Infernal Affairs director tackles Chinatown New York street gangs in Revenge of the Green Dragons

Revenge of the Green Dragons is based on Frederick Dannen’s New Yorker article that chronicled the underworld of Asian-American gang life in 80’s and 90’s New York City. Andrew Lau & Andrew Loo co-directed the film from a script Loo co-wrote with Michael DiJiacomo. Revenge of the Green Dragons stars Justin Chon (Twilight: Breaking Dawn), Kevin Wu, Harry Shum, Jr. (Glee and also in the upcoming Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon II: The Green Destiny), Shuya Chang (Chinese Puzzle), with Geoff Pierson (J. Edgar), Billy Magnussen (Into the Woods) and Ray Liotta.

The film also reunites Andrew Lau with Martin Scorsese, who came on-board as an Executive Producer on the film. Scorsese previously won an Oscar for The Departed, a remake of Lau’s Infernal Affairs. Scorsese served as Executive Producer along with Steve Squillante, Deepak Nayar, Michael Bassick and Art Spigel.

Revenge of the Green Dragons is described as being in the vein of crime classics like Mean Streets and Infernal Affairs, following two immigrant brothers – Sonny (Justin Chon) and Steven (Kevin Wu) – who survive the impoverished despair of New York City in the 1980s by joining Chinatown gang “The Green Dragons.” The brothers quickly rise up the ranks, drawing the unwanted attention of hard-boiled city cops. After an ill-fated love affair pits Sonny against his own brother, he sets out for revenge on the very gang who made him who he is. From acclaimed Director Andrew Lau and Andrew Loo, along with legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese, comes a mix between a Hong Kong action film and a New York City crime thriller, portraying the never-before-told true story of Chinatown street gang “The Green Dragons.”

Check out the first trailer and poster for Revenge of the Green Dragons, below.

Revenge of the Green Dragons will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. DirecTV will immediately follow with an exclusive 30-day window beginning September 11th, followed by an A24 theatrical release in October 2014. This is the third film to be released in the partnership between A24 and DirecTV following Denis Villeneuve’s critically acclaimed ENEMY starring Jake Gyllenhaal, and Jeff Baena’s directorial debut LIFE AFTER BETH which opens Friday.