Lady Dragon 2: A Revanche Final

It's nice to see a bit of consistency: screenwriter Clifford Mohr returns from this film's unrelated predecessor (seemingly his only two credits), as well as director David Worth (who also helmed the profoundly regrettable 1996 slog 'American Tigers'), and composer Jim West, whose score is broadly unremarkable but genuinely enjoyable, such as it is (sounding in no small part like music that could have been composed for an RPG on the Super Nintendo). Less nice is jumbled and unconvincing early exposition that feels disjointed and disorderly as written and shot, failing to meaningfully convey the underpinnings of the narrative, or the acts of violence noted in any basic premise (which seem to follow 1920s' censorial rules for exhibiting assault of any kind). At the same time, for as long as the film takes early on to spotlight the antagonists' torment of protagonist Susan and especially her husband, all that's missing to give this a minor slant of an exploitation flick is visceral depiction, and blood and gore.

While 1992's 'Lady Dragon' was a blunt, over the top, ridiculous romp, and a lot of fun, the narrative in this 1993 sequel feels like it consciously strips away the bombast in an effort to be darker and more serious. The discrepancy is bewildering, yet there's nothing inherently wrong with that - though it's a lot harder to enjoy oneself when the overtones are as unmistakably grim as they are here. That holds true even more when plot development is flimsy and flagging, and quickly threatens to break suspension of disbelief with the advancement from A to B and even in the basic essence of some story beats. The pace is distinctly sluggish, dampening much of the potential 'Lady Dragon 2' could feasibly claim, and the cast's performances are similarly restrained and dulled (even as Billy Drago is notably hamming up his portrayal of villain Diego). While I'm not familiar with others on hand, I've seen Drago and star Cynthia Rothrock before and know they're capable, so I assume it's some combination of Mohr's screenplay and Worth's guiding hand as director that force them into an uninteresting corner. This presents us with a perplexing peculiarity, however, since - again - 'Lady Dragon' was very entertaining; what happened between production schedules to make 'Lady Dragon 2' so much lesser a creation?

Moreover, the story isn't just shaky, but emphatically conventional, and tired. Characters are flat, dialogue is rather bland, and the scene writing tends to be merely serviceable. This 1993 feature broadly retains the forthrightness of its antecedent - and is arguably even more direct - but that's simply not an approach that works when the title is pointedly sober and humorless. I suppose it's possible that this was intended as a parody so forcefully deadpan as to come out the other end seeming like a flopping, earnest action thriller, but I really don't think that was the case. Even if it were, again the issue presents of whiplash between 1992 and 1993.

With the tenor 'Lady Dragon 2' strikes, one more concrete criticism is absolutely necessary. Given the opportunity to act, Rothrock is quite suitable in that capacity. Her great strength, however, is 100% in the showcase of her martial arts skills. Her best films are those that build on that strength at their core, while her worst films are almost uniformly those that shift these honored disciplines to a distant second place in priority, or lower. This title is far from bereft, and the instances we do get are a good time, yet despite what marketing and promotional material would have one believe, martial arts are not nearly as central to the story as they are made out to be. To be sure, action and stunts look great; it would be wrong to say 'Lady Dragon 2' is no fun at all. But it's also not nearly as engaging as it could have been.

I'm a bit befuddled. This picture and its elder aren't the only instance in Rothrock's considerable oeuvre in which a couple features have shared names, if not also plot elements and/or cast or crew, but one is assuredly better than the other. I think there are a lot of great ideas here, and the climax is certainly the most well written and orchestrated part of the movie in every single way. Yet with minimal exception, all the aspects that make these flicks such a blast when they're done well are diminished, reduced, hamstrung, or all but absent. It's still entertaining, but is only a shade of its predecessor, or of many of its brethren. When all is said and done 'Lady Dragon 2' is modestly worthwhile if you chance upon it, though it's far from essential, and one should keep their expectations in check.

Most recommendable for utmost fans of Cynthia Rothrock, and for passing the time on a lazy afternoon.

