Lady Dragon

One of the better Rothrock action films that feels a lot like a knock-off of Kickboxer. I may not be a fan of the original Kickboxer, but Rothrock brings a lot of great charm to this film as she sets out to avenge the murder of her spouse (a typical plot point in most of these '90s action films). This film gets a lot of mileage out of Rothrock and will seem better if you're a fan of her films, especially when she pretty much plays the same character in every film she's in. The fight sequences are always dependable and your overall enjoyment will be due to whether or not your are a fan of not just Rothrock but old school martial arts '90s films.

I've seen some Cynthia Rothrock movies of questionable quality before, but this one was almost enough to put me off her. Almost everything that happens in Lady Dragon, and the way it happens, is ludicrously bad. No part of the plot even begins to be credible, never even rising to the level of cliché. To wit:

What we have is an ex-CIA agent, Kathy, played by Rothrock, who's on a personal vendetta to catch the guy who, for no discernible reason, had her husband killed on their wedding day. She begins by disguising herself as a hooker and going, unarmed and with no plan, into a nightclub to confront the guy - which only gets her raped, as the bad guys have guns.

They then drop her by the side of a jungle road (this is in Indonesia), where she is picked up by a kindly old grandfather and his 8-year-old grandson, who nurse her back to health over what is apparently months. The old man can kick handkerchiefs into the air. (And since he also has a ready-made and very handy martial arts training ground, you'd think that he would step into character at some point and get into some of the fighting, but you'd be wrong.)

In a lengthy sequence, Kathy then ingratiates herself with the bad guy's mistress by pretending to get hit by her car. This mistress, Susan, is smart, classy and preposterously altruistic, giving Kathy a job and clothes and letting her stay in her apartment! (All the while never revealing why the hell she's with the evil and idiotic bad guy.) When introduced to the bad guy, he doesn't remember Kathy at all. So she tears up the place, killing one of his henchmen, and then grinningly making a run for it, not seeming to mind that she didn't catch up with him. But meanwhile, Susan has gone to the village and taken the grandfather and grandson hostage, forcing Kathy into a climactic battle with the bad guy - his name is Ludwig, in case you're wondering. So Ludwig beats Kathy savagely in a quite sadistic fight, but eventually she wins. Of course. And the police drag the bad guy away (I'm pretty amazed that he wasn't killed, seeing as this movie seems to consider itself real edgy, bandying the f-word around a lot).

A decent martial arts actioner could have been made with this plot, perhaps, but in this case it certainly wasn't. The terrible dialog (in a couple of places bordering on the outrageous) served only to make almost every plot detail all the more unbelievable, and elements that seem to promise further developments were never delivered on. It was a monumentally bad script, resulting in an awful movie, the main virtue of which is to show how NOT to make an action movie.

I am under the impression that in most of the films they have made together, Cynthia Rothrock and Richard Norton are partners; "Lady Dragon" twists that situation around - this time they are opponents. And they are both at the peak of their physical powers: Cynthia looks amazingly flexible, and her acting is better than usual as well, and Richard is just highly enjoyable as the villain (after setting a man on fire, he says to his henchmen: "Don't just stand there. Put him out before he ruins the lawn!"). The story is just a standard revenge tale - I think the main "inspiration" here was Jean-Claude Van Damme's "Kickboxer". There is also a kung-fu kid, a sensuous mistress for Norton, a wise old Oriental master (of course!), and a wild cars-vs.-motorcycle chase. "Lady Dragon" is no masterpiece, but for low-budget American / Indonesian martial-arts fare, it's above-average. (**1/2)

I have a deep appreciation for action films that have no pretenses about what they are. Make no mistake, this kindly informs us immediately what it is, as the very first scene is filled with dramatic flourishes to emphasize Cynthia Rothrock is portraying The Protagonist, and her opponent opens with a grand show. A somewhat middling rock score that's Just Enough attends the scene, and the MC of the bout vanishes from the makeshift arena as revealed in a trumped up moment as Rothrock turns her head. Welcome to 'Lady Dragon.'

