Zong heng tian xia

HONOUR AND GLORY is a feather in the cap of Hong Kong director Godfrey Ho, the man best known for his cut and paste ninja movies of the 1980s. Before and after those films, however, he had quite a career making low budget action features, and those of the early '90s have aged quite well. These are classic examples of so-bad-it's-good cinema, with elaborately staged fight scenes and plenty of jaw-dropping overacting.

This film's no exception. Ho shot the film in America with an American cast and the plot is simplistic stuff about various characters teaming up to fight back against a crime overlord. Headlining the cast is Cynthia Rothrock, who doesn't get too much screen time but is more than adequate when she does show up. The little-known Donna Jason plays Rothrock's sister, a roving reporter who also knows a thing or two about martial arts.

The best thing about this film is the human he-man John Miller as the villain of the piece. He goes way over the top in the acting stakes and is completely hilarious as a result. You may or may not remember him as Rothrock's cop partner in the even funnier UNDEFEATABLE. Miller is surrounded by bodyguards and spends the whole film beating on people. The fights are slow and quite awkward but like the cinema of Amir Shervan, HONOUR AND GLORY is too much of a treat for bad film lovers to dislike.

Sharing many of the same cast from Ho's later crap classic, Undefeatable (although sadly, Don Niam is nowhere to be seen here), this carefree kick-about is similarly stupid and entertaining stuff from glorious start to finish.

The plot concerns two sisters, one a feisty FBI agent (played by perennial high kicking sweetheart Cynthia Rothrock) and her intrepid news reporter sister (played by Donna Jason) who by a bit of an unlikely coincidence involving their father, a CIA operative(!), both end up trying to bring down a particularly nasty business tycoon by the name of Jason Slade (played hilariously OTT by John Miller) who is attempting to procure a nuclear trigger of some description.

Also along for the ride are Robin Shou, playing a Hong Kong detective and Chuck Jeffreys who looks and sounds uncannily like Eddie Murphy(!!!) and who similarly ends up embroiled in the sinister affair.

What transpires is typically riotous fun, including a plethora of fights, over acting aplenty by all involved and some thankfully brief, but hilariously cringe inducing attempts at melodrama including the obligatory reconciliation between one sister and her father.

Other highlights on offer include one side splitting scene in which Rothrock's sis, high kicks a coke can into an irate woman's head(!), the main testosterone oozing villain taking time to flex up his muscles after wiping out an opponent(!!) and a cool, multiple fight finale which subsequently ends up with all four of our hero's required to tackle the movies nemesis.

Well worth a watch!

(I can't decide if I'd want a universe in which seemingly everyone (even random, angry hecklers) knows martial arts or if that would be awful. I guess it couldn't be any worse than what we have now, so why not?)

It's easy entertainment that you don't have to pay much attention to during chores. And, really, that's the best thing I can say about it, aside from appreciating it having a diverse cast. The actor playing the villain is laughably bad, but props to the attempt, anyway. It's definitely not good, but at least it's inoffensively entertaining in that you don't feel insulted by its badness but can instead have a chuckle and go on about your business and likely never think of this film again.

Where is the problem here? There is a great cast of really skilled martial artists, (even champions), and among them there is someone who have had just some training about martial arts, and unfortunately even if you're not an expert, you can easily spot them, because there's a huge difference between them and the others.

Another problem is very similar to the first, it's about acting.

Good actors, and let's say just less good actors. In many movies there can be very good actors, and maybe one or two less good ones. Obviously the latter would have just one or two lines, so you'll probably overlook them, and in the end, no complaints, you forgot about them.

In this movie instead, half of the actors act well, and the other half have some difficulties. Immediately you can tell the difference between them. Pity, it could have been a good movie.

If you don't like this genre, don't give it a look, it's a martial art movie, period. You would be disappointed, and pushed to write a bad review, because you'll be bored by seeing so many people using martial arts. Anyway, if you're a martial arts movie fanatic, you'll be pissed off, as the fights are not very realistic, and some moves are quite basic.

It's not a disaster, you have just to think that you want to spend one hour and a half without thinking too much, enjoying your popcorn, and drinking your favorite beverage. That's it.

FBI agent Tracy Pride is on a mission to capture businessman Jason Slade, who is involved in extortion and murder. Teaming up with her is her sister Joyce, a news reporter; Dragon, Tracy's partner in Hong Kong, and Jake, a bodyguard who worked for Slade. Can they stop Slade before it's too late? ...

With Honor and Glory you get a simplistic plot, amateur acting, simplistic dialogue that has a hint of self-aware humour especially when it comes to the main villain, who is really over top, sprouts dialogues like "Do you know a nuclear trigger from a Bulgarian dildo? I don't." "I thought you lived by the law of the fist too Armstrong, but you're just a damn cherry!". Unfortunately, mediocrity is ripe in this Rothrock entry, and in addition to some quirky dialogue, some decent spin kicks and punches can keep this watchable.