One of Cynthia's Best
Added 9/28/2009
"China O'Brien" belongs to an era of action movies that never saw the inside of a movie theater, but not for a lack of trying. As the first real American film of former Hong Kong action queen Cynthia Rothrock, "China O'Brien" appeals to the lovers of blondes, kung fu, and macho feminism expressed by having the unassuming leading lady beat the snot out of every redneck and gangbanger she comes across...with a little help from her friends, of course. On one level, it's a cheesy low-budget fight flick that's going to draw boos from folks who worship The Matrix, but on another level (this is the one I'm on, by the way), it's among the better flicks directed by Robert Clouse during his dismal post-Enter the Dragon career and one of the best all-around films starring Cynthia after she waved goodbye to the land of the rising sun.
The story: after shooting a man in the alleyways of the big city, China O'Brien (Rothrock, Above the Law) pledges to give up her career as a policewoman and returns to her rural hometown to spend time with her father, the sheriff...only to find her former home struggling against the clutches of well-funded organized crime. When her father is murdered for his interference in the circuit's schemes, China defies the criminals by running for his vacated position to clean up the town - something she can only hope to achieve with the aid of her old crush (Richard Norton, Mr. Nice Guy), a mysterious biker (Keith Cooke, Mortal Kombat & Mortal Kombat: Annihilation), and the support of the townspeople.
Let me start out by saying that, in case you don't realize it, the aforementioned ensemble is probably among one of the most unique and exciting martial arts trios ever gathered for a film. Rothrock, of course, is the Hong Kong veteran with the tutelage of the world's top cine-fu stars under her belt, but she's matched by the super-talented Australian (Norton) who's fought just about every big-name star in martial arts and the enigmatic Keith Cooke, an underrated fighter both on and off the screen who spent his most famous roles wearing masks. These three are given carte blanche to show off, with some very neat and fast-paced hand-to-hand battles. Granted, of the five fights in the film, at least two are kind of absurd, with nonstop attempts to prove China superior to her masculine foes resulting in some choreography that very obviously would result in her getting beaten up in real life, and at least one occasion where Richard Norton's lightning-quick blows visibly fail to connect with their target. On the whole, though, the originality and effort put into the fight choreography shine through, and provide definite thrills to viewers not jaded by CGI and wire-fu.
As a dramatic piece, however, the film is in a bit of trouble. The acting's fine as far as DTV films go (considering that most of the supporting cast had never before been in a movie), but the heaping melodrama, feel-good hamminess, and vast coincidental nature of the storyline will put "China" at odds with snooty critics. As basically a heavy-handed take on Walking Tall, the film offers much cause for righteous indignation but next to no character development or plot twists beyond the expected. The production values are obviously limited by budget, but director Clouse manages his resources well, particularly in making the town and its inhabitants seem believable. More surprisingly, he manages to make a half-statement regarding the difference between what a woman can be and what others want her to be without any speeches or flag-waving: Rothrock lets her actions speak louder than words, and Clouse channels these to the point that the movie could double as recruiting drive to encourage women to study self-defense.
If you're new to the exploits of Cynthia, check out her Hong Kong pictures first, but come back to this one as the second course. Richard Norton fans looking to see him not playing a villain for once should also give this a buy. Those wanting to see some awesome three-way kicks, pick it up for Keith Cooke's martial performance. Action fans in general should assess their priorities, and those favoring pure heart and talent over big names and budgets ought to give this a watch, too, and not wait long about it!
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Missed it by THAT much! "Walking Tall" in heels.
Added 1/12/2007
China O'Brien stars Cynthia Rothrock as a big city gendarme who returns to her itty bitty home town when her father decides to retire as the local sheriff. Of course, the bad guys give him a dose of the ol' Lead Pension plan and before you can say Hackneyed Plot Point China is running for sheriff so she can bring in the desperados who gunned her Daddy down! She joins forces with that same Australian karate guy thats shows up in most of her movies(like Tiger Claws) and a one handed, motor cycle riding Indian kid who had a hand chopped off by the same guys what iced Daddy O'Brien.(These evil dudes are busy. Maybe the local Villains Union is understaffed) Everything is pretty typical and if you like Cynthia then you'll most likely enjoy this flick. However, if you aren't more than a casual fan of the star or genre, look elseware. The acting is waaaay too stiff. If the actors had lightened up and Rothrock was allowed to show some personality and charm the movie could have had some genuine appeal. That's all it needed.
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I used to love this movie when I first saw it 13 years ago
Added 6/11/2005
This movie is particularly good for martial artists, for everybody else you may want to pass on this one. The fight scenes are done in the "last dinosaur" style, by that I mean that the action is very close (or closer) to how a real martial art fight would be and NOT like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon like most modern martial art movies are. Not to fear though, the action is not dull in any sense, the fight scenes are similar to 'The Best of the Best'.
The story goes like this, a female cop/martial artist quits the force after an incident in a back alley. She goes back home and her father/ex-sheriff is murdered so she decides to run for sheriff and clean up the town. Then she and her high kicking boyfriend proceed to whip everybody's you know what that gets in their way. Cheesy...maybe but the action is good. Also, there is another character in the movie named "Dakota" who is awesome; to me he almost stills the show from Cynthia.
There is even a sequel to this, which is even better (action wise), called China O'Brien 2.
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Watch it as a comedy
Added 3/3/2004
As long as you go into this movie knowing that it's terrible: bad acting, bad "effects," bad story, bad... everything, then you'll love it. This is one of my favorite "goof on" movies; watch it as a comedy and have a dozen good laughs!
2 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Welcome to female butt kicking.
Added 1/17/2004
With Cynthia Rothrock taking on the american film industry, starring as China O'Brien, a karate teacher, whom resign s her badge/gun after a alley-way shooting, returns home to her "sheriff" father. After witnessing her father been killed, she decides to campaign for her fathers position as sheriff, vowing to clean the town of all its corruption, she enlists the help of her young sweetheart, played by fellow blackbelt Richard Norton (whom she stars in numerous films after) helps clean the town, with their extreme talent of martial arts, only seen in most hong kong movies, (minus the dubbed dialogue, of course). This is a must for all martial arts like me.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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