Dreadfully Boring

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Set two years after the first film in the series, this cheap and cheerfully brainless chop-socky adventure has all you'd ever want from a B-grade martial arts flick: a ton o' action, lots of hulking henchmen and other assorted goons, some painful emoting on the part of the unknown cast, and slick direction. The latter comes from Robert Clouse, the man who directed the first and also ENTER THE DRAGON in his heyday, and he still knows how to shoot a decent fight scene.The plot is as insubstantial as it is unbelievable. China gets involved in a murderous plot by an escaped criminal, who we see at the beginning of the film bumping off all the people who took him down (my favourite death is the judge's, a hilarious magic-trick-gone-wrong jape). There are lots of stand-offs and various fight scenes until the massive climax, in which the massive gang of bad guys TAKE OVER THE WHOLE TOWN, leaving the heroes of the movie to take them on. That's the kind of climax I like! Imagine ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, except that the good guys leave the police station and beat the hell out of the baddies instead – that's what I love to see.The central trio of martial artists return, very much unchanged, from the original film; hell, they even wear the same costumes! Rothrock kicks ass with relish and seems even more supple and athletic than before, performing lots of flips and gymnastic stunts in mid-air. Norton is the heavy-hitter who whacks the hell out of anybody who comes close, while Keith Cooke continues to channel the fighting spirit of Bruce Lee. Harlow Marks is another craggy villain, and lots of the henchmen from the first film return as more goons waiting to get beaten up. What's amazing is how many people (including Cooke) went on to star in MORTAL KOMBAT movies after making this flick… anyway, I digress. Muscleman Billy Blanks also pops up as a badly-dressed '80s baddie who gets his ass whupped in an alleyway, although my favourite fight scene is between Rothrock and the Chinese guy with the Freddy Krueger gloves. Way to go! Sure, CHINA O'BRIEN II makes for lowbrow entertainment, of interest only to fans of B-grade action flicks who know exactly what they're getting themselves in for. I did, and I loved every minute; I can't help but feel that the time is ripe for a "twenty years later" third film in the trilogy, rounding up Rothrock, Cooke and Norton for a final slice of small-town ass-kicking. We can but dream.

China (Rothrock), Matt Conroy (Norton) and Dakota (Cooke) are all back - and we're definitely happy about that, but there's a creeping suspicion that this sequel never really needed to exist. Famed director Clouse should have re-purposed the cast and settings into an all-new movie. But as it stands, it's decent enough, as China and the gang fight an evildoer named Charlie Baskin (Marks) and his goons as they try to disrupt their idyllic small town life with their crime spree. That's pretty much it for the plot. Technically, that's all that's really necessary to make a good Martial Arts movie, but this particular outing lacks intensity most of the time. Obviously the fights are the highlights of the film, and that is where everything clicks and comes together, but what surrounds it is kind of mushy, if that makes any sense.China O'Brien 2 is "country Cynthia" - as opposed to City Cops (1989), we presume. She fights overweight bumpkins named Bubba while pedal steel music plays in the background. It shows her versatility. Plus the all-acid wash outfit she wears while fighting is awesome. Keith Cooke's fighting style is quite dynamic, and he adds a lot of life to the proceedings. It's hard to believe Billy Blanks went uncredited. His pants alone are worth a credit. His zebra print Zubaz, or ZPZ's for short (you'd be surprised how often we need to abbreviate this) single him out and bring him to the forefront, so how dare they not credit him? Oh well, fans know it's him, so, it doesn't really matter in the end.Toshishiro Obata, who has had an interesting career, having been in many movies covered on this site, from Ghost Warrior (1985) to fellow Rothrock/Norton vehicle Rage and Honor (1992), among others, stands out as well as "Man With Claws", a goon who wears Wolverine/Freddy Krueger-like metal claws on his hands. There's also a baddie who dresses like Indiana Jones and even brandishes a whip. So there are a few little standout things, but China O'Brien 2 isn't really essential viewing, unless you're a fan of Rothrock, Norton, or Blanks and need to see everything they've done. It's not a bad movie at all, but the stuff in between the fight scenes is a bit lacking.

China O'Brien (1991) was immediately went into production after the first film. The first on was enjoyable and it was a hoot to see Cynthia Rothrock kick major butt in an English language film. But the sequel was not as good and it's more of the same for Clouse and Company. Robert Clouse at this point in his career was riding high on the success of his greatest film Enter the Dragon. Ever since that film, he's been trying to duplicate the same formula. But like they always say, lightning never strikes twice and Clouse has been trying to recapture the magic.Rothrock is a phenomenal fighter and performer. This is her show and her fight scenes are a sight to behold. Sadly the rest of the film isn't as fun, the direction plods along and the script is nothing to brag about.For Rothrock fans only.

As long as you go into this movie knowing that it's terrible: bad acting, bad "effects," bad story, bad... everything, then you'll love it. Though this one isn't as good/bad as its predecessor, it's definitely good for a handful of laughs. Also, the drunker you get, the better the movie gets... have some wine with the movie's cheese.