The Tattoo Connection

E yu tou hei sha xing (1978)

** (out of 4)

Criminal mastermind Lu (Sing Chen) and his goons steal a priceless diamond. The insurance company behind it sends former CIA agent Lucas (Jim Kelly) to investigate and to get back the stolen property.

There's really not too much plot going on here as the main draw was of course the action scenes and fights. This Hong Kong movie was also released as THE TATTOO CONNECTION as well as BLACK BELT JONES 2 even though it has no real connection to that movie except for Kelly being in both of them.

If you're looking for high art then you're certainly not going to find it here. Technically speaking the film isn't all that pretty to look at but at the same time people really aren't going to be watching this for its looks. If you're a fan of the kung fu movies from this era then you're bound to enjoy the fights here as the majority of them are well-staged and there's no question that they help keep the running time moving along.

Kelly is obviously the main draw here and he gets several nice fight scenes throughout. While he wasn't a great actor he was at least good enough at his job to keep the viewer glued to what was going on. One wishes that the story itself had been a little better but THE TATTOO CONNECTION is certainly worth watching.

"i couldnt give a shit" what an opening line.laughing from the start at the bad camerawork,acting,clothes,hair and dubbing this film is a classic.Flash legs tan is on amazing form his kicks are just great a real martial artist of the highest quality.Jim kelley is also on form(with terrible but funny dubbing)and philisophical wisecracks and quips.Favorite scene has to be where the fat dog is getting mercilessly beaten by bolo yeung and his associate with bars and fists.just as they are drowning him the camera looks up at them to give a first person perspective of them scowling angrily pure magic.the plot isnt up to much a diamond heist undercover ex c.i.a man in search of thieves doublecrossing and killing ensue nothing new here.i would recomend people see this movie funny dubbing and good flash legs martial arts what more can you ask for

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.

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.

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.