Dans les griffes du tigre

The 90s proved to be a pretty schweet decade for bodaciously Block Rockin' actioners and the ill tempered, razor sharp 'Tiger Claws' remains beloved by DTV Kung Fu cognoscenti and B-movie maniacs alike. This high octane example of backstreets butt-kicking is a winning martial arts hybrid of gritty serial killer shocker and full-tilt, Berretta-blasting, skin flaying, bone-crunchingly brutal martial arts mania! Double trouble, Cynthia Rothrock and Jalal Merhi certainly prove their mettle tracking down their elusive, outsized quarry, as any lesser ranked pugilists wouldn't have a snowball's chance against the mercilessly steel-fingered onslaught of killer Chong's (Bolo Yeung)vicious Kung Fu massacre!

Deep in the seamy midnight city of New York, there's a sinister new breed of maniac bloodily stalking the streets, a living, breathing nightmare, a peerless master of death, a singularly twisted, tiger-clawed executioner, hell bent on the bodily destruction of any martial artist this demented death dealer sets his cold, unwaveringly cruel eyes upon! This seemingly unstoppable campaign of inhuman spite and meat-shredding malevolence compels the Street tough cops, Linda Masterson (Rothrock) and Tarek Richards (Merhi) to resourcefully combine their majestic martial artistry in order to match the maniacal bellicosity of this bestial behemoth, Tiger Claw killer Chong! Kelly Makin's rip-roaring 'Tiger Claws' remains a bona fide VHS-era cult classic, a relentless, bloody-knuckled bonanza of killer Kung Fu Clawesomeness!

Some complain about acting. They don't know the features of martial art Acting. It's a different thing. Not just b-side kung-fu-karate beat em up. This one is unique for it's sub genre. What we have here is a thriller. The main maniac-killer has very big sport ambitions, but he satisfies himself with anonymus fights till death, leaving only his signature scars on the bodies of his opponents..Bolo plays his role very well. He is a quiet painter in the dojo and he is an ego-maniac killer. Cynthia is sweet and cute in throwing her mighty kicks as allways:) Jalal is less known action star, but he suits the cast perfectly. He looks believable in the role of undercover police man. His pure mean simlycity is the right cure for the twisted Claw-mastermind..

My review was written in October 1992 after watching the movie on MCA video cassette.

This formula martial arts actioner is a lesser effort featuring the reigning queen of the genre, Cynthia Rothrock. Video release will please diehard fans.

Pic poses a serial killer who preys on martial artists, leaving a telltale "tiger claws" mark of death. Early on the audience discovers Bolo Yeung's the renegade killer, who works at a martial arts studio.

Cops Rothrock and Jalal Merhi infiltrated the world of karate and kickboxing. Both have ample opportunities for action scenes, but it's all strictly formula.

Filming in Toronto and Vancouver subs unconvincingly for the New York setting, though the pic is technically well-made. Merhi, who also produced, is a cold fish of a hero while Rothrock is stuck in a sidekick role.

Predictable highlights include the massive, perennial genre villain Yeung whipping into action. He's left alive at the finale, setting up sequel potential.

A look at the hard facts in advance, genre, year of release, actors, with the result: what could possibly go wrong? Maybe that it looks like Asia, but it's USA/Canada. However, it soon becomes clear that Hong Kong has more quality to offer, or rather speed and lunacy. And the art of better concealing a lack of budget and acting talent. Tiger Claws is definitely a far cry from Bloodsport or something similar. What is being attempted here: a cop thriller in which a martial arts serial killer is hunted who kills his victims by scratching them. Well, it's as hare-brained as that sounds. What's more, it has few highlights, is not staged particularly quickly and the fight scenes are average at best. Cynthia Rothrock and Jalal Merhi as police buddies lack that certain something. But there's still one reason to watch this film, as you can probably guess: Bolo Yeung. As always, incredible presence and wild, unpredictable acting. Not a man, a weapon.

When I sat down in 2022 to watch the 1991 action movie "Tiger Claws", I can't really claim that I was expecting a whole lot from writer J. Stephen Maunder. Yet, as I hadn't already seen "Tiger Claws", of course I opted to do so.

And just as I figured, then "Tiger Claws" was a very generic early 1990s action movie, with way too much showcasing of martial arts moves by solo performers, so a lot of the movie was actually just solo montages. The storyline was every bit as archetypical and generic as you would think a martial arts movie from the early 1990s to be, so no surprises there.

Now, I never have been a fan of Cynthia Rothrock, so she was not really a reason for why I sat down to watch "Tiger Claws". But I saw that the movie had Bolo Yeung on the cast list, and that was actually the main reason for why I watch this movie from director Kelly Makin.

There is a good amount of action and fighting throughout the course of this movie, so that was definitely something that kept the movie afloat, because the storyline itself wasn't really doing that.

Something I just can't comprehend were the amount of bullets shot from those police revolvers. It should be six shots, then reload, but no, not here, not in this movie. And also the fact that people would die from having their cheeks scratched was just beyond my level of comprehension.

"Tiger Claws" is a very mediocre early 1990s action movie, cheesy and campy enough for a single viewing. But you are not in for a grand movie experience.

My rating of the 1991 movie "Tiger Claws" lands on a very bland and less than mediocre four out of ten stars.