Paul Magne Haakonsen For a 2004 movie "Latin Dragon" sure had a lot of similarities to the action and martial arts movies from the mid-1990's. And you might think that it is a good thing, but it wasn't.A generic and stereotypical lone hero saves the day storyline didn't really make it into a particularly entertaining movie, nor did the flaccid acting put on throughout the course of the entire movie.Thumbs up for actually making a Latin martial arts movie, that is something that I have personally never seen before stumbling upon "Latin Dragon" in the local secondhand DVD store.With a cast that included Gary Busey, Lorenzo Lamas and for me an unknown guy named Fabian Carrillo, you pretty know what you are getting into. But I guess it is the morbid fascination with bad movies that still make us sit down to watch such movies.The action sequences and scenes were mediocre, so nothing to get your hopes up for here. My favorite scene would have to be where Carrillo slided down a wooden banister while standing up and shooting two guns, and in slow motion just as icing on the cake. That was so bad it actually hurt the eyes to witness. At least it was good for a solid laugh.Bad acting, bad dialogue, bad story, if these is your things, by all Means give "Latin Dragon" a go, otherwise stay well clear of this movie.

dee.reid There's a certain kind of movie that should always appeal to anyone who truly appreciates movies, and that's of the late-night variety. No, I'm not talking about late-night soft-core porn shows/movies, but it's really more of the late-night, "B"-movie action fanfare.2004's "Latin Dragon" is one of those movies.The film was directed by Scott Brown and co-written by Fabian Carrillo (who according to the blurbs on this movie's cover art), is the world's first Latin martial arts hero/sensation. Now I'm not sure about the exact validity of such a claim, but I guess I'll have to take it as the literal truth since as a fan of martial arts and martial arts movies, I cannot come up with a single martial arts actor who is said to be of Hispanic heritage.According to his biography here on IMDb, Carrillo was born in South America (his specific country of birth is not listed), but was raised in The Bronx, New York; having been raised here in the United States, it certainly explains his surprisingly firm grasp of the English language, despite the occasional odd word or two of Spanish-language dialogue in the movie. He is also a three-time national Karate champion and holds five black belts in three fighting disciplines. So he certainly has the goods as a fighter, but can he act?For my late-night viewing pleasure, watching a Latin martial artist on TV was a welcome change. Carrillo is a dynamic presence on the screen and he definitely has a future in American martial arts movies, if he ever gets that big - he appears to be a likable all-around good guy, and all he really needs to do is develop the necessary acting skills to better carry a film production. Hence, that's what I got out of watching "Latin Dragon": he is certainly one to look out for, though I am kind of surprised that this movie came out in 2004 and he has not been picked up yet for at least an appearance as a villain in a mainstream American studio production (you hearing me calling you, right, Mr. Robert Rodriguez, Mr. Quentin Tarantino?)."Latin Dragon" has a by-the-numbers plot that is also an iconic riff on western movies: Carrillo plays the typical lone hero Danny Silva, a world-weary expert in Karate and former government assassin, who returns to his old neighborhood in East Los Angeles riding high a ruby-red Kawasaki motorcycle. He discovers that the neighborhood is being terrorized by violent Latino gang members under the leadership of Paco (Robert LaSardo), who also happens to be in league with Bishop Thorn (all-purpose bad guy Gary Busey, hamming it up as a stereotypical villain in the film's most enthusiastic performance), a greedy land developer who wants the poor working-class Hispanics and Asians to move out so he can build a major city. Danny goes to work beating up the legions of bad guys sent in his general direction, while also reuniting with his cop-brother Rafael (Luis Ramos) and childhood sweetheart Claudia (Joyce Giraud), while also trying to save his community that he loves so much.As I stated earlier, the movie is pretty typical martial arts/action movie fanfare. I wouldn't expect much considering it's a low-budget production, but it's an interesting one with promise for its chief protagonist. It certainly kept my attention, since Carrillo proves to be a dynamic fighting presence on the screen, even if he isn't really the best actor in the world.One thing that may annoy some people are the "Matrix"-like CGI special effects that pop up during some of the film's action sequences. But I guess that since it was made in 2004 - one year after the dual threats of "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003) and "The Matrix Revolutions" (2003) and every other clone in the wake of "The Matrix" (1999) and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000) - every action movie big & small had to have slow-motion "Matrix"-inspired action sequences. And Carrillo's most impressive fight scene has him battling Thorn's right-hand man Frank (Lorenzo Lamas).It'll be interesting to see what the future holds in store for Fabian Carrillo.5/10

Wizard-8 The back of the DVD box for "Latin Dragon" declares that star Fabian Carrillo (who's actually third billed in the opening credits!) "...gives us our first mainstream Latino martial arts action hero." Uh, wasn't Lorenzo Lamas - who also appears in this movie - the first person to fit that category? Well, that's a minor concern compared to the badness found in this movie. The plot - about a land-grabber trying to force lower class people off their property - is nothing that you haven't seen before. Somehow it's stretched out to 101 minutes, making seeing the clichés an extra burden than usual. Fabian Carrillo is not exactly a compelling actor, coming across as stony as Chuck Norris but missing Norris' charisma. The movie is also badly shot, with almost all the movie shot to give everything dark and murky colors. Fans of Gary Busey or Lorenzo Lamas will be disappointed, because they obviously knocked off their scenes in just a few days. Haters of Lorenzo Lamas - which are probably more in number than fans - may want to tune into the end to see him beat up and shot.

Comeuppance Reviews "Latin Dragon" is an entertaining action film. The plot is: Danny Silva (Carrillo) is an undercover agent who has the battle the street gangs in his neighborhood. Gary Busey plays the street kingpin "Thorne". Lorenzo Lamas is his henchman "Frank".The drawback in this movie is that Carrillo looks like a Latino Ray Romano. So it's hilarious to see him do martial arts. Busey and Lamas sleepwalk through their roles.There's also some unnecessary "Matrix" style FX that come out of nowhere when bullets start flying. Overall, it's cheap and fun action... If you don't mind that.For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com