'

Green Dragon

Play trailer

Green Dragon

PG-13

Released May 3, 2002

1h 55m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

63%

Tomatometer

27 Reviews

50%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

"Green Dragon," set in California in 1975 in a Vietnamese refugee camp, tells the story of Tai Tran (Don Duong), who has the courage to introduce himself to Sergeant Jim Lance (Patrick Swayze), and manages to eventually improve conditions and communications in the camp.

Watch on Prime Video

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Green Dragon struggles to control its sentimental tendencies, but its flaws are just outweighed by an affecting -- and often overlooked -- perspective on the Vietnam War.

Read Critics Reviews

Bruce Westbrook

Houston Chronicle

An honest, sensitive story from a Vietnamese point of view.

Rated: A

Jul 26, 2002

Full Review

Jane Sumner

Dallas Morning News

Earnest, unsubtle and Hollywood-predictable, Green Dragon is still a deeply moving effort to put a human face on the travail of thousands of Vietnamese.

Rated: C+

Jul 25, 2002

Full Review

Gene Seymour

Newsday

Just when the movie seems confident enough to handle subtlety, it dives into soapy bathos.

Rated: 2/4

Jul 19, 2002

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Revisiting the painful aftermath of Vietnam from the perspective of American-bound refugees, Timothy's film is an honorable if not great companion piece to his brother Tony's Three Seasons; both films played at the Sundance Festival dramatic competition

Rated: B-

Dec 26, 2006

Full Review

Film Threat

Rated: 4/5

Dec 6, 2005

Full Review

Caffeinated Clint

Moviehole

One of the best films of Swayze's Career....Not to be missed

Rated: 4/5

Mar 23, 2005

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Member

Little known Patrick Swayze, Forest Whitaker gem. Takes a very different look at the war and some of the other aspects of the war and the people it left behind.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A moving portrayal of the plight of South Vietnamese refugees housed at Camp Pendleton in 1975 awaiting resettlement in America and hoping to be reunited with family. On hearing of the fall of Saigon the refugees must face the daunting idea of rebuilding their lives in an unfamilar country. For those who find this film interesting I'd recommend reading Ahn Do's "The Happiest Refugee" even though it relates to resettling in Australia.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film went beyond anything I had ever expected it to be. The acting was incredible, the scenes were moving and the characters memorable and beautiful. I was so happy to see Patrick Swayze back and looking good and of course Forest Whitaker was fabulous. His relationship with the young Mihn was touching. Please, go rent this movie; you won't regret it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Little known Patrick Swayze, Forest Whitaker gem. Takes a very different look at the war and some of the other aspects of the war and the people it left behind.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is a great movie for kids of all ages!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Very natural movie and it really touched my heart. I think it gives a good portrayal of what happened at the time the good and the bad (but not the very bad)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Timothy Linh Bui

Director

Patrick Swayze

Jim Lance

Forest Whitaker

Addie

Đơn Dương

Tai Tran

Hiep Thi Le

Thuy Hoa

Long Nguyen

Q. Hai

Homicide: The Movie

83%

74%

Homicide: The Movie

Watchlist

King of the Hill

91%

84%

King of the Hill

Watchlist

Antwone Fisher

77%

86%

Antwone Fisher

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Antwone Fisher

Invincible

55%

52%

Invincible

Watchlist

I Am Sam

35%

86%

I Am Sam

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

"Green Dragon," set in California in 1975 in a Vietnamese refugee camp, tells the story of Tai Tran (Don Duong), who has the courage to introduce himself to Sergeant Jim Lance (Patrick Swayze), and manages to eventually improve conditions and communications in the camp.

Director: Timothy Linh Bui
Producer: Tony Bui, Tajamika Paxton, Elie Samaha, Andrew Stevens
Screenwriter: Timothy Linh Bui, Timothy Linh Bui, Tony Bui
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Rickshaw Filmworks, TGD Productions, Franchise Pictures, Franchise Classics, Spirit Dance Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Some Disturbing Situations|Nudity|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 3, 2002, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 21, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $146.1K
Runtime: 1h 55m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now