Green Dragon [DVD]

This is an exceptional film from beginning to end...not a wasted moment.,full of emotion and feeling that goes straight to the heart. Each principal actor equally carries this story of the first experience of war weary Vietnamese able to leave with expensive visas. PafrickSwayze agai gives bis uniqhe combination of stre gthtoughness, warmth and love.. Forest Whitaker is at his most gentle best. The stories of eac refugee family is moving and so realistically conveyed. It is the Vietnam war story I always wanted to see, not focusing on the drama of war, but the people as individuals, conveying some of the finenessand quality they possess and we have rarely seen as the focus of a film about this era.

This one hit close to home. I was in 2nd. Grade, lived 12 miles south of Camp Pendleton during the time period covered in this film. I remember how I didn't grasp just how many refugees were there until I was in the 3rd. grade and saw the lines of busses leaving Camp Pendleton from Summer to Fall of 1975; they didn't officially close out the camps until Oct 31st. 1975, but I knew there were many still lingering until January of the next year (War brides + Family, children without parents that couldn't be placed). This film had a lot of ground to cover and didn't cover some very important facts: there were a lot of ethnic groups within the refugee camps: Vietnamese, Hmong, Laotians, Cambodian refugees with all managed to make it out of the area with the US withdrawal from South Vietnam. But the one thing the film did capture was the humanity of what had happened. I remember seeing those people through my young eyes and I saw for the first time the look of fear on an adult face. Their struggles as they counted money in the checkout lines at supermarkets, tried reading newspapers. They had to send their children to school, some not knowing a word of English the day they started 3rd grade (4 or 5 of my graduating classmates were likely in the camp at the time the film was set). It makes your appreciate how blessed we truly are to be here. It should be noted that Swayze and Whitaker got on board to help promote the film, not for the purpose of top billing: It was to get exposure to this brief, turbulent point in time.

This is an interesting and entertaining film that allows insight into a different aspect of the Vietnam War. We, as viewers, experience a sociological and historical perspective that educates and allows comprehension of the upheaval that war brought to both Americans and Vietnamese. We are allowed to witness happiness by Vietnamese for being saved and, equally, the anger some felt at being abandoned by an ally due to America's exodus from the conflict. If you want to encounter an unique viewpoint that is entertaining and educational, you must see this film. I had never heard of the movie prior to my viewing, but, the film turned out to be a wonderful surprise and experience.

My rating is more a 3.5.Thank you for reading !Green Dragon is a 2001 American drama film directed by Timothy Linh Bui and starring Patrick Swayze, Forest Whitaker and Duong Don. The film follows the experience of Vietnamese refugees in the United States immediately following the Fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War.I’ve seeing comments here and there that imply that ’Green Dragon’ takes advantage of stereotypes and is ultimately a disrespectful representation of the Vietnamese population; Now, I can only make this assertion as a Caucasian individual, but I humbly disagree with these statement. At no Point are characters presented as caricatures of stereotypes associated with the Vietnamese subculture; moreover, the only indication that some characters have a prejudiced attitude in this regard is a throwaway line delivered by Swayze's character about the preconceived notion that Vietnamese people like to eat fish, and this is immediately rebutted with some appropriately attuned humor.The performances delivered by Swayze, Whitaker, and Don carry their own weight and naturally introduce different tones to the scenes in which they are president. Swayze is charming, serious, and sentimental - as to be expected given his repertoire - but still presents himself as as a well-respected point of authority. Whitaker’s scenes are metaphorically playful (as, most of his scenes include a young Vietnamese boy) with some hints of vulnerability seamlessly inserted. Don flawlessly executes the presentation of someone that is struggling to reconcile with survivor’s guilt and the responsibilities of someone in his hypothetical situation.Despite the praise that can be made in the casting department, the downside is that this film feels ultimately performative. Conflict is not paired with some amount of palpable tension or melancholy,, and this makes some characters hard to relate to despite the fact that this should not be the case. Ambivalence associated with the situation (Of being a refugee in America, and having family members still in Vietnam) is briefly alluded to as a source of contention, but this isn't hinted as being significantly tumultuous or imposing when decisions made by all of the characters in this overarching context are taken into consideration. Moments that could be used to deeply reflect on accentuating circumstances are saturated in elements that are forcibly sentimental and by themselves feel rather vapid (In example: Why does the song ‘White Christmas’ almost practically randomly start playing in the background during a scene? I do not understand. But, I digress).If I step outside of my ethnocentric view, I can applaud ‘Green Dragon’ as a story regarding hope and what it can provide people during what is arguably one of the worst moments of their life. The separate stories contained all involve some amount of anguish or discouragement being at the forefront, and there is some amount of optimism to be found by the time the conclusion reveals itself. Regardless, I have to dig deep within myself to appreciate this film as one that has hope at its center as it is hardly alluded to and rarely mentioned explicitly.‘Green Dragon’ is a naturally moving experience for a particularly empathic individual, but its overarching message in this regard is easily lost in its hesitancy to be a bit more straight-forward or transparent. Despite this, the performances alone make it worth watching at least once, and the director gets an applaud for their efforts.I would recommend!

Good film worth buying

An interesting subject and heart breaking at times, needed the tissues.

I learned something new, the Vietnamese who were in camps in California awaiting placement. it was half English and Vietnamese with subtitles. Patrick played a supporting role as head of the camp but I hoped he would bust out dancing at the wedding LOL but did not happen. I enjoyed the movie, I will repeat watch it, learn something different every time.

Green Dragon is one of the best wartime movies I've seen in a long time. Slow in parts but that's what life was like for the refugees at Camp Pendleton. Its a war movie that stays far away from the war; it simply takes place during Vietnam. The refugee camp was set up after the United States pulled out of the war and shows the difficulty on both the sides; the refugees and the Sergeant responsible for them (p Patrick Swayze). The refugees want to get on with their lives, but not to sure how to do that. Going home to their country would likely be a death sentence, but staying in America is a fear in its self. The little boy Minh, who develops a friendship with Forest Whitaker's character,Addie is precious!. If you are interested in the more emotional side of the effects of war then this film is for you.

I bought it for my friend and she enjoyed it. it was a good story line and she will watch it many times