China O'Brien (1990)
Genre: Action
Duration: 86 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Robert Clouse
Stars: Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Nijel
IMDb score:
5,4 (2.083)
Releasedate: 1 February 1990
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
China O'Brien plot
China O'Brien is a cop who maintains law and order with her fists. Her father, a sheriff in a small town, enlists his daughter's help when a bloodthirsty gang of criminals terrorize the town. China is on its own: it will be a fight of one against all.
Actors and actresses
China O'Brien
Matt Conroy
Dakota
Termite
Jonsey
Oscar
Police Captain
Lickner
Sheriff O'Brien
Deputy Tyler
Reviews & comments
stephan73
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- 6269 messages
- 14606 votes
In the late 80s/early 90s, a few action heroes suddenly appeared who made films with various forms of martial arts. In addition to Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude van Damme, Cynthia Rothrock was also a much-seen hero.
After making a few films in Hong Kong, she returned to the States to make it as an action hero. With films like China O'Brien, she would not be able to match the success of her male colleagues. It is namely a very standard story, that is not very special in the picture.
Cynthia Rothrock is not really a good actress, but the fight scenes with her are fun to watch. Only Keith Cooke, as Dakota, knows how to give a much better acting performance.
2.5*
Translated from Dutch · View original
Noodless
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- 10095 messages
- 6206 votes
5.2 on IMDb, ...pfff this movie simply deserves a turkey score!
Very weak story, weak action scenes ... little experience. In my memory Cynthia Rothrock was the female answer to the many martial arts heroes at the end of the 80s. In the video stores you also regularly came across them via posters or video tapes. But given the genre she did not know how to make me enthusiastic about this kind of films. Here and there I saw one, but that was it. 3/10
Translated from Dutch · View original
80&90’s Nostalgia
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- 683 messages
- 754 votes
Reviewed on the 4K release of Eureka with DolbyVision.
After successful supporting roles in Hong Kong action films, Cynthia Rothrock returns to the States to hopefully break through there. Both part 1 & 2 never made it to the cinema, and were direct-to-video releases. During the vhs release these films did get a fanbase, and so they can now be admired on 4K.
We follow Lori (China) O'Brien (Rothrock) who shoots a teenager dead while on duty as a police officer. She can't come to terms with this, resigns and returns to her father in her hometown of Beaver Creek in Utah. Her father is the local sheriff who fights against the heavy corruption within the town led by crime boss Sommers. After the arrest of one of Sommers' errand boys, her father is murdered by a car bomb. Sommers of course already has a replacement ready as sheriff, but Lori doesn't accept this and enters the battle by means of a candidate election. This does not go without a fight and the opposing party does everything to make her lose. Fortunately, she gets help from her old school friend Matt (the Australian Richard Norton). Dakota (the American-Japanese Keith Cooke) also comes to their aid, because he has found out more about the mysterious death of his mother there.
Very nice to see Norton in a good guy role. What a great martial artist he is, with his charisma and hard kicks. His famous catchphrase is "Painfull?!", which he asks his opponent after a hard kick. Unfortunately we don't see that in this movie. Also a pity that all the bad guys are a bunch of nobodies without any martial arts background. You can see that in the fights that come across as a bit clumsy. Rothrock, Norton and Cooke can't show their full potential.
Certainly not a bad film with some nice fight scenes, where Cooke stood out the best for me. But not the level of the Hong Kong action films.
Translated from Dutch · View originalPre- and sequels
China O'Brien II
1991
1 comment
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