The Tattoo Connection [Edited For TV Version] (1978) - Movie Review

 

Jim Kelly struts his stuff in The Tattoo Connection.

The Tattoo Connection (also known as Black Belt Jones 2: Tattoo Connection and The Hong Kong Connection) is a martial arts crime movie released in Hong Kong in 1978 and stars Jim Kelly, Dorian "Flash Legs" Tan Tao-Liang, Chan Sing, Tony Leung Siu-Hung, Lee Hoi-Gei, Bolo Yeung Sze, Chiang Tao, Norman Wingrove, and Lee Hoi-Sang. The movie was directed by Lee Tso-Nam, with martial arts directed by Bruce Leung Siu-Lung.

Jim Kelly as Lucas. He is one cool dude in this. He even dubbed his own voice for this movie.

In The Tattoo Connection, Jim Kelly plays Lucas, an ex-CIA agent hired by an insurance company to retrieve a stolen diamond stolen by a tattooed gang in Hong Kong. Once the gang boss (played by Chan Sing) finds out Lucas is there to take back the diamond, he does everything he can to stop him, including killing people who have info, and putting a bounty on Lucas's head. Lucas plows ahead, destroying everybody that gets in his way. The gang is dangerous, but there is one member, Dong Ho (played by Dorian "Flash Legs" Tan Tao-Liang), who is a bit honorable. He wants to leave the gang with his girlfriend (played by Lee Hoi-Gei). Will Lucas get the diamond back, and will Dong Ho be able to leave the gang?

Dorian "Flash Legs" Tan Tao-Liang as Dong Ho. An underappreciated martial arts movie star nowadays. This guy could kick!

Like many people who are fans of him, I've liked Jim Kelly ever since I first saw him in Enter The Dragon (1973). I've never seen him in any other movies, though I knew he was in some blaxploitation films. So, I finally found one of Jim Kelly's movies (considered one of his best) on a free streaming site (Tubi). Unfortunately (or fortunately...) it was the edited for television version of the movie. When that showed up in the opening credits, I had to decide if I still wanted to watch it, or wait until I had access to the unedited version. I decided to watch it anyway, and here are my thoughts...

The Tattoo Connection is one weird movie! Though this is billed as a Jim Kelly movie, in reality, it is more of a Jim Kelly/Dorian "Flash Legs" Tan Tao-Liang movie. In fact, I would say Tan gets a bit more screen time in this one! Jim Kelly plays the cool, cocky, expert martial artist while Flash Legs Tan plays the honorable, yet conflicted gang member who can kick like no one else. Both are likeable in their roles, and of course, they both have excellent martial arts skills. It is mainly Jim Kelly who has the cool lines, but Tan has some zingers as well.

The plot is pretty basic, maybe a little too basic. As was the case back then, there is some weird pacing issues and let's say inappropriate humor. Unfortunately, there is a little bit of racism in this as well. From what I've read about this movie, there is apparently a lot of gratuitous nudity throughout The Tattoo Connection. You know it's too much unnecessary nudity when reviews from regular people (not critics) complain about it! The version I saw was edited, so there was absolutely no nudity shown. Of course, the scenes with nudity were edited in such a way that it made it even more weird and creepy! You have to see those edits to believe it! The music in The Tattoo Connection is also very funky, or dare I say, fonky (the pinnacle of funkiness). Really good music throughout.

The Tattoo Connection has some nice fight scenes. Considered to be Jim Kelly's best movie that showcases his martial arts skills.

While the plot of the movie is nothing special, the action is really good! Jim Kelly is one awesomely cool butt kicker in this! He is fast, precise, and hits hard in his fight scenes. Kelly even gets to finally have his one on one fight with Bolo Yeung in this movie (which he was supposed to have in Enter The Dragon). Flash Legs Tan starts off the movie with a fight scene, and there (and throughout) he gets to show off his awesome kicking skills. There are a lot of good fights in this movie, with the final fight being the best, in my opinion. This is classic 70s martial arts choreography, not as intricate as Lau Kar Leung, Sammo Hung, or Yuen Woo-ping's, but still entertaining.

