Honor And Glory (1992) - A Review

 

Classic cover to a not so classic movie.

Honor And Glory is a martial arts action movie released in the United States in 1992 and stars Cynthia Rothrock, Donna Jason, Chuck Jeffreys, Robin Shou, John Miller, Yip Kim Hing, Richard Yuen, Gerald Klein, and Tai Yim. It was directed by Godfrey Ho (credited in this movie as Godfrey Hall), with fight choreography by Tai Yim.

Cynthia Rothrock (left, as Tracey Pride) and Donna Jason (right, as Joyce Pride) play sisters who kick butt!

In Honor And Glory, Cynthia Rothrock plays Tracey Pride, an FBI agent on the trail of a stolen nuclear warhead detonator with her partner Dragon Lee (played by Robin Shou). Her mission brings her back to America, where she meets up with her sister Joyce Pride (played by Donna Jason). Joyce is a TV news reporter investigating the illegal dealings of the super wealthy banker and businessman, Jason Slade (played by John Miller). Since Jason is being hounded by Joyce and assassins, he has a security group protecting him, lead by Jake Armstrong (played by Chuck Jeffreys), the top bodyguard in the game.

Joyce shows her news report to Tracey, and Jason Slade gets on Tracey's radar. Though Tracey and Joyce get along, Joyce does not get along with her father, CIA agent John Pride (played by Leo Rocca). Jason Slade ends up with the nuclear warhead detonator, and wants to sell it to the highest bidder. Joyce's fellow kung fu school classmate Mickey (played by Yip Yim Hing) investigates strange goings on at a warehouse and gets video evidence of Jason Slade's illegal activities. Jake Armstrong starts questioning whether Jason Slade is a criminal or not and begins to help Joyce in her investigation. Things boil to a head when Jason Slade kidnaps the Pride sisters' father, and Tracey, Joyce, Dragon, and Jake team up to finally stop him...

John Miller, as Jason Slade, plays one of the biggest jerks you've ever seen in a movie!

Honor And Glory is one of those movies I watched only once on TV (cable channel TNT) late at night in the 90s, and never saw it again after that. I thought this movie was amazing back then! I had been searching for it for years (though my local video rental place had it; I didn't realize it was the same movie until after it closed down). I finally found it again on the free streaming sites Tubi and Pluto TV, and I finally watched it again recently! Was this movie as great as I remembered it?

Unfortunately, it is not! With Cynthia Rothrock, Chuck Jeffreys, Robin Shou, Donna Jason, and John Miller starring, you expect this to be filled with awesome fight scenes. The fight scenes are not that great or plentiful. Most of the focus is on the Pride sisters' and their pursuit of Jason Slade, and on their relationship. Basically, this is a very American martial arts movie. At least the fight scenes are Hong Kong style, but as said before, there aren't that many fights and they're short.   

The acting is not good. The best actors are Donna Jason and Chuck Jeffreys, and they really have good chemistry in their scenes. Cynthia Rothrock is okay in her scenes, but the things she says are so unnatural (as in, no real person would say what she says). Though this movie is billed as a Cynthia Rothrock movie, she is actually not in it that much. It is more of an ensemble movie (and Donna Jason's Joyce Pride seems to be the main character). John Miller as Jason Slade is one evil bastard! He is way over the top, and it makes you wonder why anybody would work for him with how terribly he treats his employees/co-workers.

Honor And Glory has some decent fight scenes.

What you're most probably interested in is, is how are the fight scenes in Honor And Glory? They are...okay. Though this movie was made in America in the early 90s, the fight scenes were choreographed in the Hong Kong style. Unfortunately, there are not that many fight scenes; and the fight scenes there are, are slow and short. Every character gets to show off their skill in a fight scene, including the main bad guy. Donna Jason is an excellent fighter as well, it's too bad she wasn't in more martial arts movies back then. We get all this build up to the final showdown, and it ends so disappointingly. Every character is in a fight at the same time, but instead of focusing on one fight at a time, the movie cuts between every fight every few minutes. We at least get to see Cynthia Rothrock do her patented scorpion kick. We see Robin Shou and Chuck Jeffreys do some cool stuff as well. The way Jason Slade is defeated is quite the disappointment. It could've been awesome, but they went with a totally American movie type of way to "defeat" him. Every martial artist is capable in this movie, but the choreography and editing let them down.

So, should you watch Honor And Glory? I would have to say no. If you want to watch a "cheesy" American action movie from the 90s, or need to watch every Cynthia Rothrock movie, then go ahead; you may like it! The director of this movie, Godfrey Ho, is infamous for making terrible movies (usually involving ninjas or kickboxers), so I shouldn't be surprised at its mediocrity. If you can believe it, Honor And Glory is considered one of his better movies. Cynthia Rothrock deserved so much better in America.

