Fokus Media continue to be one of the few labels flying the flag for DTV action movies. It’s not only the films of PM Entertainment that they’re releasing on Blu-ray, either. For their latest set of discs, Fokus are taking a look at the Tiger Claws trilogy. These Canadian films were produced by Jalal Merhi, who also starred in them, alongside Cynthia Rothrock.
I can never resist a Cynthia Rothrock movie, so I once again ignored my supposed break from reviewing to take a look at the three films being released (separately) by Fokus.
Tiger Claws
Director: Kelly Makin
Screenplay: J. Stephen Maunder
Starring: Jalal Merhi, Cynthia Rothrock, Bolo Yeung, Mo Chow, Ho Chow, Robert Nolan
Country: Canada, USA
Running Time: 92 min
Year: 1992
The first Tiger Claws film sees Rothrock play Linda Masterson, a New York City cop who’s fed up of tackling two-bit criminals. She talks her superior into letting her instead look into a spate of murders, though she’s partnered up with the impulsive lone wolf cop, Tarek Richards (Merhi).
Several martial artists have been found dead, with slash marks on their bodies. Masterson and Richards believe the killer to be a master of the notorious Tiger Claw technique, due to the scars. Richards used to study the form, so he joins an underground martial arts school specialising it, to try to figure out who the killer might be.
The first film in the series is a relatively original genre mashup, blending slasher with martial arts movie, though most of the dialogue and characters are pretty generic.
It’s quite nice looking for a DTV action movie from the era. Some of the production design, in particular, is striking. There are some nice directorial flourishes here and there, too. The use of drumming in the opening sequence is effective and there’s a clever transition from the killing of a martial arts TV personality to the TV news story about his death.
The acting is the main stumbling block, however. Merhi has a good look and the martial skills required for this kind of film, but his line delivery leaves a lot to be desired. Rothrock is stronger, though it’s not one of her better performances. Bolo has presence as the villain, but he hides in the shadows for most of the first half of the film.
It’s the action you come to a film like this for, though, and, sadly, it’s a little lacklustre in this sense, too. Merhi and Rothrock are skilled martial artists but I found the fights to be shot too close to the actors, with slightly too frantic editing. I prefer wider shots that hold to allow you to see these talented performers do their thing.
The final fights with Bolo are pretty good, though, and, overall, Tiger Claws is an entertaining B-movie that keeps things moving with very little padding.
Film: 
Tiger Claws II
Director: J. Stephen Maunder
Screenplay: J. Stephen Maunder
Starring: Jalal Merhi, Cynthia Rothrock, Bolo Yeung, Ong Soo Han, Evan Lurie, Lazar Rockwood, Eric Lee
Country: Canada
Running Time: 88 min
Year: 1996
* SPOILER FOR THE FIRST FILM Tiger Claws II picks up where the first film left off, with Bolo’s character, Chong, in prison. However, he’s broken out by Victor (Evan Lurie) on behalf of Dai Lo Fu (Ong Soo Han), a former martial ‘brother’ of Chong.
This kickstarts another wave of murders with Tiger Claw markings. Richards is on the case and he calls on his ex-partner Masterson to help, despite her now living in L.A.
As the pair investigate, they realise it’s not actually Chong who’s doing the killing. Lo Fu released Chong to channel his energy to help open a portal to allow him to provide modern weaponry to his martial arts school’s forefathers.
This twist, which is revealed about half way through the film, turns what begins as a by-the-numbers martial arts movie into something more fantastical and potentially divisive.
Personally, I welcomed the outlandish turn. It’s ridiculous, but makes for entertaining viewing.
The second half also paves the way for a lot more hand-to-hand combat than the first film. A tournament kicks off in this section that features a range of fighters and styles. The fights are given room to breathe here, too, with wider shots and longer takes. Sadly, Bolo and Ong left the production early over a pay dispute, so the final standoffs are rushed and feature stand-ins.
Writer-director J. Stephen Maunder makes the interesting choice of turning Chong into a more honourable character here. Whilst this doesn’t entirely match the psychotic killer of the first film, I felt it was a welcome change, giving him an interesting almost anti-hero position in the narrative.
So, whilst a little rough around the edges (the dialogue is still pretty clunky), Tiger Claws II is a sequel that improves on its predecessor. Some might find its wacky premise a step too far, but genre fans should appreciate the improved action in the second half.