As a distinct B-movie of martial arts, the flick wavers at all points and in all ways between earnest action-thriller vibes and overwrought imitation of titles with stars of more renown. With that, the entertainment provided oscillates twixt honest fun and "a little too much." To be frank, though, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a great time watching this. It's worth noting right away that of course Rothrock is actually quite accomplished in various fighting styles, and she brings that knowledge and experience to her portrayal of protagonist Kathy in fight scenes that are consistently well done. While perhaps not as sharp as in more recent pictures, I dare say the choreography is on par with any comparable features of the 80s or 90s, with stunts that come off pretty well. Action scenes at large, and any instances where martial arts are on display specifically, are the best executed moments throughout the length, especially as filmmaker David Worth and editors Maruli Ara and Amin Kertaraharja demonstrate capable camerawork and sequencing to make these as dynamic as possible.

Less convincing are those scenes that require actual acting and emotional range from the cast. Rothrock isn't a bad actress - she does try, and gives a solid effort - but her skill set is orientated more towards action than nuance, and her co-stars either share that quality or just can't give a convincing performance generally. Richard Norton and Robert Ginty are suitable enough in their roles, but mostly play a one-note song; Pitradjaya Burnama and Diaz Tangkilisan show a little more dexterity as the grandfather and the boy - and Bella Esperance, too, as Susan - but the writing and direction keeps them restricted to Second Fiddle status. The more that 'Lady Dragon' requires a delicate hand of expression, the more it struggles. What we see of Kathy with her instructor and his grandson is notably forced and ham-handed as a plot development, and in presentation at large; worst of all is a passing love scene that holds no water whatsoever. Still, in fairness - martial arts flicks do broadly require some measure of narrative to provide structure, and again, what we see here is at least no worse than the least well regarded of, say, Jean Claude Van Damme, or the like. It serves its purpose.

Characters and dialogue mostly just do their part. Apart from the martial arts, the scene writing is the strongest aspect of the feature - duly engaging and enjoyable, and varied, as it builds the story bit by bit, with touches of comedy to round out the picture. I'm less certain that the plot underlying 'Lady Dragon' is entirely complete, but in any event, it's little more than an excuse for the action and stunts to follow. While composer Jim West's score isn't the most grabbing or essential film music, the 80s rock sensibilities and instrumentation are adequate in the quieter moments - and when employed during fight scenes, feel like they could be pulled from any given arcade or console fighter videogame.

Very importantly, within the last third of the film, every last element is taken to fun new extremes, leaning into the utmost flavor of the B-movie with choice one-liners and deliberately overblown shots and action that occasionally defy good taste. The climactic battle between hero and villain is the most carefully crafted scene in all of 'Lady Dragon.' While any instance of vehicles extravagantly flying through the air are way over the top, I admire the gusto with which these aerials were performed, and the capstone of the chase scene preceding the climax is... Well, it's a choice. And it's a cheekily enjoyable one.

A great deal of the movie traipses along a fine line between a second-tier romp and "overt and tawdry" - amusing, if not utterly captivating. The greatest energy was clearly poured into the final stretch, and with that the entertainment is cemented. No, Cynthia Rothrock isn't a household name like other action stars, and one may well argue that she doesn't deserve to be. But as much as her staple seems to be movies that have no aim but to deliver a kitschy, martial arts-filled popcorn flick, 'Lady Dragon' somehow climbs a few steps higher to be considerably more worthy than it has any meaningful right to be. Everyone involved clearly recognized the importance of ensuring the core martial arts action was the film's greatest strength - and so it is, with everything else built in service to that purpose. One gets a sense that making this movie was more fun than work, and that feeling is passed along to the audience. If not an absolute must-see, this is definitely sufficiently well done to earn a sincere recommendation to anyone that likes the genre and the space it plays in.

Cheap action that derives from Indonesia, but don't expect anything like THE RAID here; this is a strict programmer from the early 1990s that feels akin in quality to either the BLOODSPORT or KICKBOXER sequels. Cynthia Rothrock plays a high-kicking fighter left for dead by some bad guys, so she has to undergo the usual routine training before tracking them down to get revenge on them. There's a small role for '80s stalwart Robert Ginty as one of her contacts, but all eyes are on Richard Norton as another of his impeccably tough, swaggering villains; I just wish he had a bit more screen time. The action is acceptable but like the rest of the film, instantly forgettable.