China O'Brien

Plot synopsis:
Police Officer China O'Brien (Cynthia Rothrock) is a good cop who teaches martial arts class to her fellow officers. After an altercation with a gang that leads to the accidental death of a young boy, China resigns from the force, and returns to her hometown of Beaver Creek, Utah. Her father, John O'Brien (David Blackwell), is the sheriff and is very pleased to see her. China discovers that John is gradually losing control of the town to local crime boss Edwin Sommers (Steven Kerby), who controls corrupt deputy Marty Lickner (Patrick Adamson) and corrupt local judge Harry Godar (Wil Hazlett). When John and honest deputy Ross Tyler (Chad Walker) are killed by car bombs that were planted by Sommers's henchmen, there is an emergency election to elect a new sheriff.
After seeing that nothing is being done to find her father and friends killer, China runs for sheriff against Lickner to see who take John's place while, at the same time, she starts cleaning up the town with the help of her former high school sweetheart Matt Conroy (Richard Norton). They get extra help from a Native American biker named Dakota (Keith Cooke), whose mother (Judy Kotok) was murdered by Sommers. China wins the election, and then Maria (Gae Cowley), who had been her father's housekeeper up until his death, is murdered by Sommers's men in a drive-by shooting during the victory celebration. Having won the election, China ends up having to force Godar to swear her in as the new sheriff. China deputizes Matt and Dakota, and they set out to free Beaver Creek from Sommers's stranglehold.
During the altercation at the Beaver Creek Inn, Dakota stops Lickner and confronts him about his mother. Lickner admits Sommers was responsible for his mother's death and Dakota gets on his motorcycle to Sommers's home. China and Matt continue to take on Sommers' men and head to Sommers' house after they defeat all of the goons. When Dakota finds Sommers at the stables, he points a gun at him. However, he restrains himself and when China and Matt show up, Matt handcuffs himself to Sommers. However, en route to the police car, a woman Sommers had imprisoned fires a gun, killing Sommers and knocking Matt down with him. The next day, China asks Dakota what he will do next. Dakota says he will stay for the trial and China tells him she could use a man like him. Dakota laughs off being a cop to which Matt replies that they can talk it over a beer.

