Lady Dragon 2 (1993) Poster

(1993)

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5/10
One big cliché
culwin1 December 2001
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.
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5/10
It would have made sense to have Cynthia fight more goons.
tarbosh2200031 August 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Susan Morgan (Rothrock) has a happy life: she has a career as a successful female boxer, and her husband Sonny (Rudy) is a soccer star who plays for Jakarta. They live in a beautiful house, and they have a maid/friend, Sari (Esperance) who helps them out. But their lives are turned upside down when a gang of three thugs, led by the psychotic Diego (Drago) (his right hand man is Reb, played by Sam Jones) temporarily stash their stolen diamonds in their luggage at random, in order to evade detection, as well as cops, with the intention of picking them up later at their house. They do indeed show up at the Morgan residence, but Sonny claims he doesn't know where the diamonds are. After some unpleasant events, as well as some twists and turns, Susan decides to go after the baddies one by one and deal with them in her own way. Will she survive? And will her husband live to Socc again? We all know Billy Drago plays a bad guy 99% of the time, but here he outdoes himself, putting in an especially creepy, scary and weird performance. As his sidekick, interestingly named Reb, Sam Jones can't really hold a candle to it, but for an excellent Sam Jones baddie performance, check out In Gold We Trust (1991). Also, Cynthia Rothrock puts in one of her most powerful and emotional performances. One of the main problems, however, with Lady Dragon 2, is that it is very repetitive. There are so many scenes of Drago saying "I want the diamonds" and Rothrock saying "No", you can't help but think that maybe the structure of the plot could have gone another way. Considering the movie as a whole could have used some more Martial Arts fights, it would have made sense to have Cynthia fight more goons. But it doesn't quite work that way here.

Director David Worth, who in a row directed Soldier's Revenge (1984), Kickboxer (1989), Lady Dragon (1992), Lady Dragon 2, and Chain of Command (1994), allows some interesting touches, such as the fact that Drago's gang wear shiny Jason-style hockey masks, and Sam Jones wears his with sunglasses. He even adds some horror movie-style touches at times to keep things lively, but the aforementioned repetition hurts things. With tighter writing and direction, and maybe a bit more energy and pep, and with less repetition and a shorter running time, Lady Dragon 2 could have been awesome - like a DTV action version of I Spit On Your Grave (1978). Alas, it wasn't to be. And to add insult to injury, there are some very cheesily animated muzzle flashes during the gunplay scenes. You can't help but wish for a little better this time around.

We remain huge Rothrock fans, but we wouldn't recommend this one if you're just starting to watch her movies yourself, or want to turn a friend on to her work. For that we'd go with Honor and Glory (1993) or Angel of Fury (1991). If you want to watch this one later on, fine, but we wouldn't start with it.

For more insanity, drop by www.comeuppancereviews.com
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5/10
Not outright bad, yet unmistakably & weirdly weak
I_Ailurophile20 May 2022
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.
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LADY DRAGON II OF ANGEL OF FURY ?
ersin3 December 1998
This movie called in USA as Lady Dragon 2 but the real name is Angel of Fury. There was a movie called Angel of Fury in USA so they had to change the movie name to Lady Dragon 2 . In Europe " Angel of Fury " is still the name of this movie .C.Rothrock "Queen of b-kung-fu video movies" had a great performance in this movie. Billy Drago is the bad guy in this movie and he has also a good performance.The story is cliche but the real fans of C.Rothrock will love this movie, like me.Great kicks and punches from C.Rothrock.If you like C.Rothrock you will enjoy this movie .Do not rent this movie if you are looking for serious movie to see !!!
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5/10
"This is the end of the line soccer man"
hwg1957-102-26570412 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
A typical actioner with a routine plot, revenge for deeds done by villains. But it does have Cynthia Rothrock as the wronged woman and she as usual is a fighting dynamo. It also has Billy Drago as the main villain Diego and he as is his wont is scarily convincing. In fact he may be too disturbingly intense for this low budget film which seems to have little humour to lighten the mood. Sam Jones seems high on something which makes his character just silly, laughing for no reason all the time.. Also silly was the twist where Sari is revealed as Diego's lover. It didn't make sense. The action is tough at times and Ms. Rothrock and Mr. Drago are watchable so it isn't a waste of time to view.
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6/10
Rothrock & Drago in good form ...........
merklekranz11 January 2011
If you want to see Billy Drago and Cynthia Rothrock together, then "Lady Dragon 2" is your movie. The action begins immediately, with Drago and his gang stealing a valuable bag of diamonds from the "Mob". Hiding the diamonds in Rothrock's baggage, the gang follows her and her husband to Jakarta. When Drago can't get Rothrock's husband to turn over the diamonds, he kills him. The remainder of the film is Rothrock hunting down Drago and his men. A simplistic script does offer a couple of surprises. The whispering Drago is especially menacing in this movie, and his final fight with Rothrock, especially brutal. For an action film, "Lady Dragon 2 " delivers. "Don't worry, I'm going to take real good care of that new widow." (Billy Drago) - MERK
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8/10
Cheesy film with a great villain and some hilariously twisted scenes
damnedstiff17 May 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I think this movie might make it as a cult classic if more people knew about it. The reason I say that is because Billy Drago's character Diego is one of the most demented and unintentionally(?) hilarious movie villains I've ever seen.

