Saw this on TBS the other night, expecting the usual poor substitute for a good action movie. True, I did get a mediocre film overall, but as a form of reimbursement, I received a bunch of quality martial-arts sequences.

Yes, the plot is amazingly uncomplicated - the most unexpected thing (and also the dumbest) is when not just one, but TWO car bombs explode within two days of each other. But besides the improbability of a Utah native growing up with an Australian accent (can we assume he picked that up in the "Special Forces"?), at least it's not too unrealistic.

But this movie was basically created to showcase Rothrock's abilities, and they are readily apparent. Someone mentioned that this film was meant as a vehicle for Jackie Chan; this is also easy to see based on the beautifully choreographed fight scenes that make good use of the available props (the scene in the high school's weight room is particularly fun).

Overall score: With regards to the filmmaking process, this one gets a low rating thanks to bad sound effects, cheap production and minimal writing talent. However, the great fights more than make up for it. Five (5) stars out of a possible 10.

An obviously low-budget effort: the sound is lousy, the editing is sloppy, the writing is cliche. The acting, while not Oscar material, is surprisingly well done. But what really shines are the fight scenes (and that's what you wanted to see the film for, anyway -- right?) They're very well choreographed, and the actors very obviously know what they're doing. And of course, Cynthia Rothrock is a total babe (and that's *really* what you wanted to see the film for -- right? :)

I got both the China O'Brien and Rage & Honor movies on video recently, and I must say that Cynthia Rothrock is great at both martial arts and acting.

The first China O'Brien film is very enjoyable. However, there are problems, the main one being that the bad guys are pretty faceless. The main one for the most part is Deputy Lickner, who manages to be loathsome, but the bad guy leader doesn't do much at all.

Richard Norton makes a great partner for Ms. Rothrock, as does Keith Cooke as the mysterious Dakota. The action is non-stop as well, with lots of bad guys being sent flying by our three main heroes. China O'Brien is a great movie. I give it 6/10.