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.

Lady Terminator (1989) Rip-off with a great villainess and high on deranged action

I have a really fun one for you today. Let's talk about the deranged Indonesian Terminator rip-off known as Lady Terminator from 1989. It's kind of a low budget foreign version of the original movie but with an unstoppable stoic female killer instead of a huge android and instead of a science fiction concept we have some esoteric black magic as part of the plot. 

The story revolves around an anthropologist, Tania, who goes to Indonesia in order to find a book, she's investigating an ancient sex goddess known as The Queen of the South Sea. While an old man warns her about the dangers of such relics and the consequences of handling them, she doesn't listen. Tania is soon possessed by the spirit of the goddess and searches for the descendant of the man who defeated her a long time ago.

The evil goddess doing her thing.

Pre-possesion Tania.

This unleashes lot's of shootouts and violent gory murders on her part. Always chasing after her prey with unrelenting conviction and a cold expression on her face. 

The rest is the stuff action girls were made for, the shootout sequences are plentiful, high on energy, entertaining and brutal. Most seem to be taken from The Terminator, such as the club shooting and the one in the police station but oddly enough it stands on its own against the original, just with an even lower budget.  

Regarding the theme of the blog, I would have been more satisfied if there was some kind of female hero that could balance things out but the hero in this is actually some generic white guy that saves the girl in danger. He was possibly added for market value and to get a wider audience. The "Sarah Connor'' Indonesian girl isn't a bad character but much like Sarah she doesn't get to do much, other than stand around and get saved by the male lead, at least until the end, but this girl never gets to become an action girl like Sarah did in her second entry. The guy and the damsel in distress have a really soapy and pathetic love sequence that's just there to rip off the original. 

Just look at the villainess in this bizarre flick, that long curly hair and badass leather outfit really give you the 80's action vibes that you want to get. Also, things get very sexual quite frequently in this picture, heck, the first scene is a sex scene that introduces the powers of the goddess and what she does with men, which is kind of nasty, you have to see it. Anyway, once things get going as a proper Terminator knock off Tania is seen kicking ass frequently and in very solidly choreographed action. I think most action movie fans will enjoy it very much.