Rage and Honor

Witnessing a drug deal involving local gang members and cops, an Australian police officer feels he can no longer be just an observer. He joins forces with a local teacher who just happens to be a karate expert and together they try to take back the streets.

A standard story is invigorated by some quirky and surreal characters and a slight step away from the traditional action plotting, however, there's a tendency of the plot getting a little too complex and twisty for its own good, and the pace can flag in some spots especially when there's talking. But the story, the action, the chemistry between Rothrock and Norton, their one liners and the menacing presence of Brian Thompson compensates for these downsides.

Average martial arts saga teaming two of the genre's superstars, Cynthia Rothrock and Richard Norton, as unlikely partners taking on a criminal enterprise. She's Kris Fairchild, a teacher at an inner city school who moonlights as a martial arts instructor; he's Preston Michaels, an Australian detective with a second job as a bodyguard for rock bands. They're united after he's implicated in the shooting of a crooked detective, which was caught on video by Paris Armstrong (Patrick Malone), one of Kris's students. The masterminds are the reclusive Conrad Drago ("Cobra" villain Brian Thompson, sporting a hilarious head of hair) and his evil associate Rita Carrion (luscious flame haired vixen Terri Treas). The story is, not surprisingly, nothing special, although there's one major plot twist regarding Kris's connection to Drago, which she reveals in her big emoting scene. Suffice it to say, she makes a much better ass kicker than an actress, but she and the quietly engaging Norton do share some chemistry. The real entertainment lies with the oddball supporting characters "Hannah the Hun" (sexy Alex Datcher), a lowlife criminal who loves to refer to herself in the third person, and the endearing "Baby" (!) (Stephen Davies), a broker turned bum. Malone is likewise amiable as the ambitious Paris, itching to make a star out of his teacher and go along for the ride. In fact, there's a bit of a theme here about characters becoming "TV stars", no matter how unwillingly. Writer / director Terence H. Winkless (who'd also worked with Treas and Davies on the killer roach flick "The Nest") keeps things moving along well enough, and all requisite fight scenes are effectively staged. The movie does have a sense of humour, as well, especially in a scene where Kris and Preston are trying to con their way past a bouncer. Now, Thompson and Daisy Duke herself, the always delectable Catherine Bach, are rather under utilized, particularly Bach, but the movie is still reasonably entertaining with some good moments and touches such as the bevy of bruiser babes known as the "Huns". Some effective bursts of harsh violence help to make this a decent diversion, although the ending is really not too satisfying; in fact, it's rather silly. But overall "Rage and Honor" is watchable B grade action fare. Six out of 10.

What can I say? This is a lot of fun! It's a B-grade action/crime thriller that knows exactly what it is, and stakes no claim otherwise. The backgrounds of the chief characters skirt the edge of Movie Magic contrivance, and their partnership completely blurs the line. Hair, makeup, and costume design are done well, such as they are, but it seems like all such contributions were specifically guided into pointedly exaggerated styles. The character of Hannah is written with definite overemphasis on her manner of speaking, and Alex Datcher absolutely leans into it, while filmmaker Terence H. Winkless' screenplay calls for similarly overt delivery at other points. One or two lines are repeated as a running joke, and there's cheeky levity built into how many scenes are written and orchestrated. The fight choreography is great, and any scenes of action are fun - and at the same time, though definitely a concoction of such second-tier fare as 'Rage and honor' represents, the story is pretty solid. No one will ever mistake this as something it's not - and it carries no such pretenses - and with that, it's easy to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

Most martial arts flicks of this tenor don't especially require its cast to actually act. That's mostly true here, too, yet there are scenes in which the actors are expected to illustrate some range and nuance - and to my surprise, they rather succeed. No one will ever accuse this ensemble of being world-class performers, yet Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton, and somehow even Brian Thompson show glimmers of acting skill to lightly complement their considerable physical prowess. It's a great joy to see Toshishiro Obata here, even in a small supporting part, showing the same force of personality as Chan Lu as he has demonstrated elsewhere; Stephen Davies offers some welcome, consistent comic relief. They're helped by a gratifyingly balanced screenplay that undeniably has B-movie flavors, but some meaningful intelligence and heart as anchors. For all the blunt or overcooked dialogue, it's not insincere, and fits any given moment and the characters. Those characters are given strains of real, varied personalities, and values and beliefs. There's sufficient variety in the scene writing so the movie never feels stale, and enough wit and vigor to keep us engaged while propelling the narrative. And at that - if straightforward and not as completely gripping as it potentially could be, the plot is solid, ably serving its purpose as a vehicle for the action sequences.