The plot centers around a bunch of diamonds that Diego and his men stole from some mobsters. They plant the goods in a couple's luggage to get them through customs, with the intent of invading their home at night to retrieve them. The couple happen to be a women kick-boxing champion "The Golden Angel"(played by Cynthia Rothrock) and her husband, a soccer superstar named Sonny.

Sonny wants to use the diamonds to help "his people" so he plays dumb when Diego comes looking for them. Diego knows better. He gives "soccer man" a career-ending stab in the knee and rapes his wife.

Another visit by Diego and his men ends up in a house-trashing, wheelchair-spinning round of soccer-man tormenting which reminded me a bit of a scene from Clockwork Orange. For his refusal to give Diego the diamonds, soccer-man gets a bullet to the head, after which one of Diego's men poses for a picture with his corpse! LOL

The rest of the movie is a cat-and-mouse game as the Golden Angel seeks revenge and Diego continues to torment her for the diamonds.

One scene had me laughing long afterward....the Golden Angel hears a noise downstairs and confronts the intruder with her shotgun...only to discover that it's her husband's corpse, which Diego and his sidekick have exhumed and left sitting in his wheelchair for her to find...with maggots crawling on him and a soccer ball in his lap.

That scene alone is enough to make this movie worth watching.
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7/10
better than the first one
leonardconstantin6112 February 2010
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
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6/10
Not A Bad Thriller, With Some Decent Martial Arts Action!
Movie-Misfit25 March 2020
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.
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8/10
I had a B-Movie blast watching Rothrock 'sticking' it to the deliciously diabolical Diego.
Weirdling_Wolf6 March 2021
In the new and moderately improved sequel to David 'Kickboxer' Worth's original Rothrock-starring action-distraction 'Lady Dragon', our plucky, punch-happy heroine returns once more to avenge the murder of her beloved husband by a gang of heartless, mask-wearing killers led by the glacial, stone-hearted villainy of B-Movie kingpin Billy Drago. We see Susan 'The Golden Angel' Morgan strut her entirely strut-worthy stuff in the ring making hard work of an enjoyably rough, slam-bang bout as the exquisitely evil Diego (Billy Drago) callously wipes out three wealthy goombah's for their plentiful diamond booty.

Having only barely survived this awful Diego-led home invasion, the ignominy continues as the frantically murderous obsession over the ownership of the contraband diamonds merely increases the terrible levels of ensuing violence. Choosing blunt street justice over the uncertain vagaries of law, this 'Angel of Fury' must initially get down an' dirty in the scum-clogged bowels of the city in order to 'flush out' the diabolically foul perpetrators and take them out one by one.

While 'Lady Dragon 2' isn't by any stretch of the imagination a top-tier Rothrock skull-rocker, since it focuses mainly on sleazy theatrics than relentless 'Undefeatable' style Kung Fun overkill, but there are a few stand out bravura sequences of righteous skell annihilation, which capitalize strongly on Cynthia Rothrock's quicksilver punches and devastating Roundhouse kicks to enormously cinematic effect! I have always found Rothrock to be a dynamic and hugely engaging screen presence and certainly no less so as vengeful Susan 'The Golden Angel' Morgan, and when she inevitably unleashes her signature lightning-fast flurry of titanic Thug trashing, tibia terminating terror it is ALWAYS guaranteed to be a next level boss beatdown!

There's some additionally joyous incongruities on display here which playfully elevate the formulaic proceedings, namely Sam 'Flash Gordon' Jones's singular decision to zestily play his lunk-headed bully boy Reb as a bizarrely perma-cackling cartoon super villain, making for a weirdly satisfying buzz-cut creepozoid that ultimately proves no match for the sinfully savage Cynthia! Much like the powerhouse star, 'Lady Dragon 2' is generously top loaded, saving all the groovy goodies for last, as even a lesser Rothrock actioner is far better than most at their best. I had a B-Movie blast watching Cynthia 'sticking' it to the deliciously diabolical Diego and hopefully other Rothrock fans might get no less of a 'kick' out of watching 'Lady Dragon 2' than I did!
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7/10
Don't lose the first three minutes of this!...
Artemis-921 November 2001
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.
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Bad... even for a Cynthia Fan....
destroyerwod13 October 2011
I like American martial arts B movies. I am a big fan of Cynthia Rothrock, even if people say her American stuff is bad, some movie where really good for me, enjoy them a lot, like China O'Brien, Rage and Honor, the original Lady Dragon and others, i like this type of B action movies. But here, im sorry but this is uber crap from the get go. David Worth... its the guy that directed Kickboxer? How come he could do something like this? I mean OK he may not be the story writer but still... This is bad from the get go, the plot is stupid, the bad guys are bad caricature of villains, the music is probably the worst of them all, its a track that would fit to an old 60s horror movie... not a martial art movie of the 90s...

A couple fight of Cynthia let me give it a 4... but damn i can't believe this is name after LADY DRAGON, the first one was a good movie, i loved it, even if it was cliché American kickboxing style movie, but thats what i like, but even for me, this is too much.

I saw this movie on sale on ebay for like 50$ cause i guess its rare... yeah im glad i paid only 10 bucks, cause the seller didn't had the cover... i would had been so angry if i paid 50 for that... Cynthia is awesome, David Worth did kickboxer and even another movie i really liked... Honor. But this... is pretty bad... Man even Billy Drago i enjoyed him in other works like Demon Hunter, Charmed, and a few other movies, but in this... his character is so bad... Im sorry but EPIC FAIL for this one.
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