Tiger Claws II: Back on the Prowl (1996) Movie Review

Tiger Claws II is a sequel to the previously reviewed Tiger Claws, which featured a decent cast of martial artists doing what they do best. The writer (and associate producer) of the original film, J. Stephen Maunder eventually decided to take matters into own hands and wrote and directed the two sequels, this one and Tiger Claws III in 1999.

This sequel brings back the same cast and basically rehashes the same storyline without shame, having the Tiger Claw killer (Bolo Yeung) escape jail and plan to open a portal and reach an ancient temple (apparently). City cops Tarek Richards (Jalal Merhi) from New York and Linda Masterson (Cynthia Rothrock) from L.A are back on the case after they learn of a string of murders with the same modus operandi. 

Rothrock is sidelined even further, the rambling detective work is lost in a sea of routinary and tangential kung fu cult fights. The fights are less exciting, shot in such a dull and unenergetic way, this gets rid of the only redeemable aspect of the first film.

This is definitely the type of sequel to completely redo the exact same premise of the original film, bring back characters from the last movie (with less stakes and seemingly almost completely unmotivated) in contrived and uninteresting ways, cheaply recycling the same old ideas but sort of jumping the shark by adding absurd plot points that make everything more convoluted.

It's a wildly forgettable sequel that can really only entertain those who aren't very demanding and wish to see more of what was shown in the first picture. Only for Rothrock super fans.

Tiger Claws (1991) Movie Review

Tiger Claws is a 1991 action crime movie produced by Film One Productions, a company founded by Jalal Merhi, the star of the film alongside Cynthia Rothrock and Bolo Yeung. The film was directed by Kelly Makin and written by J. Stephen Maunder, who would go on to actually direct the two direct sequels: Tiger Claw II: Back on the Prowl (1996) and Tiger Claw III: The Final Conflict (1999).

There has been a string of ghastly killings, the victims are martial arts masters. Two fellow martial artists cops, detective Linda Masterson (Rothrock) and Sgt. Tarek Richards, join forces and begin investigating, hoping to find the seemingly unstoppable serial killer.   

It's sort of disappointing how a more than solid premise with incredible storytelling potential is wasted by a formulaic and by-the-numbers vessel of genericness and dullness. This slapdash police investigation plotline never actually becomes compelling or captivating enough for us to care about the main characters or the resolution to the conflict.

Rothrock delivers once more with the fights, employing her usual techniques and moves to fight her enemies. Never not delivering, Rothrock certainly shines once again but her scenes are not nearly as numerous or as memorable as they were in her Hong Kong days. At this point, you can tell she was being dangerously sidelined and barely promoted and featured in the films (even when she was the best part of these flicks by an ocean of difference).

The filmmaking is elemental, there are very few notable or interesting visuals or editing techniques that could potentially elevate a mediocre script. That, mixed in with what's probably the most meandering plot construction in one of these movies is what ultimately makes this one a rather boring and often tedious enterprise. Not a horrible experience by any means (occasionally the film will pick up some energy and present some neat action) but the overall experience is not as rewarding as it could have been. 

Only for Rothrock fans.

Martial Law (1990) Movie Review

Martial Law is a crime action movie from 1990 directed by Steve Cohen and starring Chad McQueen, Cynthia Rothrock and David Carradine. It was a Image Organization production and was shot back-to-back with its sequel Martial Law II: Undercover from 1991.

Sean Thompson (McQueen) and Billie Blake (Rothrock) are two police officers and martial artists who use their fist to stop crime. They must investigate a cartel boss, played by David Carradine, who is also skilled in hand-to-hand combat.

After all these years, my big issue with the movie still stands: it's incredibly stale. It's not that the film is horribly made or conceptualized, but its cliches and tiresome tropes are a recipe for boredom. There's nothing particularly clever, inventive or lively about it that could potentially make it fun. It lacks the dynamism present in the usual Hong Kong martial arts efforts and its main storyline is far from interesting or engaging, which means that a lot of the time the film drags.

Cynthia Rothrock is typically adept at fight choreographies and brings some needed entertainment into the thing, but she isn't given much to do and her screen time/plot relevance is reduced to the bare minimum that's necessary for her to appear on the poster. Carradine also brings enough entertainment value to make his scenes worthwhile.

To the film's credit, there's nothing about it that's incompetent, it's just ordinary in its execution and construction. However, there are some standout moments like the brawls and the director manages to include some nice shots here and there but much of the film follows pedestrian detective procedure and lots of exposition scenes.

It's only recommended for action movie buffs but you probably already saw it if you are one. Not a favorite but skip to the Rothrock sequences for some nice fights.

Love Lies Bleeding (2024) Movie Review

Love Lies Bleeding is a neo noir crime drama released in 2024 and directed by Rose Glass. It stars the divisive Kristen Stewart and the action girl newcomer Katy O'Brian, alongside Ed Harris and Jana Malone.

Its trailer shocked and surprised people who thought that low budget indie crime thrillers were not being made anymore, at least not with enough refreshing elements to create enough noise and anticipation. The film also promised another relatively mainstream lesbian relationship that shatters conventions, Bound (1996) being the last previous film of its kind to do it to this scale. 

Did it deliver? Let's see.

In 1989, gym manager Lou (Stewart) meets beefy bombshell Jackie (O’Brian), who has been travelling in order to win a bodybuilding contest. They begin to date and their relationship and personal issues intertwine with the criminal organization run by Lou's father.

Unusually grungy, dirty and stylish neo-noir oddity, composed of corporeal obsession and savage impulses of sex and violence, love and hate. Love Lies Bleeding is a recent watchable outing in the alternative cinema field the Hollywood system has provided over the years, offering a very crude and somewhat delirious story that might puzzle some. Similar to Bound in many respects but increasing the extravagant elements of the story and adapting it for modern audiences.

Stewart actually works her way out of her typical blandness, to be fair, I think her method is fine in certain films and the disheveled, depressed, unemotional character she interprets here plays to her strengths. That's not to say she is dull, she delivers more nuanced emotions than in her usual roles, while still managing to stick to her understated style. Katy O’Brian has been a favorite of mine ever since I saw her work at Lucasfilm and Marvel, so I am glad they are able to use her more extensively here. Katy has great chemistry with Stewart and both are not only a cute couple but also create an interesting contrast in many ways.

Carefully controlled compositions, elaborate camera work, impressive production design and some good looking cinematography decorate this thrilling storyline and fluidly express the intended emotion/tone of each and every scene. The filmmaking is top notch by itself but the flaws are present and somewhat prominent. For example, the film drags during its middle part, it has the stereotypical and misguided representation of abusive relationships Hollywood uses (I can excuse it here because it's thematically important, speaking about family and people who you love but also hurt you) and the surreal scenes are somewhat useless or just odd without much weight to them overall.

It's a solid movie but hardly one that's unskippable. I think it's decently executed, the technique is more than competent and the premise was intriguing but it ran out of fuel and wasn't as hard hitting in it's emotional aspect or plot points/revelations as it should have been. A good time but it’s perhaps not a masterpiece. It also features female bodybuilder representation and lesbian themes done in a very organic manner.