I am not sure if I can recommend The Tattoo Connection. It does have entertaining fight scenes and fonky music, but the plot is basic and there is rampant nudity (in the unedited version). I guess I will recommend the movie for its fight scenes only... and the fact that Jim Kelly is cooler than a cucumber in this. Where else can you find a movie where Bolo Yeung sings his heart out in mockery of his fellow gang member? It happens in this movie, and you will not be prepared.

Also, though my feelings are mixed on this movie, I would love if The Tattoo Connection got a remastered HD blu-ray release in the future. I think it would look pretty good in high definition.

The Tattoo Connection original trailer:

Reviewed by David Williams

The Black Dragon's Revenge (1975) - A Review

Classic 70s cinema.

The Black Dragon's Revenge (also known as The Death Of Bruce Lee) is a martial arts/blaxploitation/Bruceploitation movie released in 1975 and stars Ron van Clief, Charles Bonet, Jason Pai Piao, Yuen Qiu, Lau Hok-Nin, and Thompson Kao Kang. It was directed by Tony Lou Chun-Ku, with martial arts directed by Chan Lau, Ron van Clief, Jason Pai Piao, and Leung Pasan.

Ron van Clief is the man in this movie.

In The Black Dragon's Revenge, Ron van Clief plays...himself. He gets hired by a mysterious wealthy man (played by Thompson Kao Kang) to find out why and how Bruce Lee died. Ron, being a close personal friend of Bruce, accepts the assignment. So he goes to Hong Kong in search of answers. Ron meets up with his friend Charlie Woodcock (played by Charles Bonet), an antique dealer and martial artist, and they travel throughout Hong Kong interrogating people. They face off against thugs who seem to want to stop them from finding out the truth. Little do our heroes know, there are students from a kung fu school who are also looking for answers about Bruce Lee's death. Perhaps if they worked together, they could find out what really happened to Bruce Lee.

Yuen Qui (left) and Jason Pai Piao more than hold their own in this movie.

I first learned of Ron van Clief from the Top Fighter documentary, and have always kept him in mind when looking for martial arts movies to watch. I watched that documentary in the 1990s, and in 2023 I finally watched a Ron van Clief movie! I knew (from the documentary) that he is a legit martial artist, and I watched his UFC fight back in the day, so I had high expectations for his action scenes. Ron van Clief does not disappoint in The Black Dragon's Revenge...unfortunately, everything else does.

This movie is straight up weird. Ron and Charlie go around asking people about Bruce Lee and about the way he died (even asking a Betty Ting Pei analogue questions at her apartment). Basically, the movie talks about all the different theories on how Bruce Lee died. This did not feel right to me. It felt...exploitive. I guess this shouldn't be a surprise, considering this is a blaxploitation and a Bruceploitation movie. The acting is stiff and awkward; there are many scenes of characters just walking to their destination, no dialogue or anything to keep it interesting; and the plot seems a bit convoluted, until the end when everything comes together.

Despite all that, Ron van Clief is very cool in this. He has an awesome look (the afro and mutton chop sideburns), and he has this swagger about him throughout. Also cool to see Yuen Qui in an early role (she played the Landlady in Kung Fu Hustle, 2004). She's really good in this! Jason Pai Piao is also cool in this movie. Charles Bonet, as Ron's friend Charlie, is interesting in this. Their friendship seemed genuine. Also, this has some cool music; though I must say it seemed a bit too upbeat in some scenes.

Ron van Clief kicks major butt in this movie!

The main reason to watch The Black Dragon's Revenge is the action. The fight scenes are the best part of this movie. Ron van Clief is the real deal as a martial artist, and he kicks butt in this. Ron's style is powerful and straightforward. Charles Bonet, as Charlie Woodcock, is a kung fu fighter, so his style is more fluid. Yuen Qui is also an awesome fighter in this, and she gets to show off her skill pretty well here. The fight scenes are rough and rugged, but very entertaining. They may not compare to the fight scenes that would happen about three years later in Hong Kong, but they are still very good. I also liked how the Hong Kong martial arts students in the movie were respectful of Ron van Clief's karate-based style. Very cool.