Reviewed by David Williams

Bloodmoon (1997) - A Review

 

Not a very accurate representation of what the movie's about...

Bloodmoon is an American/Hong Kong action/martial arts movie released in 1997. It stars Gary Daniels, Chuck Jeffreys, Darren Shahlavi, Frank Gorshin, Brandie Rocci, Nina Repeta, Rob Vam Dam, and Hakim Alston. The movie was directed and choreographed by Tony Leung-Siu Hung.

In Bloodmoon, Chuck Jeffreys plays Chuck Baker, a detective who is also a martial artist and a magician, working on a possible serial killer case. The Killer (played by Darren Shahlavi) is fighting his victims, then killing them with his metal prosthetic index and middle finger. Chuck is getting nowhere near solving the case, so his boss, Chief Hutchins (played by Frank Gorshin) tells to him to get help with the case from a former detective who specialized in serial killers, Ken O'Hara (played by Gary Daniels). Ken is going through a divorce and is suffering from flashbacks of his last case. 

Chuck and Ken's first meeting does not go well. Ken does not want to help Chuck with his case, and does not want to go through tracking a serial killer again. Ken changes his mind when his martial arts master is killed. At the crime scene (where Chuck was almost killed in an explosion when trying to save Ken's master), Chuck and Ken get into a fight, not knowing who they are fighting. Ken's niece, Kelly (played by  Brandie Rocci), who is also Ken's master's adopted daughter, stops them. Chuck and Ken finally get on the same page, with Kelly insisting on helping them as well.

Eventually, Chuck and Ken figure out the connection between the victims and The Killer, and they figure out that Kelly is next! Things go from bad to worse as the The Killer makes things personal between him and Ken. Now Ken has to fight to save the people he loves, within a time limit!

Chuck Jeffreys and Gary Daniels make quite the team in this!

I first watched this movie during my high school years, and I watched it a lot! I loved this movie so much back then, and it was great to see this again after such a long time. I liked the dynamic between Chuck and Ken. Chuck is the charismatic, tough, confident, and funny cop. Ken is the quiet, respectful, and traumatized ex-cop. They are both expert martial artists. Usually in Hollywood movies, only one character in a police duo is the martial artist. It's great to see both of them strut their stuff as martial artists in this movie. Chuck Jeffreys is funny in this, but he is a bit of a jerk to Gary Daniels at first. Chuck and Ken have a nice bonding moment, though. Gary Daniels plays Ken as a man who is troubled by his past, but is trying to get through life. He loves his daughter and wife, but his last case basically tore his family apart. 

All I can say is, Chuck Jeffreys and Gary Daniels rule in this!

Darren Shahlavi as The Killer is absolutely unstoppable!

Darren Shahlavi as The Killer is a fighting machine in this movie! He just destroys his victims! He handles Hakim Alston (who you've seen in Mortal Kombat and WMAC Masters) and Rob Van Dam with ease. He takes on Chuck, Ken, and Kelly at the same time and just wrecks them! This was the first movie I saw Darren in, and I've been a fan since then. You may also know Darren Shahlavi from Ip Man 2, where he played that racist-a** boxer. Darren plays The Killer as supremely confident, with a bit of flair. He was the perfect choice for this role!

The fight scenes in Bloodmoon are so good!

Bloodmoon has some great fight scenes! Tony Leung Siu-Hung is a great choreographer, and his Hong Kong style fight scenes rock in this. My favorite fight scenes all take place in an apartment. Chuck and Ken's accidental barging in on a gang's hideout, and then Chuck, Ken, and Kelly taking on The Killer. Great stuff. The Chuck, Ken, and Kelly vs. The Killer fight is one of my all-time favorite fight scenes. I used to re-watch that fight all the time! The final fight between Ken and The Killer is great as well. All of the fight scenes are fun in their own way. In the fight between The Killer and Rob Van Dam, you see RVD use a headlock and a dropkick in the fight! Kelly gets a fight scene of her own in a gentleman's club. You have to see these fights for yourself. It is too bad fights like these weren't in mainstream movies back then...or even now.

I highly recommend Bloodmoon! The serial killer aspect actually reminded me of Seven (though not as dark) a bit. There is even a chase through an apartment building in this (like in Seven)! Yes, it is kind of dated. The internet and hacking stuff is a bit...90s. The hacker is hilarious, though! If anything, watch this movie for the fights. They are worth the price of admission! Seasonal Films made another classic with this one!

Reviewed by David Williams

Superfights (1995) - A Review

 

This movie rules so hard!

Superfights is an American/Hong Kong martial arts movie made in 1995. It stars Brandon Gaines, Keith Vitali, Kelly Gallant, Cliff Lenderman, Patrick Lung Kong, Yu Fei-Hong, Chuck Jeffreys, and Rob Van Dam. The movie was directed by Tony Leung Siu-Hung, with action choreography also by Leung Siu-Hung.