This could have been one of the best Cynthia US American movie if the fight between Rothrock and that fat thug was better and if there was a fight between billy drago and Cynthia at the end of the movie.Lady dragon 2 has nothing new to offer: has the same story like the first movie with rothrock seeking revenge for the killing of her husband.she uses her martial arts knowledge for killing the bad guys.this movie is improved instead of the first lady dragon movie because the chief villain:billy dragon played much better than Richard Norton,the fight scenes were better and is a lil' bit thriller in some moments.the fight from the elevator was so sexy and rough.Cynthia is very convincing as tough woman who is seeking for revenge.so in my opinion it was a pretty good movie.enjoy

Action queen Cynthia Rothrock gets one of her most serious and mature roles after her departure from working in Hong Kong film, with Angel Of Fury - also known as Lady Dragon 2 but with no connection to the first except for its star and its director, David Worth. Having also directed the great Kickboxer with Van Damme as well as Chain Of Command with Michael Dudikoff, Worth also worked as DOP on Bloodsport as well as many other Hollywood flicks!

But even with credits as long as your leg, Angel Of Fury is still just an above-average movie, playing it safe on many technical levels. Although US backed, the majority of it was shot in Indonesia (much like Lady Dragon) and stars a number of local actors, one of which is George Rudy who plays Rothrock's husband. He suffers at the hands of the camp but great Billy Drago and his men, who torture him for some diamonds and rape his wife in front of him. One of Drago's men is the towering Sam Jones, who is totally miscast in this role as a big-stupid-boy who just knows how to smash things up and fire guns.

While the production design and direction may be a little dated and average against today's standards, things are saved by a menacing performance by Billy Drago and our very own Miss Rothrock, who turns in one of her better acting gigs and still looks great in the action scenes. Yes, its far from what she was delivering in her Hong Kong films, but the fights are still pretty entertaining to watch and don't disappoint. One of the highlights being the fight involving 3 guys versus Rothrock towards the end.

Personally, I found that it was around this time (possibly a year or two later), that Cynthia's films and career started to take a slide and unfortunately, never got back on track since, and while she always suffered from a bad run of costumes and hair-do's in her Hong Kong films, I have to say that Cyndy looks great in this role. She fits the part well, pulling off a tidy performance as a widow scorned who's out for revenge. It was great seeing her back alongside someone like the late Drago, who had also starred with her in Karate Cop (aka Martial Law 2: Undercover), which allowed for more intensity between them on screen here having formed that friendship in the past.

I do like Angel Of Fury. It's not a film you would want to watch over and over again due to its slow pace and dark nature, but it does entertain. Although the score is very nineties in a Hollywood kinda way, the sound design isn't all that great, often missing an opportunity for creating more tension or impact in the right moment...

This is Cynthia's 'big-girl' film, and I do wish she had gotten more of this type of thing (albeit with a stronger director). There are a few moments in Angel Of Fury that surprised me, such as when her exhumed husband appears at home sending her into melt-down, and Drago's death at the end. But hey, it is a thriller after-all..!

Overall: An underrated (albeit, flawed) thriller with a great performance from Rothrock, both in the action and acting department.

Not a lot of thought was put into the plot here, unless the writers have never seen any other movie before in their lives. But you don't care about the plot do you? I didn't think so. The only reason to watch a Cynthia Rothrock movie is the fighting. But there's not enough to satisfy here. But I guess she's getting up there in years now. Some of the special effects are hilariously bad. The car stunts are all shown in fast-forward so you have this jerky effect going on. But you can't beat Billy Drago for the bad guy (like in every movie he's in?). And explosions and gun fights are always fun. All in all, I recommend this for late night brainless entertainment, but only if it is on free TV.

I actually don't know the length of this film. It is a very poor one, and the tale of death, rape and revenge by the widow has been told so many times, both in major, and cult movies!... This film has two outstanding elements, though, that make it mandatory viewing for fans of Cynthia Rothrock: herself, playing her character to the hilt, despite she's surrounded by mainly C-grade professionals; and the most violent, well played, well filmed 3 minutes of women karate you possibly can have. Ring action is interspersed with the credit titles, and apparently non-related scenes - however, important to understand the following dramatic events. Therefore, you feel as if the actual ring time is longer than it is, and therefore adding to the strong, powerful scenes of karate - excellently played by sportswoman Cynthia and, no doubt, an Eastern black belt who has never been seen in movies before, or after - at least under that name.