So, should you watch The Black Dragon's Revenge? I would say yes, just so you can see Ron van Clief in his prime kicking butt. The movie itself is very weird and awkward, with some weird comedic scenes as well. The music is good, Ron van Clief and his allies are good, and the fight scenes are good. Ron van Clief doesn't get talked about enough when it comes to great martial arts movie stars, so I thought I'd shine a light on him. Ron van Clief is the real deal!

Reviewed by David Williams

Black Dynamite (2009) - A Review

 

This movie is ridiculous, in a good way!

Black Dynamite is an American action comedy movie released in 2009. It is a parody of the blaxploitation films of the 1970's. Black Dynamite stars Michael Jai White, Salli Elise Richardson-Whitfield, Tommy Davidson, Kym Whitley, and Kevin Chapman among many other amazing African American actors. Scott Sanders wrote (along with Michael Jai White and Byron Minns) and directed the movie, while Ron Yuan is the action director. 

Michael Jai White plays Black Dynamite, a strong, proud black man who is a former CIA agent and a Vietnam War veteran. Dynamite's younger brother gets killed by a mysterious organization at the start of the movie. Black Dynamite finds out and vows to avenge his death. Black Dynamite's former CIA partner, O'Leary (played by Chapman) reinstates Dynamite into the CIA to avoid him leaving the streets soaked in blood. As Dynamite investigates his brother's murder, he teams up with his friends and militant Black power activists to clean up the streets, as heroin has become a problem in the city. This all leads to Black Dynamite and crew figuring out what the real plan of this evil organization is, and just who is in charge of it all (and it is a doozy of a reveal)!

DYNOMITE! DYNOMITE!

Black Dynamite is one funny movie! It parodies those classic blaxploitation flicks perfectly. You see continuity errors, flubbed lines, boom mics in the shot, accidental full contact hits during fight scenes, and more. The plot is humorous as well! The sinister plot that Black Dynamite uncovers is just so ridiculous (in a good way). The characters are very funny, and it is so cool to see all these cameos.

DYNOMITE! DYNOMITE!

The man.

Michael Jai White is amazing as Black Dynamite! He gets to be a powerful, strong, hero who has great fashion sense, martial arts skills, and a way with the ladies. One of the best scenes is when he is flirting with Gloria Gray (played by Richardson-Whitfield). One of the best lines I've ever heard in a movie! We see that Black Dynamite cares about his community, and cares about orphans. His treatment of women, though... is not so good. He has female allies, but he is actually kind of domineering towards them. I guess that's how it was back then... We see his treatment of women change throughout the movie, though. Progress!

DYNOMITE! DYNOMITE!

It was great to see Tommy Davidson in this, as well as the other cameos!

 As this movie takes place in the 70s, there is a lot of potentially offensive material in it. There are a lot of racial stereotypes and racial jokes in it. The n-word is used in this movie as well. There is a lot of unnecessary gratuitous nudity (female and male). There is a rather graphically animated sex scene. Still, the racial stuff isn't done in a hateful way, it is done in a way to make fun of it. It also makes you realize how far we've come when dealing with race relations, and how far we still need to go.

DYNOMITE! DYNOMITE!

The fight scenes in Black Dynamite are actually very good! I would say they are better than the fight scenes in the blaxploitation movies back then! Michael Jai White gets to show off his skills in this one. The choreography is really good! My favorite fight scenes are spoilers, but just know that these surprise fights rock! Who knew a certain political figure had such high level martial art skills?

DYNOMITE! DYNOMITE!

Should you watch Black Dynamite? I would say yes! It has a ton of laughs, great action, and style for days. I really hope there is a sequel, Black Dynamite is a character that needs to be in more movies!

Reviewed by David Williams