A 1985 American neo-noir crime thriller directed by Michael Cimino that follows a police detective (Mickey Rourke) investigating a series of murders of gang leaders.
The movie also stars John Lone, Ariane, Dennis Dun, Raymond J. Barry, Leonard Termo, Caroline Kava, Eddie Jones, Victor Wong, Jack Kehler, and Tony Lip.
It was released on August 16, 1985.
Tropes for the film:
- A Deadly Affair: Stanley White's position as head crime fighter against the Triads, coupled with his close involvement and affair with Tracy, causes Connie to be murdered during a retaliatory attempt on Stanley's life.
- Alliterative Name: Tracy Tzu.
- Asian Airhead: Tracy, the clueless, privileged TV reporter who ends up dating Stanley. She's physically attractive, but rarely says anything intelligent.
- Awful Wedded Life: Stanley's homelife and marriage both appear to be full of negative drama and not far from collapsing. Conveniently, he soon hooks up with a Chinese woman and his wife is killed by Chinese men.
- Badass Longcoat: Stanley has a long jacket to go with his Fedora of Asskicking.
- Big Applesauce: Takes place in New York city's Chinatown.
- Boom, Headshot!:
- Stanley nails a getaway driver with a perfect one, as the guy attempts to escape after helping murder Stanley's wife.
- A shopkeeper with mafia ties is executed in this way for refusing to pay the Triads.
- Decapitation Presentation: When the Burmese guerillas tell Joey Tai that they'd rather stick with their established contact White Powder Ma, Joey plants Ma's head on the table.Joey Tai: Let no motherless fuck ever raise his head again between us.
- The End... Or Is It?: The novel ends with another Triad boss arriving in New York from Hong Kong to replace Joey Tai.
- Fedora of Asskicking: A fedora is worn a good amount of the time by Stanley, giving him a throwback look and mirroring his character's outdated style and attitude.
- The Film of the Book: The movie is based on the book of the same name by Robert Daley.
- Mob War: The plot is set in motion when a Triad boss is assassinated in public by fellow Chinese gangsters. The Triads as a whole also get into conflicts with other criminal groups, resulting in multiple murders.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: Stanley uses crude racist language, and obsesses over race and ethnicity in nearly every situation.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: One of the old mafia bosses uses racial slurs to refer to the different gangs competing for territory in New York.
- Rape as Drama: Tracy Tzu is raped in her own home by three Triad youths, in a clear attempt to break her without killing her.
- Ruthless Foreign Gangsters: The Triads are an all-Chinese criminal group that Stanley regards as especially dangerous, moreso than other ethnic gangs.
- Tagline: "It isn't the Bronx or Brooklyn. It isn't even New York. It's Chinatown...and it's about to explode".
- The Triads and the Tongs: The story is about the struggle between a controversial New York police captain and an ambitious young Triad member, both of whom upset the "live and let live" status quo between the Triads and the police.
- Urban Hellscape: The crowded, gritty streets of New York.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Joey Tai is a professional criminal and a leader of the Triads, but also helps out Chinese people in his community who need money or favours.