In Superfights, Brandon Gaines plays Jack Cody, a warehouse worker and martial artist who is a huge fan of the Superfights promotion. Superfights is a televised promotion that combines martial arts and professional wrestling. Jack has been a fan of Superfights since he was a little kid, even getting a pendant from his favorite fighter, Mike Rocco (played by Jim Steele).

At one show, Jack helps No Mercy Budokai (played by Cliff Lenderman) from getting attacked from behind by another fighter! Jack even gets some shots in when Budokai and the other fighter brawl through the audience. Budokai appreciates Jack's help. On his way home from work, Jack fights off thugs who were mugging Sally (played by Yu Fei-Hong) at an ATM. Jack drives her home, where he meets her Grandfather (played by Patrick Lung Kong). Jack is a bit too proud of the fact that he saved Sally, so Grandfather puts him in his place with his superior kung fu skills.

Jack's fight with the thugs was recorded on a security camera, and the footage is played on the news. Jack is famous all of a sudden (though, he did not want the attention, his mother encouraged him to play into being the hero people want). This catches the attention of Robert Sawyer, the owner and boss of Superfights. Sawyer  offers Jack a contract to be a fighter for Superfights, which Jack enthusiastically accepts. Jack gets training from Angel (played by Kelly Gallant) to prepare for becoming a Superfighter. She gives him pills to take, claiming they are vitamins.

As you can guess, the Superfights organization is not all that it seems. A masked man attacks Jack during a morning jog and warns him to get out of Superfights and to stop taking the pills. Things start turning bad, and Jack begins training in Tai Chi with Sally's grandfather. Things come to a head in a battle to the death, and Jack Cody has to dig down deep to overcome the odds.

The Ultimate American hero. Brandon Gaines is so good in this.

I'm just going to be upfront with it: I love this movie. I first watched this movie in my high school years, when I was way into martial arts and pro wrestling. This movie was amazing to me! Brandon Gaines' martial arts skill blew me away back then. He is an amazing kicker, and he more than holds his own during the many fight scenes. Brandon Gaines as Jack Cody is the ultimate hero (in pro wrestling lingo, he would be considered a white meat babyface). He is the ultimate good guy. He is so pure, he doesn't even get into 'relations' with Angel, who is very much into him. Jack is more interested in Sally, by the way. It sucks that this is Brandon Gaines only movie role; he was really good in this, not only in his martial arts skills, but in his acting skills as well. He is totally believable as a good guy who just wants to do the right thing.

Look at the Superfights crew. Robert Sawyer channeling VKM big time!

The main Superfights crew is comprised of some great martial artists, especially Keith Vitali and Chuck Jeffreys. Apparently, Robert Sawyer is based on Vince McMahon (chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment)! Watching it now, it is obvious, but watching it back then I had no idea! Robert Sawyer does a lot of dastardly Vince McMahon-type stuff in this movie, and I'm not talking about the character of Mr. McMahon either. The thing is, Keith Vitali plays him with a natural confidence, so it's not like the real Vince (who overcompensates when showing how masculine and powerful he is). I guess that's what threw me off. Keith Vitali is a great martial artist (having been in Wheels On Meals and No Retreat, No Surrender 3), and he really gets to strut his stuff in the fight scenes. I am an unabashed fan of Chuck Jeffreys, an awesome martial artist and one of the most natural, funny actors out there. This guy should have been a huge star. Everything he said in this movie cracked me up! By the way, pro wrestler Rob Van Dam has a small role in this movie!

Jack Cody vs. Grandfather. Really good fight!

The fight scenes in this movie are so good! Tony Leung Siu-Hung's choreography is so fun to watch. He makes everyone look good in this! Jack Cody's fight with Grandfather is the classic cocky young fighter gets humbled by a true master fight. Very Jackie Chan-like. Another great fight scene is when Jack gets attacked by a masked man on his jog. Really good stuff in that fight! The final fight scene between Jack Cody and Robert Sawyer is very much influenced by the final fight in Drunken Master II. Keith Vitali fights like Ken Lo in this, with the feet shuffling and everything! Trust me when I say, the fight scenes rock in this! This movie deserves to be watched just for the fight scenes alone!

So yes, you should watch this Superfights! It is low budget, and apparently the acting is not considered good by the internet, but who cares! It's a fun time with lots of good martial arts fight scenes. I really miss the days of Seasonal Films making Hong Kong style martial arts movies in America. They were always really good. If you want to see someone follow in Bret Hart's footsteps and kick Vince McMahon's a** (even though this movie was released before the Montreal Screw Job), this is the movie for you!

Reviewed by David Williams