Sure, it won't quite be up everyone's alley. If nothing else, I'll admit that it's not quite as high-energy a romp as I had hoped for. That utmost stimulation is traded in for a measure of genuineness to keep us watching; how effective it is - well, that's up to each individual viewer. All I can say is that for my part, I honestly had a good time. 'Rage and honor' is an imprecise blend of silliness and sobriety that somehow churns out a fair measure of entertainment in its content, and behind the scenes aspects like set design and decoration are pretty swell too, and Darryl Way's original music. Whether you're here for the stars, martial arts bombast, or just action generally, there are better features you could be watching - but I think 'Rage and honor' itself is quite well done itself.

Richard Norton and Cynthia Rothrock have teamed up several times in martial arts movies, either as partners or as opponents, both in Hong Kong and in America. This is one of their American pairings, and it cannot qualify as one of their best. The story is sloppy in parts, and the fight scenes are only so-so (and sometimes poorly shot). However, the two leads make an enjoyable team, and the movie gets some extra life from a colorful supporting cast that includes Brian Thompson as the main villain, a quite funny Alex Datcher as "Hannah the Hun", Stephen Davies as a druggie ex-stockbroker that everyone calls "Baby", not one but TWO (Terri Treas and Catherine Bach) stunning redheads (I love redheads), and in a bit part, female kickboxer Kathy Long. A good B-movie cast in a mediocre B-movie. (**)

RAGE AND HONOR belongs to an era of generally good low-budget fare starring Cynthia Rothrock, but it's far from being among her best work. Completists will be able to watch it secure in the knowledge that the Lady Dragon had yet to begin her cinematic descent, but aside from boasting some good production values and a strong cast, it's not anything special.

The story: When an Australian police officer (Richard Norton) becomes witness to a crime of corruption, he teams up with a martial arts-practicing schoolteacher (Rothrock) to secure a tape of the crime from the underworld entity who orchestrated it (Brian Thompson).

The above-average B-movie cast also includes Terri Treas as Thompson's cohort, Catherine Bach as the American police captain, Toshihiro Obata as the former's enforcer, and Alex Datcher as the eccentric leader of an all-women gang. They're directed by Terence Winkless, who has the honor of having directed more episodes of POWER RANGERS than any other filmmaker and does a pretty good job of maximizing his resources and making everything in this film look good, with the exception of a few unnecessary slow-motion shots. He also wrote the movie, and therefore deserves kudos for the surprising twist between Cynthia and Brian for and incorporating Norton's real-life experience as a "rock & roll bodyguard" into his character. He's also dealt negative points for not following up after establishing Thompson as an artsy John Woo-type villain: save for his silly mullet, he's a pretty boring bad guy.

The film's main falling point is its fights scenes, which it has eight of but only a couple which are actually worth watching. There's nothing very wrong with the choreography (highlights include Cynthia performing a somersault ax kick and turning a scorpion kick into a head-scissors), but the camera-work is restrictive and unflattering towards the action. The kicking cast also includes kickboxing legend Peter Cunningham but he has only one fight (of which he is not the star) before being knocked down a flight of stairs by a wino. The rematch between Cynthia and Richard Norton pales in comparison to their stellar bout in MAGIC CRYSTAL. The single standout fight belongs to Norton and Toshihiro Obata, who have a so-so initial bout but whose rematch steals the show, with the latter performing some nifty aikido moves before throwing Norton out a window.

As a whole, the action content ought to tide over casual viewers but won't impress fans of Rothrock and Norton who know what technical mastery they're capable of. The same can be said for the movie as a whole. It's a good Cynthia Rothrock flick, despite her being regularly overshadowed by Norton's character, but as is the case with most stuff from these guys, the film's strengths are balanced out by its deficiencies to provide an ultimately average outing. It's good, but it could have been so much more.