China O'Brien

Average story which should be expected out of a martial arts movie. The major reason to watch this movie is to Cynthia Rothrock kick the villains butts. Originally was written as a project for Jackie Chan before the story was changed around as a film the Cynthia Rothrock. The action sequences are well choreographed. The negatives of China O'Brien(1990) are the sloppy editing and the low budget structure.

Cheesy but fun. Pure Battle sequences, lots of action. Whether intentional or not it was hilarious. In the beginning when the disgruntled student does not believe in the power of Kung Fu he wants China to go into an alley in the middle of a City to prove Kung fu! first Bruce Lee I don't think would do it with all the guns in the cities. Second she is Kicking arse one by one and explaining all the moves. Even better the Kung fu Muslim Brother comes to aid her. And the best comedy relief of the movie is the australian guy with his version of Kangaroo Kung Fu! what a riot. He has some martial arts moves but He manages to splice it with street gymnastics and drop kicks, yes two legged dropped kicks landing on the booty in the middle of a serious fight. Good for straight action raw on story 5 out of ten

China O'Brien was an attempt to bring Cynthia Rothrock as an action star to American audiences.

She had made an impact in Hong Kong action cinema. Robert Clouse who directed Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon, makes this low budget B movie.

It really is Road House redux, the movie released a year earlier.

China O'Brien is a tough city cop who moves back to her hometown in Utah after the death of a young boy.

Her dad is the sheriff of a small town that is being run by a crime gang headed by Edwin Sommers.

Some of the townsfolk including the local judge are in his payroll.

When her father is killed in an explosion. China O'Brien decides to run for sheriff, to challenge a corrupt cop backed by Sommers.

China and her friends decide to fight back each time an obstacle is put in place by the baddies.

The story is hackneyed. Some of the acting is below par. The movie is about martial arts action.

Here Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke deliver.

This film and its sequel remain among the best Western showcases for Cynthia Rothrock's martial ability. Lori 'China' O'Brien (Rothrock) plays a cop who also teaches martial arts. One night, in an attempt to prove to a disbelieving student that martial arts could be applied to the street, she ends up killing a kid to defend a friend. Overcome with remorse, she resigns from the force and visits her parents. Unfortunately, instead of getting away from the trouble, it found her... As martial arts fare goes, this is not bad. You really felt like Rothrock's performance when she sheds tears at a very nasty incident was quite convincing. Another thing that works in the film's favour is the chemistry between Rothrock and co-star Richard Norton (Australian Karate exponent). As you might expect, though, the fights are what this and its sequel are really about, and these are some of the best Western fights ever, I reckon. None of the slowness of later efforts, and Rothrock's blows look very powerful (Hong Kong actor/director Sammo Hung says they ARE powerful). A big hand to Keith Cooke for his lethal boot-work, though. Switch your brain off and enjoy an early slice of real girl power.

Martial arts supremo Cynthia Rothrock (think: the American equivalent of Michelle Yeoh) heads the cast in this engaging straight-to-video effort that packs more punch than a dozen similar offerings, thanks to the surehand direction of Robert Clouse (down on his luck, but occasionally recalling his ENTER THE DRAGON glory days) and a ton of scintillating action scenes that never let up. The film has an almost Jackie Chan-style atmosphere going on in the various battles, as our three heroes use all manner of scenery and props to battle and bruise the gangs of bad guy henchmen that pop up at every opportunity to do some damage. Fridge doors flip into faces, dumbbells smack the faces of the unwary, bodies smash into mirrors and there's almost as smashing glass as in the finale of POLICE STORY (well, not quite).

After a decent run of Chinese films in the late '80s, Rothrock was billed as the next martial arts sensation a la Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal et al. Well, that never happened, and Rothrock has never risen from the straight-to-video genre, but that's the general population's problem, not the B-movie fan's. Because Rothrock kicks ass. She also happens to be lithe, sexy and quite sweet, but the main emphasis is on her ass-kicking prowess and it never lets up. Whether kicking some Chinese guy's head in slow-motion across the room, breaking a bad guy's neck or punching a hulking brute of a man out with one hit, Rothrock lights up the screen with a martial arts energy possessed by only a few. Here, she's equalled by Richard Norton, another crossover from Hong Kong cinema and Jackie Chan's regular sparring partner. Norton is alive, his flame burning with kung fu excellency, and watching him whup ass over and over again is a real treat. The final member of the heroic trio is the unknown Keith Cooke, whose body seems possessed with the spirit of Bruce Lee in his great fights.

The plot is a highly predictable one that reminded me of WALKING TALL. There's a rough town out in the wilderness that needs cleaning up – so step in Rothrock, Norton and Cooke. Most of the other cast members are relatively unskilled, both in acting and in martial arts. None of the opponents really provide the heroes with a real test of their skills, like you'd seen in an '80s Hong Kong film; all are knocked cold after a few moves. Most of the actors were seemingly hired on the street, boasting this sole film on their CV; even the bad guy Sommers, played by Steven Kerby, only ever appeared in this one film. The only other distinguished person in the cast is Patrick Adamson, who makes his corrupt cop loathsome without even really seeming to act much – I guess that means kudos is deserved for this man.

So, in all, CHINA O'BRIEN is a B-movie martial arts flick that covers old ground but covers it in such an exciting, well-directed way that you'll end up loving it. Massive bouts in a school gym and a bar-room brawl are the real highlights of the movie, but it all moves so fast and with such a pace that you'll never resort to checking your watch. The three good guys returned for CHINA O'BRIEN II; and I'll sure as hell be checking that one out as well!