Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975)
Reviewed by: Bruce on 2001-10-31
Summary: OK Blaxploitation Film, but Terrible Martial Arts Film
Tamara Dobson goes to Hong Kong to rescue some undercover drug agents, and battle the female drug lord, Stella Stevens. As a blaxploitation film, Dobson makes a good, sassy heroine, who plays by her own rules, and the Hong Kong location makes for an exotic setting. But since this was Shaw co-production, fans of martial arts would have hoped that this film would showcase some good kung fu. Forget it. Some fighting is with guns (particularly at the climax), and most of the unarmed fighting is American-style, with rapid cutting and use of stunt doubles. The only Asian with a really prominent role in the film is "Tanny" (Tim Lei), and her fighting mostly appears to be doubled. Keep your expectations very low, and you might enjoy parts of this film.