father not being there and how he had to leave without them.

There are other cool little stories mixed in, but you should watch it for yourself and find out. This really is a very moving film, and it should not be missed.

9/10

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