American Dragons
| American Dragons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Ralph Hemecker |
| Produced by |
Jeffrey D. Ivers Ju-Ho Jung Jennifer Muhn Brad Krevoy R.J. Murillo Steve Stabler |
| Written by |
Keith W. Strandberg Erik Saltzgaber |
| Starring |
Michael Biehn Park Joong-hoon Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Don Stark |
| Music by |
Joel Goldsmith Alex Wilkinson |
| Cinematography | Ernest Holzman |
| Edited by | Alan L. Shefland |
Production company | |
| Distributed by |
Orion Pictures Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
American Dragons (also known as Double Edge) is a 1998 action crime thriller film starring Michael Biehn, Park Joong-hoon, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Don Stark and Byron Mann. It was directed by Ralph Hemecker, written by Erik Saltzgaber and Keith W. Strandberg, and produced by Brad Krevoy.
Plot
Detective Tony Luca (Michael Biehn) is sent on a homicide investigation of a Yakuza leader after a bungled undercover sting to capture notorious gangster Rocco (Don Stark). After finding a folded origami lotus with the black lotus insignia Tony is assigned a partner, Detective Kim (Park Joong-hoon) from Seoul, South Korea. Kim is described by Luca's captain as an expert on the league of assassins known as the Black Lotus. Both Yakuza and Mafia gangsters are being assassinated all over town by the mysterious assassin known to Kim as Shadow.
After squeezing information out of Yakuza businessman Nakai (Hiro Kanagawa) and Mafia informant Mike (Brad Loree), the two detectives discover that the Black Lotus plans to ignite a mob war between the Yakuza and the Mafia and adopt their businesses. The two men responsible for the plan are Shadow and Rocoo, two men who haunt the pasts of the two detectives. With the two detectives now cooperating with one another, they collect the leaders of both the Mafia and the Yakuza and inform them of the plan of the Black Lotus and take them both to the police holding station to prevent their deaths and prevent further mob killings.
With both mob leaders in safe keeping the two detectives hunt down the location of Shadow and Rocco. Fights ensue with Kim fighting Shadow, and Luca having a shootout with Rocco. It all comes down to an epic standoff, leaving Kim and Luca the only two left alive. Luca and Kim say their goodbyes at the airport wishing each other the best, leaving as friends. As Kim walks up the walkway to the plane Nakai is shown having his ticket taken by the gate. Taking his ticket stub back, Nakai reveals his Black Lotus tattoo on the palm of his hand and leaves to take his flight, the same one Detective Kim is taking back to South Korea.