Tiger Cage 2

There's only one good reason to watch this movie and it's to see Donnie Yen's fight scenes. The last 20 minutes of this film include some of Donnie Yen's best. The rest of the movie up until that point is mind numbingly bad. Cheesy music, bad dialogue, corny humor, and a razor thin plot. In fact, I don't think there was a screenplay written for this thing. I think Yuen Woo Ping just started filming fight scenes and the story was written on napkins in between takes. That being said, your kung fu movie collection will not be complete without the last three fight scenes in this movie. They are classic and almost worth the wait. Just skip ahead to that last 20 minutes and I promise you won't be missing anything.

A sequel in name only to the action-packed TIGER CAGE, TIGER CAGE 2 marks a real highlight of the Hong Kong comedy cop/action sub-genre. Directed by Yuen Woo Ping - undoubtedly one of the best of the Chinese directors and martial arts choreographers - this sequel turns out to be better than the original and indeed might well be the best of its kind.

The film features an intensely likable Donnie Yen and an at-her-most-gorgeous Rosamund Kwan as a mismatched couple (a cop and a lawyer, respectively) who run foul of some sinister money launderers who use murder to keep their business private. The end up on the run being pursued by gangsters. Of course, what this inevitably leads to is an incredible amount of expertly-choreographed action and fight sequences. There are the requisite car chases and shoot-outs here, but the majority of the action is hand-to-hand combat, and boy is it blistering.

Yen is on top form as a physical fight and his bouts with various opponents are fast and furious. The plot is occasionally slightly muddled (and the dodgy subtitles on the Hong Kong blu-ray I watched hardly helped) but it doesn't matter as this is visual, visceral entertainment throughout. Michael Woods makes his third (and best) appearance in a Chinese film, the creepy John Salvitti is back from IN THE LINE OF DUTY 4, and Robin Shou makes a decent antagonist. Watch out for a surprisingly fine David Wu in support and a cameo from veteran star Lo Lieh as a gangster.

Tiger Cage 2 has nothing to do with the first film. Different story, different characters, totally different movie. However, some things are the same. It's directed by Yuen Woo Ping, it's set in a modern setting and Donnie Yen returns (top billed this time). Tiger Cage 2 in my opinion is not as well made as the original film. The acting and storyline are much better, the tone is darker and there is no villains here than can match the likes of Simon Yam. However, if you are here for the action you won't be disappointed. The action here is just as good as the first movie and there is more of it. There is also more Donnie Yen and he spends a good portion of the film fighting. His acting is still a bit wooden at this point, but more than makes up with it with his excellent fighting skills.

Reviewed by FilmMining101:

The sequel to "Tiger Cage" (1988) elevates Donnie Yen into the main lead status and brings back some of the same actors into different roles with a few "wink wink" cameos for a good measure. The uniquely named... "Tiger Cage II" has nothing to separate itself from the action Hong Kong flicks of the 80s except being more humorous than its predecessor shaping it towards an R-rated Jackie Chan vehicle.

Donnie Yen carries the film on his shoulders showing a charismatic presence that will be perfected in the years to come taking your breath away when he is fighting well-known martial artists. Yet, perhaps from a western perspective, what elevates "Tiger Cage II" is seeing the beloved Liu Kang/Robin Shou shine in a truly villainous role flexing with martial art prowess when his American transition put some limits on; an office fight with David Wu's ... David is visceral and expertly shot featuring dazzling athletic stuntwork that demolishes the average US film.

While it might lack the lavish production values that Hollywood offers, 80s and early 90s Hong Kong cinema was notorious for its on-screen death defying and pain inducing stunts and "Tiger Cage II", a product of its time is no exception; people fly through wind screens, fall on side walks and staircases, enjoy contact style choreography, leap and twirl in the air like human kites using gravity to their advantage in spectacular fashion.

Yuen Woo-ping does a solid job as a director even if the paper thin story cannot keep up with the A+ kung fu fighting. From the get go, it is quite obvious who the bad buy is and the film becomes more of a collection of mini segments that are linked with the barest of information populated with glaring product placement which will make even Michael Bay blush. To be fair though, back then Hong Kong filmmakers only cared to demonstrate their ability to craft innovative action moments by attempting to outdo what had come previously through the addition of more outrageous and dangerous stunts.

Despite a running time of ninety something minutes (Hong Kong cut), "Tiger Cage II" is quite entertaining, a stark reminder of a bygone era filled with visceral, if not occasionally funny and pain inducing, thrills. Fans of martial arts flicks will eat this up and will enjoy the OTT (western) villain portrayals while patiently nodding their heads at the stunning but overblown damsel in distress that Rosamund Kwan plays. The uninitiated might have a problem but if you stay for the action, you won't be disappointed for sure.

Yuen Woo-Ping once again delivers another modern day actioner full of brutal martial arts action. In this movie, Donnie Yen and Rosamond Kwan are on the run from cops and drug dealers after they are framed for murder. Plot is insignificant in this film, however. This movie has a lot of great fights including Donnie Yen and John Salvitti fighting with swords and a fight with Michael Woods. These are classic fight scenes. The only problem is that in my version, Cynthia Khan fights Robin Shou for a few moments and then arrests him. I felt cheated. The movie was also a bit too vulgar and violent for my tastes. Anyone who likes martial arts movies should check this out.