Michele Cimino: from hero to zero
Michele Cimino many films were not needed to mark the history of Hollywood cinema. After convincing Clint Eastwood by directing him in his first feature film The Ducker (1974), the filmmaker created an immense masterpiece with Journey to the End of Hell (1978). This is the film that changed Michael Cimino’s career. Because after this immense success (5 Oscars and a box office success), the director found himself at the top with the possibility of doing what he wanted, obtaining total freedom from United Artists. Except his next film, the Grandiose Gate of Paradise (1980), was a financial disasternearly ending the director’s career.
Banished from Hollywood, it will take him a few years to return The Year of the Dragon (1985), which, despite its failure, probably remains its author’s last great film. The next one will follow The Sicilian (1987), The hostage house (1990) e The suncatcher (1996), and increasingly rare appearances before his death on July 2, 2016 at the age of 77. Jean-Baptiste Thoret will pay homage to him several times, before dedicating his documentary to him Michael Cimino, an American mirage (2022).
But let’s go back to The Year of the Dragon, this noir thriller, ultraviolent and controversial. Mickey Rourke plays a Vietnam War veteran police officer and the son of Polish immigrants. A sort of direct descendant of Michael Cimino’s two previous films. But this man adopts unconventional methods to fight the Chinese mafia. Due to the brutality of the character and his relationship with this community, the film will be considered racist by some viewers who perhaps have not fully understood what Cimino’s cinema is…
The Year of the Dragona thriller to rehabilitate
In fact, the director does not represent heroes with exemplary morality, but rather complex and problematic characters to address issues such as decadence, corruption, alienation or even the amorality of the capitalist system. To play Captain Stanley White, Michael Cimino opted for Mickey Rourke, who he had already directed in Heaven’s Gate. The actor gives a solid performance alongside John Lone and Ariane Koizumi.
Produced on a budget of around $22 million, the film grossed only $18 million at the American box office, but still attracted attention in France almost 2 million viewers. It is precisely in Europe that The Year of the Dragon has been more fully recognized for its true value. Jérémie Guez, director of BRI, also spoke to us about the film’s influence. While even today part of the press continues to rehabilitate the film. Like the site You must read who very rightly wrote in 2016:
Watching this film we can’t help but see it as an allegory for Michael Cimino’s career. Lonely following the failure of Heaven’s Gate, ostracized by his peers (just like Stanley White), he had to fight to find his way back to film sets. The Year of the Dragon just demonstrates his talent and his total lack of compromise.
To delve deeper into the analysis, we recommend taking the time to listen the presentation of Jean-Baptiste Thoret’s filmin 2015, at the Enghie Arts Center, available below:
Source: Cine Serie
Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.
