The Tattoo Connection

After one of the members of a Chinese gang steals money from the treasury he is brought back by a man named "Tung How" (Tao-Liang Tan) and physically punished on the orders of the boss, "Mr. Lu" (Sing Chen). Not long afterward that same Chinese gang steals a briefcase full of diamonds. Since the diamonds are insured the insurance company sends a man named "Mr. Lucas" (Jim Kelly) to Hong Kong in order to find those responsible and retrieve the diamonds. When he gets there he contacts a friend in the Hong Kong police force. Unfortunately, the Chinese gang finds out about Mr. Lucas and decides to do something about him. But as skilled as they are in martial arts what they don't realize is that Mr. Lucas is more than capable of taking care of himself-and he is intent on getting to the bottom of things. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that for a film that had Jim Kelly--and to a limited extent--Tao-Liang Tan and Bolo Yeung (as "Ta Niu") I honestly expected something a bit better. That's not to say that this film was bad necessarily but it wasn't particularly as good as it could have been either. That being said, I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.

After a diamond worth an estimated three million dollars American is stolen, the insurance company sends their top agent former CIA operative Lucas (Jim Kelly) to Hong Kong to find it. Meanwhile the gang that stole it, lead by one Mr. Lu (Sing Chen), is aware of Lucas and is determined to prevent anyone from interfering with their plans eliminating threats by any means necessary. Can Lucas survive long enough in such an hostile environment to locate the stolen diamond or will he become yet another victim?

The basic plot to this one is pretty straightforward but it hardly makes Jim Kelly's Lucas look all that bright especially given the fact the gang have to actually send Lucas an invite for a showdown before he even discovers their hideout. I did enjoy the subplot involving Nana as it gave way to some unexpected surprises. Overlooking its weak plot, where TATTOO CONNECTION delivers is in terms of its Martial Arts fighting action. Jim Kelly kicks some major butt and its fun to see him tangling once again with Bolo Yeung and with the likes of Sing Chen and Tao-liang Tan. Just good straight-forward action, no need for wire tricks and the like.

Tattoo Connection is a cheap exploitation film featuring several veterans of kung fu cinema's glory days. Overall the film is horrible, filled with gratuitous nudity and bad acting, but there are a few nice fight sequences from the veteran cast.

The bright spot of the film is Dorian Tan (Tao-liang Tan). Tan stared in such films as "The Hot, the Cool and the Vicious" and John Woo's "Hand of Death," and also tutored kung fu star John Liu (Secret Rivals, Incredible Kung Fu Mission)in the martial arts. Tan gives an excellent physical performance in the film, featuring his trademark Taekwondo high kicks.Tan plays a very unbelievable villain because there is something about him that always looks honorable and righteous. Jim Kelly (Enter the Dragon, Black Belt Jones) the international middleweight karate champ, proves again that he is a terrible actor but a decent martial artist. He gives perhaps one of the strongest martial arts performances of his career in this film.

Sing Chen veteran of such films as Sammo Hung's "Iron Fisted Monk" and "New Fist of Fury" plays the villain. Sing Chen is famous for his muscular build and impressive martial arts skills. At the film's climax he faces down with both Dorian Tan and Jim Kelly in a nicely choreographed fight sequence before he meets his demise. Bolo Yeung plays a henchman and has a few funny scenes. Also making appearances in the film are Lee Hoi Sang (Magnificent Butcher, Shaolin Master Killer), Sham Chin-bo (Master of the Flying Guillotine, Secret Rivals 2), and a young Wong Yat-fei (Shaolin Soccer).

Dorian Tan would go on to make more films with director Lee Tso Nam including "Challenge of Death" and "The Leg Fighters." Kelly would go on to pursue a career in pro tennis. This film features many veterans of the kung fu movie world but unfortunately they put together a film that is average at best. The weak plot, ridiculous nude scenes and politically incorrect statements weaken this film quite a bit but the above average fight scenes (especially the ones featuring Tan) make Tattoo Connection one of the best of the blaxsploitation/martial arts films.

Martial Arts Rating: 7/10

Over All Rating: 5/10

Having had the rare opportunity to see it in the Mandarin/Chinese language , I can give a review that is more fair than some others. "Tattoo Connection," or "Hong Kong Connection" in certain regions, is a wildly entertaining, colorful and stylish Chinese import, that happens to star a martial arts legend who belongs to the West. Sometimes billed as "Black Belt Jones 2," this film has no connection to that earlier movie, which had a very different, and much lighter tone. Jim Kelly, who is basically the embodiment of everything that was considered cool in the 1970's, stars as Lucas, a CIA agent on a mission to recover a stolen priceless diamond. Lucas is sent to Hong Kong to find the missing jewel, and encounters a criminal organization, and an underworld of violence, espionage and death. The Hong Kong setting is brilliant, as the city is one of the most mysterious and fascinating places in the world, and like Hong Kong, "Tattoo Connection" is filled with color and decadence, as well as eroticism, something rarely found in this genre. Sadly, this film was poorly marketed in the West; this is a patently "Eastern" production,with Eastern sensibilities. So when distributors got their hands on it they apparently tried to Westernize it, by dubbing everyone with totally silly English dubbing with British accented actors. The result of that is a kind of "death blow," stripping the movie of it's intense mood and turning it into silly comedy. It's very apparent that it's a much better movie when you watch it in Mandarin with English subtitles. Unfortunately that version is very rare. A personal favorite of mine, I put it up there with more respected Martial Arts titles such as "Master of the Flying Guillotine" and "Boxer From Shantung," and even "Enter the Dragon." It is a film I can watch repeatedly and never be bored with. The kung fu action is fast and furious, with well choreographed fights that look quite authentic. There is also quite a bit of sex and nudity on screen, but it's all done very well, and doesn't look cheap. A remastered dvd in it's original 2;35 aspect ratio, (and original language) would be most welcome.

A friend of mine picked up this "gem" from one of those $2 DVD bins at the local supermarket. I was somewhat interested in seeing it, after all I did enjoy "Enter the Dragon" and wanted to see some more of Jim Kelly and Bolo Yeung. This flick falls short of the mark, but I can't quite put my finger on why. The dubbing is bad, the camera work is poor, and the script is extremely predictable (all of these things I expect from a cheesy kung fu movie), but there seems to be something missing from this piece of celluloid. It may be that between the ass beatings, utterly pointless nudity, and wah-a-chicka music there's not much substance.

The plot is that there's a diamond heist in Hong Kong by a gang (they all have the same tattoo, hence the title). Lucas (Jim Kelly) is called in by the insurance company to track down the diamond. Lucas seems to keep finding that his leads are killed off before he can get all the information that he needs. The other aspect of the story revolves around one of the gang members and his internal struggle with his loyalty to his boss and escaping the gangster life with his girlfriend.

Still the whole thing seemed to be thrown together kind of haphazardly. There are some good lines, decent kung fu action, and naked girls, but it still seems to lack something. The times between the action are really boring.