Tiger Claws
1992
Director: Kelly Makin
Stars: Cynthia Rothrock, Jalal Merhi, Bolo Yeung
Like most US B-grade action movies, the plot here is pretty straightforward. A serial killer who takes out his victims with a unique form of kung fu is terrorizing New York City, and it's up to rogue cops Cynthia Rothrock and Jalal Merhi to stop him. And like most B-grade films, Tiger Claws has a extremely low budget. For instance, the movie is set in NYC, but it was obviously shot in Toronto as almost every actor has a Canadian accent and none of the cop cars have the NYC logo on them. And it probably goes without saying that the plot is transparent and the script is junk.
However, all this bad stuff is outweighed (at least somewhat) by the fight sequences. Cynthia Rothrock movies -- even the real cheap stuff like this -- usually deliver in this aspect, and Tiger Claws is no exception. In particular, a series of fights at the end featuring Rothrock and Merhi versus bohemoth Bolo Yeung manage to set this movie a bit apart from most others of its' ilk. The editing style is somewhat haphazard and sometimes takes away from the action, but the brawls are coordinated well (by Merhi) and make this movie worth a viewing if you dig low-grade action flicks. At the least, you'll have a good time making fun of its' shortcomings.
RATING: 5