Lady Dragon (1992)

Lady Dragon (1992)-* * *

Directed by: David Worth

Starring: Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton, Piet Burnama, Tanaka, H.I.M. Damsyik, Diaz Tangkilisan, and Robert Ginty












Kathy Gallagher (Rothrock) thought she had it made in life. She had a good job as a CIA agent, and was just married. Her world gets turned upside down when super-evil arms dealer and Martial Arts expert Ludwig Hauptman (Norton) kills her beloved husband. Now on a revenge mission to kill Hauptman, she’s living in Indonesia and earning her living as a Punchfighter for a ringleader named Chin (Damsyik). Just when she thinks she’s got him, the ever-sinister Hauptman rapes her and beats her within an inch of her life, then leaves her for dead on a country road. There she is nursed back to health by a young boy (Tangkilisan) and his kindly but mute grandfather (Burnama). She ends up forming a strong, even familial bond with them, and she trains there for the final showdown with Hauptman. After infiltrating his corporation, she finally gets that chance. Will Kathy succeed?

In the Cynthia Rothrock/Richard Norton team-ups of the past, they were on the same side, working together as good guys - think Rage and Honor (1992) and Rage and Honor 2 (1993). Here, they are mortal enemies and they’re fighting against each other. It’s an interesting change-up, but we prefer to see them join their forces. That said, they are two of our favorite action stars, so it’s great to see them both onscreen in any configuration. Richard Norton even gets to say “Show me the money!”, pre-dating Jerry Maguire (1996) by many years. But does he get any credit? Both of them get to display their Martial Arts prowess, the movie doesn’t skimp in that department. There’s other action as well, including your classic “Fruit Cart” chase.

Lady Dragon was directed by David Worth, the man behind Soldier’s Revenge (1984), Kickboxer (1989) and Chain of Command (1994) - and the plot here is very similar to his Kickboxer, what with all the rural training sequences. But Cynthia Rothrock has too much dignity to do a wacky dance in a roadside diner, that’s pure Van Damme. The film itself opens with a warrior crying out a mighty “YAAAaaaaaa!!!!!”, which is clearly the best way to start a movie. Another fan favorite, Robert Ginty, is also involved. Wearing a white sport coat and smoking a cigarette, he proves that smoking is cool. But notice he doesn’t get into any hand-to-hand fights. Plus he looks alarmingly like Paul McCartney (moreso as the movie goes along), so this might be the only chance to see “The Cute One” in an action movie setting.

The music played during the fighting and chases is that classic “rockin’ guitar” that is really the only choice for sequences like that. The end credits song, “Courage To Fight” by Susan Guterres, can proudly join the pantheon of great action movie songs, but it should have been played during at least one of Kathy’s many training sequences. As for the muzzle flashes and bullet hits, they’re not nearly as bad as Hangfire (1991), but they’re pretty ridiculous. And it should be noted that the front business that the evil Hauptmann works for is called Imperial Exports - and this VHS was released by Imperial Home Video. Coincidence? Or maybe Ludwig smuggled it?

Lady Dragon is more classic early-90’s action from fan favorites Rothrock and Norton. It’s a solid entry into their canon.

Also check out DTVC's review! 

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

Rage and Honor II: Hostile Takeover (1993)

Rage and Honor II: Hostile Takeover (1993)-* * *

Directed by: Guy Norris

Starring: Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton, Patrick Muldoon, Ron Vreeken, Frans Tumbuan, and Tanaka

Rothrock and Norton reprise their roles as Kris Fairchild and Preston Michaels in this sequel that is superior to the original film.

Kris is now a CIA agent who is sent to Jakarta to go undercover in a bank to investigate the money laundering of Gerald Andrews (Soucy).  Meanwhile, Preston works in a run-down bar and does a lot of boxing on the side. For some unknown reason, he takes on a spoiled, unlikable, arrogant student, Tommy Andrews, the son of Gerald. As it turns out, Gerald is working closely with nefarious gangster Buntao (Tumbuan). There’s also a cache of diamonds at stake in the ensuing gangster wars, with Kris and Preston caught in the middle. They’ll have to use their teamwork and fighting skills to get out of this mess...

Rothrock and Norton are always pleasant to watch, both individually and together. There are some nice fights in this film, and, as always, you can actually see the action with no stupid tricks or fast cuts. There was some cool inventiveness as well, as Norton beat up a baddie with a raw fish, leading to perhaps the first “fish-fighting” scene in recent memory.  For as awesome as Rothrock and Norton are, Patrick Muldoon is as lame. Well, his character as a preppy jerk is pretty effective. Maybe it’s not Muldoon, it’s Tommy Andrews who the audience will not like. Buntao is more likable.

Also we have Ron Vreeken as the classic heavy/bodyguard, the man they call “Blondie”. I guess they couldn’t get Matthias Hues. Vreeken was last seen in the Norton vehicles Deathfight (1994) and Under the Gun (1995), so they must be buddies. He was also seen in Hurricane Smith (1992).

Director Guy Norris, presumably no relation to the Norris family that produced Chuck, Aaron and Mike, primarily is known for his stunt work, having been the stunt coordinator on countless films, including Day of the Panther (1988) and the aforementioned Hurricane Smith. It was a wise choice to put him in the director’s chair because he understands action and delivers plenty of it to the audience, leading to the rare improvement for a sequel.

You can rarely go wrong with Rothrock and/or Norton, as this golden-age-of-the-video-store action movie amply proves.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

Angel Of Fury (1991)

Angel Of Fury (1991)-* * *1\2

Directed by: Ackyl Anwari

Starring: Cynthia Rothrock, Peter O'Brian, and Tanaka











In this highly entertaining and fast-paced Rothrock outing, Cynthia plays Nancy Bolan, the head of security at HTI. She is a courier and must deliver a top-secret computer. To cover her tracks, there are also two decoy computers. All three are in silver suitcases. While in Indonesia, Nancy develops a relationship with a little girl named Sarah and her mother.

There is only one problem: BOLT (O'Brian), "The terrorist who strikes like lightning" also wants the computer. He is a ruthless and evil man with a lot of goons. 80 minutes of fight scenes ensue.

Bolt closely resembles Sly Stallone and there are even references to two Stallone movies: In one scene Nancy calls him "Rambo" and in another scene he is inexplicably arm-wrestling another goon a la Over The Top (1987). Exactly why Bolt is supposed to be like Stallone and he is most evil baddie on the planet is not known. Bolt is also a master of disguise as will be revealed in a laugh-out-loud moment. Bolt employs a henchman named "Ty" and he looks like an Indonesian Mr. T., Complete with gold-chainses and mohawk. Both this man and Peter O'Brian can be seen in the excellent The Stabilizer (1986). Maybe they are buddies.

"Angel Of Fury" is filled to the brim with action. Rothrock has some wicked and fun martial arts moves and there are a lot of high-kicking, high-jumping feats. Rothrock is utilized well and gets to showcase her skills in many different ways. The whole movie is Rothrock fighting in different settings. One in particular that stands out is in a mall and it brings to mind the scene in Jackie Chan's Police Story (1985).



A movie highlight is when Nancy takes Sarah to an amusement park. After Sarah proclaims her love for "Mickey Mouse", she then proceeds to kick a guy in an oversized rat costume in the butt repeatedly. With all that kicking, she might be able to become the next Rothrock. Too bad for the ratman.

Funny, silly dialogue, Rothrock at her best, tons of action, and a little girl kicking a ratman in the butt...what more could you want?

Released on the Imperial label on VHS, Angel Of Fury is a definite winner!


Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty