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.