Donnie Yen unleashes the tiger's fury in 'Tiger Cage II'.

Plot: Dragon Yau, an ex-cop and Mandy Chang, an attorney, are about to have a really bad day. After Mandy finishes a settlement in which Dragon’s wife is divorcing him, armed men enter her law office and attempt to gun down a man from the states who works for her boss Waise Chow. Mandy accuses Dragon of being a co-conspirator after he attempts to stop the gunmen and when Mandy goes to see her coworker Petty Lee to tell her what happened, she’s confronted by hot-headed Dragon. However, Petty has been viciously murdered moments before their arrival and the couple is forced to go on the lam when H.K. authorities attempt to detain them for her death. As things begin to get out of hand, the duo find an unlikely ally in a mystery man named David who reveals why they were set up: the man who was killed at Mandy’s office was a colleague of David’s helping him to launder dirty money for a criminal outfit back in the States and Petty was killed by Mandy’s boss Waise because she found out about his dirty dealings. Now with the truth out in the open, the trio must find the money together so they can clear Dragon and Mandy’s names and help David expose Waise for the double-crossing snake that he is. But it won’t be easy because in addition to avoiding the law, they must deal with Waise’s henchmen who are determined to retrieve the money and silence anyone who knows about Waise’s betrayal…

David, Dragon and Mandy, the Unlikely Trio.

Thoughts on the Movie: Around the late 80s and early 90s, Yuen Wo Ping protégé Donnie Yen was really starting to turn heads, especially after doing Tiger Cage & In the Line of Duty IV and I was thoroughly impressed with his high-kicking, hard-hitting fighting prowess that he displayed in both films. I decided to check out Tiger Cage II based on a recommendation from a friend and this movie did not disappoint at all. The film doesn’t let up for a moment and there’s loads of fight sequences put together by Donnie himself with assistance from Phillip Kwok and Yuen Cheung-Yan. The movie has a good late 80s feel to it and everyone gets an opportunity to shine playing their respective characters, but Donnie is pretty much the main attraction throughout the entire picture.

Donnie Yen...the People's Choice!

Was it Funny?: Given that it’s a modern-day action flick from Hong Kong, Yuen Wo Ping manages to squeeze in a few moments of comedy whenever Donnie isn’t throwing down with someone. Rosamund Kwan’s character Mandy is pretty much the comedy relief for the entire film, so Tiger Cage II has breaks in the action for a few laughs so the audience will remember not to try to take the film too seriously.

How was the Action?: Though Yuen Wo Ping didn’t choreograph the fight sequences this time, Donnie Yen got to take the helm as fight choreographer with Phillip Kwok and Yuen Cheung-Yan assisting him. The fights are fast and furious, showcasing Donnie Yen’s trademark wushu/kickboxing style technique that he is famous for and that battle sequences are astonishing, along with some very outrageous stunts too. There’s a fight on a moving bus, plenty of gunplay in a parking garage and Donnie has a fight sequence with fellow wushu stylist John Salvitti. All and all, Yen, Kwok and Yan were like three chefs who cooked up a recipe for action in this masterpiece and it delivered the goods as expected.

Tiger Cage II delivers high-kicking action!

Donnie Yen squares off with fellow wushu stylist John Salvitti.

Standout Performances: Donnie Yen is pretty much the main attraction for this modern-day actioner and there’s a reason why: his physical prowess coupled with his character’s ‘never back down’ attitude is partly why Tiger Cage II is so much fun to watch. Though the character Dragon Yau is a surly guy with a bad attitude, he still has a good heart and does the right thing when his life or the life of his partner Mandy Chang is in jeopardy.

En garde!

Rosamund Kwan gets to play comedy sidekick and damsel in distress with her portrayal of Mandy Chang. Some people may write Kwan’s character off as slightly annoying and some people wondered why Donnie didn’t just dump her and deal with the bad guys on his own. Personally, I’m glad they didn’t write her character off because Kwan’s character serves as the voice of reason from time to time when Donnie Yen and David Wu’s characters start to fight over her. As cute as Miss Kwan is in this picture, you can’t really blame them for doing that.

The lovely Rosamund Kwan as damsel Mandy Chang.

David Wu gets some time to shine as a mystery man who comes to Donnie and Rosamund’s aid in helping them clear their names. David has a few good fight scenes in this film and he moves just like Donnie Yen in this film. I’m guessing he must’ve had some extra practice time when they were rehearsing the fight sequences because the guy moves with the speed of a leopard. With his skills, he should’ve became a big action star like Donnie did.

David Lai ready to rumble.

Before he became Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat, Robin Shou was doing films in Hong Kong and in Tiger Cage II, he truly gets to show is evil side with his portrayal of Waise Chow, a crooked attorney who has no qualms about setting up or killing his colleagues should they get in the way or attempt to expose him as a traitor to the organization that he works for. Robin gets to go toe-to-toe with Donnie as well as David at some point in the film but for the moments he’s onscreen, his character is extremely ruthless. There was even a part where Donnie was being tortured and he slapped poor Rosamund around when she was defiant to him during their capture. Needless to say, Robin did an excellent job with his portrayal of Waise Chow.

Robin shows he's not to be messed with.

Michael Woods and John Salvitti, Donnie’s sparring partners from the U.S. get to go head to head with their friend in this film with their portrayal of two mafia henchmen. Salvitti plays a battle-scarred swordsman who has a great sword fight sequence with Yen’s character and it almost reminds me of the Highlander series and one has to wonder why Donnie wasn’t hired to do the sword sequences for that series. Michael shows off sheer power and lightning sharp reflexes when he and Donnie have a rematch that’s almost as good as their fight from In the Line of Duty IV. Michael shows that a guy with his physique can be swift as a thunderbolt when he and Donnie square off with each other; he’s the first African-American stuntman that I’ve seen who can do H.K. fight choreography and his skills are very impressive.

John Salvitti and Michael Woods, ladies and gentlemen.

And while I want to say Cynthia Khan’s performance is a standout, she’s really not in the movie long enough to actually say that. She plays police inspector Madam Yeung (not sure if this is any relation to her character from the In the Line of Duty series) who is investigating the murders and though she has a few good fights, she’s not really given much screen time. Her character does play a part in the end of the movie, depending on which version the viewer has as this film has two alternate end sequences.

Gorgeous Cynthia Khan as police inspector Madam Yeung.

Reasons to Buy or Pass

1.   Buy if you’re a fan of Donnie Yen.

2.   Buy if you’re a fan of Yuen Wo Ping’s modern day action work.

3.   Buy if you like the lovely Rosamund Kwan.

4.   Pass if you prefer Donnie Yen doing old school kung fu period pieces.

5.   Pass if you don’t like seeing Robin Shou playing a villain.

6.   Buy if you like a lot of action but don’t care much for story.

Notes and Final Thoughts: The production crew from D&B Films really put their best foot forward with this action masterpiece and it ranks right up top with Wo Ping’s other masterpiece In the Line of Duty IV. Donnie Yen and company created a work of art that is true to the modern day action genre that Hong Kong cinema has always been known for over the years and it’s a shame that you don’t see this kind of heart and soul put into most of the new age films that come out now from Hong Kong. Tiger Cage II is high on action, simplistic in terms of plot and doesn’t fail to entertain. A classic like this is worth owning in one’s DVD collection and I highly encourage fans alike to purchase this film…the adrenaline rush it gives off will have you on the edge of your seat.

Final Score for this Adrenaline Rush: 5 and up!