Angel Of Fury (1992) Movie Review

Angel of Fury (not to confuse with Lady Dragon 2's alternate title), also known as Triple Cross, is a 1992 action film directed by Ackyl Anwari (Virgins from Hell) and starring Cynthia Rothrock, Chris Barnes and Peter O’Brian. The film was an Indonesian production by Rapi Films, other countries that co-produced the film were Thailand and The Philippines. A strange mix of the people responsible for low budget grindhouse fare shot in foreign countries and a western star like Rothrock. As far as I can tell, the common version is the newest US cut of the film, which features a shoddy dubbing work.

Nancy Bolan (Rothrock) is a security specialist who must deliver a valuable computer to Indonesia. Her ex-boyfriend is revealed to be part of the operation, while evil forces plot against Nancy.

This is a very enjoyable entry, featuring dynamic action nonstop. A Cheesefest of a pretty high caliber presenting the usual B movie goofs and funny flaws like the hilarious voiceovers, they even dub the little kids badly!

The director has some good grasp on what to show and how to approach its material but it's undone by its awkward execution, like the odd tracking shot that accompanies Rothrock to an exposition scene, sticking these distracting techniques into mundane sequences. The direction is sort of standard or clunky when it comes to anything that isn't the fights and it never takes itself too seriously. A trite story with a bunch of recycled crime/agent movie tropes and not much else to hold onto.

There are also some really weird moves that they had Rothrock do, like when she stops mid air and kicks a moving car or does the same to defeat an enemy. It's a little badly executed and comes off as clumsy attempts at imitating the daring stunts from Hong Kong films. The quick cuts can't hide the odd movement or lack of movement when it comes to what's on screen, the Hong Kong filmmakers were more skilled at doing these tricks, often fixing it with fast cutting and kinetic energy in the frame. We are very much away from those days at this point in Rothrock's career. Not for long though.

Recommended for schlock movie fans. This one is well paced and silly in funny ways. Some really good trash but with a shining Rothrock at its core.

Martial Law II: Undercover (1992) Movie Review

Martial Law 2: Undercover (sometimes titled Karate Cop) is an action crime flick and a sequel to Martial Law from 1990. It’s directed by Kurt Anderson, who was a producer in the first one, and stars Cynthia Rothrock and Jeff Wincott. Rothrock is the only returning lead from the first film.

Detective Sean Thompson (Wincott) and cop Billie Blake (Rothrock) team up to solve a dangerous case. Billie goes undercover at a nightclub in order to infiltrate a criminal organization that might have been responsible for the death of one of Sean’s colleagues but the bosses are guarded by powerful martial artists the heroes must face. 

Surprisingly an improvement over the first movie. The story doesn't really work as a whole because it's so disjointed and muddled, but every little vignette and action sequence works quite perfectly as a small highlight that you do enjoy watching the film even if the glue that sticks it together isn't really that rewarding.

The choregraphies are top notch and not only do the fight scenes have their own beginning, middle and end but they sometimes work towards a crescendo and end in a very interesting punctuation blow to finish the sequence (like Rothrock breaking the leg of a mugger after beating all of his group) that gives it a more interesting flare not expected from one of Rothrock’s typical American films. So it's ultimately sort of creative.

The flaws from the first film, and most of the other nineties Rothrock films quite honestly, are there still but not to a higher degree. This time, the cinematography becomes quite good looking sometimes and the events do unfold in relatively engaging ways, making it of higher quality than usual.

If you are up for a worthwhile early nineties martial arts effort this one can be quite entertaining for you. Recommended for genre fans.

There was a third movie in the franchise but it has nothing to do with Rothrock and it changes concepts altogether.