Film:
Tiger Claws III
Director: J. Stephen Maunder
Screenplay: J. Stephen Maunder
Starring: Jalal Merhi, Cynthia Rothrock, Loren Avedon, Carter Wong, Mike Chow, Nicholas Celozzi
Country: Canada
Running Time: 94 min
Year: 1999
In Tiger Claws III, a martial artist named Stryker (Loren Avedon) brings three indomitable fighting spirits from the netherworld to Earth, so that he can rule the New York underworld.
Attempting to stop him are our intrepid heroes, Richards and Masterson. However, when the spirits prove too powerful, Richards calls on the help of Stryker’s former master, Jin (Carter Wong). He believes Richards has the power to stop the spirits, but only through special training.
Merhi hit a few difficulties on putting this together. After the trouble with Bolo during the production of the second film, he decided not to bring him back for the third. Also causing an issue was the fact that Merhi discovered, as production was about to kick off, that Rothrock was pregnant and suffering from bad morning sickness.
They tried to shoot some action scenes with Rothrock, but she struggled and her part was quickly rewritten.
Having the actress play a lesser role here does cause the film to suffer a touch, as she was always the more likeable character of the pair. Merhi’s Richards tends to take things a little too seriously. However, the quality of his acting had certainly improved by this point.
Sadly, as great of a fighter as Carter Wong was (and still is), he struggles to deliver his lines in English, making some of his scenes a little painful to watch. He gets a good fight scene at the end, though.
Thankfully, we have Loren Avedon picking up the slack. He’s having a ball playing the villain, embracing the ridiculous nature of the story. My only gripe with him would be that his character isn’t particularly well drawn. Stryker has gone to great lengths to unleash these spirits but just seems to use them to up his street cred as a gangster. I enjoy the wackiness of the film, but this core element of the narrative is ludicrously flimsy.
I enjoyed the training sequences here but the fights aren’t quite as strong as they were in the second film. This is partly due to the mystical/magical aspects of some of them. However, action fans will be satisfied.
So, whilst it would be easy to say that the third film saw the series jumping the shark, I found its daft nature endearing. It’s not what anyone would call a great film, but it’s certainly entertaining.
Film:
All three Tiger Claws films are out now in separate 2-Disc Edition Blu-ray/DVD Collector’s Mediabook Editions with two different cover designs for each, released by Fokus Media (you can order them on the Fokus Media website or you might be able to find it on various import sites). Most of the Mediabook editions seem to have sold out, but I presume standard editions will follow.
The transfers are all presented in the 1.78:1 ratio. I noticed a strong stripe on the screen in the first film and some stability or focus issues. This may be down to the source, though. The other two films look fantastic, with strong colours, natural textures and a clear picture.
You get a choice of German or English language audio options (both 2.0 stereo). I opted for English, and the second and third films sounded great. I heard notable reverb throughout the first film, but I wasn’t watching on my usual setup, so it might be an issue with the way I was watching it, which wasn’t ideal. I haven’t had chance to double check on my primary system. German or English subtitles are also available on the disc.
– 2-Disc Edition Blu-ray/DVD
– Uncut
– Spot Varnish Finish
– Limited to 111 copies
Extras:
– Interviews with Cynthia Rothrock and Jalal Merhi
– Audio commentaries by Jalal Merhi
– Statements by Cynthia Rothrock
– Original trailers
– Image galleries
Merhi’s commentaries on all three films are quite relaxed, with regular short pauses rather than a frenetic flow of information. He has a lot of interesting behind-the-scenes tidbits to share, though, so fans of the films will enjoy them.
The making of documentaries on the films run between 15-30 mins each time and feature interviews with Merhi and Rothrock. Originally produced by Vinegar Syndrome, these are very good, providing honest, illuminating backgrounds to the films alongside anecdotes and such.
The statements by Rothrock are only short but she’s her usual lively self and she provides quick anecdotes, so they’re well worth a watch if you don’t have time for the longer extras.
You also get a booklet with plenty of publicity stills, posters and essays. It’s in German though, so the text might be lost on non-German speakers. Google Translate can fix that.
Overall, it’s a strong set of releases that fans of 90s action cinema will love.
Extras/package: