Both are stylish, gritty, crime action thrillers about an embittered New York City cop who find himself in an increasingly personal war with an upstart Asian gangster - YEAR OF THE DRAGON concerns the Chinese mob and BLACK RAIN concerns the Japanese Yakuza. Both films were accused of racism and xenophobia.
Which is better?
Black Rain is MUCH more ridiculous. In real life, Michael Douglas's character would have been sliced to ribbons within the first half-hour.
shareThe Year of The Dragon is honestly crap. I understand someone may like it if it was their uniquely generational movie, a movie they saw when growing up, but this film is so bad and bad at what it pretends to be. The very awkward and unnecessary romance with the reporter who can barely act. It's just lame.
A movie from the 80s that is gritty and which is about the criminal world is Light Sleeper with Willem Dafoe. I liked that one though it is also 7 at most.
The Year of The Dragon is honestly crap.
_____________
I wouldn't say Dragon is crap and it does has a great mid 80's vibe about it, it's violence is quite potent, has some interesting set pieces that are well directed; but I find it has a kind of coldness and even routine bland feel about it. I don't think Cimino had much passion for the project and it appears like substance was jettisoned for the sake of style. I would have liked to have seen Oliver Stone direct the screenplay he co-wrote with Cimino. It does appear that he lifted some stuff straight out of his Scarface-83' script too, the restaurant shoot out in particular paralleled the night club scene in Scarface in many ways. Stone was busy around this time though directing Salvador and Platoon, both better films than TYOTD.
As for the OP's question, I would say that Black Rain is more vibrant, kinetic and entertaining all round, even if it's style still overshadows the substance. Ridley Scott is a more spontaneous director than Cimino was and doesn't appear to have the gargantuan ego that he possessed.
Exorcist: Christ's power compels you. Cast out, unclean spirit.
Destinata:💩
Damn sorry you feel that way, I think it’s a pretty great movie.
shareBlack Rain was stylishly entertaining.
Its that man again!!
Year of the Dragon, and they're not in the same ballpark.
http://jmoneyyourhoney.filmaf.com/owned
Old New York and old Chinatown, Manhattan where gangs and organized crime was a lot more common back then.
shareI agree Black Rain was just descent and Year of the Dragon is pretty great.
share[deleted]
Black Rain, ridiculous, 6 vs YoTD much more reasonable story, 8.
shareBlack Rain was simply an inferior remake of The Yakuza (1974) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073918/?ref_=nv_sr_2
'Well I've got two words for you - STFU'
Both are very good movies with flaws.
I think "Year of the Dragon" is more ambitious and epic than "Black Rain".
It's more like "American Gangster" with John Lone in the Denzel Washington part.
This is probably the most realistic, stylish and artistic of the three.
It's similar to "Live and Die in L.A." and "Heat", too.
Very underrated & deserves a Criterion Collection release,
together with Cimino's early gem "Thunderbold and Lightfoot".
Black Rain easily. Not even a contest.