Dans les griffes du tigre

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.

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!

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.

This movie, starring Cynthia Rothrock, Jalal Merhi, and especially Bolo Yeung, showcases everything that's wrong with martial arts movies.

I still don't know why, but since it's inception, this genre is plagued by production values, acting and direction, which put it only one peg above porn, if that.

Jalal Merhi especially talks like Serge the art dealer from Beverly Hills Cop. Cynthia Rothrock's abilities are accomplished, but her acting is limited. Bolo Yeung still doesn't seem to have mastered English, although I always enjoy his performances.

The police does not know what to do. They have to deal with a serial killer who aims at martial arts masters. One after another is killed in the same brutal way. This may be a chance for detective Linda Masterson (Cynthia Rothrock) to work on her first murder case. She gets the job and to her side an other martial arts specialist, Sgt. Tarek Richards(Jalal Merhi). Now they need to find a tiger style master, because the killer obviously uses tiger style kung fu. Not a simple task, since tiger is a very ancient and rare style. ...Tiger Claws.

You can tell that Cynthia Rothrock and Jalal merhi aren't actors first, but martial artists first who turned to acting. Their acting can be amateurish, especially Jalal Merhi, who looks like he's reading from an autocue, however there's some charm in the natural and simple performances. Plus it suits this type of film, which is a hybrid of martial arts and the serial killer genre. It's a fairly good idea, and the spotlight on various martial arts and the tournaments is quite interesting. I would've preferred a who-dunnit angle, but with the legendary Bolo Yueng featuring here that's out of the question - you know he's a heavy, and halfway through he's revealed as the killer.