Tags: violence

Review:
This film and its sequel remain among the best Western showcases for Cynthia Rothrock's martial ability.
Lori 'China' O'Brien (Rothrock) plays a cop who also teaches martial arts.
Another thing that works in the film's favour is the chemistry between Rothrock and co-star Richard Norton (Australian Karate exponent).
I suppose this was an early attempt to fuse Hollywood with eastern martial arts films, thoroughly flaunting the fact that Robert Clouse, the director of Enter The Dragon was at the helm.Unfortunately, Robert Clouse was no great shakes as a director and this time there is no Bruce Lee.Bad acting, cheesy story and a TV quality feel, but none of that matters because the fight scenes are fantastic!!!!!This is where the film comes into it's own with a partial eastern production behind it.
There is a bit too much 'acting' between the fights but not overly so.Keith Cooke really steals the show with his amazing kicking techniques while Richard Norton opts for a more wrist lock and throw style which is cool beyond belief leaving Rothrock as a good all rounder.
The main antagonist is an ageing man with zero fight capability and It was just really wave after wave of goons for the heroes to dispose of, which is no bad thing but it would have been better with a really threatening figurehead and a great end fight between China and a Boss.The film was in many ways far ahead of it's time and ticks a lot of boxes with regards to the feminist movement.
The China O' Brian character is the superior authority in the film with all the lawmen working beneath her, Rothrock gets top billing in both opening and Closing credits and she is not sexualised in any scene and never wears anything lewd or revealing.
For 1988 that was pretty much unheard of even in Hollywood let alone a low budget martial arts film.A great one to watch with mates or even a girlfriend.
True, I did get a mediocre film overall, but as a form of reimbursement, I received a bunch of quality martial-arts sequences.Yes, the plot is amazingly uncomplicated - the most unexpected thing (and also the dumbest) is when not just one, but TWO car bombs explode within two days of each other.
But besides the improbability of a Utah native growing up with an Australian accent (can we assume he picked that up in the "Special Forces"?), at least it's not too unrealistic.But this movie was basically created to showcase Rothrock's abilities, and they are readily apparent.
Someone mentioned that this film was meant as a vehicle for Jackie Chan; this is also easy to see based on the beautifully choreographed fight scenes that make good use of the available props (the scene in the high school's weight room is particularly fun).Overall score: With regards to the filmmaking process, this one gets a low rating thanks to bad sound effects, cheap production and minimal writing talent.
China O'Brien (1990) was an attempt to make Cynthia Rothrock a star in the United States.
The only reason to watch this movie is to see the fighting skills of Ms. Rothrock and Richard Norton.
If this movie was directed by Corey Yuen or Hoi Meng it could have been an action classic instead of a cheesy straight-to-video action flick.China O'Brien returns home to help out her dad.
But will they be enough to topple Mister Big and his evil cronies?If you're a big Cynthia Rothrock fan then this movie's catered for you.
Average story which should be expected out of a martial arts movie.
The major reason to watch this movie is to Cynthia Rothrock kick the villains butts.
Originally was written as a project for Jackie Chan before the story was changed around as a film the Cynthia Rothrock.
Martial arts supremo Cynthia Rothrock (think: the American equivalent of Michelle Yeoh) heads the cast in this engaging straight-to-video effort that packs more punch than a dozen similar offerings, thanks to the surehand direction of Robert Clouse (down on his luck, but occasionally recalling his ENTER THE DRAGON glory days) and a ton of scintillating action scenes that never let up.
The film has an almost Jackie Chan-style atmosphere going on in the various battles, as our three heroes use all manner of scenery and props to battle and bruise the gangs of bad guy henchmen that pop up at every opportunity to do some damage.
Fridge doors flip into faces, dumbbells smack the faces of the unwary, bodies smash into mirrors and there's almost as smashing glass as in the finale of POLICE STORY (well, not quite).After a decent run of Chinese films in the late '80s, Rothrock was billed as the next martial arts sensation a la Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal et al.
Well, that never happened, and Rothrock has never risen from the straight-to-video genre, but that's the general population's problem, not the B-movie fan's.
Whether kicking some Chinese guy's head in slow-motion across the room, breaking a bad guy's neck or punching a hulking brute of a man out with one hit, Rothrock lights up the screen with a martial arts energy possessed by only a few.
The final member of the heroic trio is the unknown Keith Cooke, whose body seems possessed with the spirit of Bruce Lee in his great fights.The plot is a highly predictable one that reminded me of WALKING TALL.
The only other distinguished person in the cast is Patrick Adamson, who makes his corrupt cop loathsome without even really seeming to act much – I guess that means kudos is deserved for this man.So, in all, CHINA O'BRIEN is a B-movie martial arts flick that covers old ground but covers it in such an exciting, well-directed way that you'll end up loving it.
The three good guys returned for CHINA O'BRIEN II; and I'll sure as hell be checking that one out as well!.
China O'Brien stars Cynthia Rothrock as a big city gendarme who returns to her itty bitty home town when her father decides to retire as the local sheriff.
Of course, the bad guys give him a dose of the ol' Lead Pension plan and before you can say Hackneyed Plot Point China is running for sheriff so she can bring in the desperados who gunned her Daddy down!
She joins forces with that same Australian karate guy thats shows up in most of her movies(like Tiger Claws) and a one handed, motor cycle riding Indian kid who had a hand chopped off by the same guys what iced Daddy O'Brien.(These evil dudes are busy.
Cute Petite Gal. Cynthia Rothrock,(China O'Brien),"Manhattan Chase",2000, made this film enjoyable to watch and of course,e this cute petite gal burned up the screen with her artistic abilities and hot sexy body.
China O'Brien gets upset as a police officer and decides to call it quits and go back home to her hometown and get back to her roots and her dad, who is the local sheriff.
Well, you almost can guess what happens, and you are right, China O'Brien fights back after great tragedy strikes her life.
Bad acting through out the picture, but Cynthia Rothrock brings this film to a wonderful conclusion..
Obviously the only people whom would actually watch this film are Cynthia Rothrock fans.
The story works perfectly.The plot: This is obviously a rehash of 'Walking Tall' except Cynthia Rothrock is a lot more eye pleasing than Joe Don Baker!
Isn't that a requirement of being a cop in the first place?Whatever, it gives China an excuse to "never hold a gun again" and move back to her small home town where her father's the sheriff.But just like 'Walking Tall' Norman Rockwell's small town as become crime ridden and too corrupt to stop by legal means.Richard Norton is also along for the ride (a requirement of all great Rothrock films) as an Australian who left the US special forces to become a small town school teacher.
Meaning it's up to China herself to run for sheriff.There are obviously many mob tactics to destroy China's campaign, giving us plenty of scenes for Rothrock to beat the living crap out of people.
LOTS of groin kicks, and Rothrock's patented over her head back kick.So this organized crime syndicate is affective enough to just let criminals walk free from jail and bold enough to car bomb the entire police force?
It's the classic story of a lone sheriff taking on a crime ridden town, Rothrock looking cute as always, Richard Norton, and most importantly Rothrock beating the living crap out of everyone for 90 minutes!
This could be a very good TV series for Rothrock and her ensemble cast of Keith Cooks and Richard Norton.
Walker Texas Ranger was some what of a spin from Norris's "Lone Wolf McQuade" film where he played the infamous Texas ranger JJ McQuade.In this feature film we see Rothrock succeeding her father (who was murdered by a local corrupt business tycoon) as the town sheriff.
Her supporting cast of Norton and Cooks were second to none in terms of their chemistry with Rothrock as well their excellent fighting abilities.Yes, budget constrains was a factor in regards to the overall quality of the film.
But what really shines are the fight scenes (and that's what you wanted to see the film for, anyway -- right?) They're very well choreographed, and the actors very obviously know what they're doing.
And of course, Cynthia Rothrock is a total babe (and that's *really* what you wanted to see the film for -- right?
No wonder it looks all American.Australian actor Richard Norton who appears in many Hong Kong movies also shows up in this film, making it a truly international production.Cynthia Rothrock was the only female American actor who's good enough to play the lead in a martial arts movie.
This is a good movie that fills the need of for us who wants to see good looking actor kick her way through the bad guys.The movie looks low budget, and they could have worked on this a little bit more.
This guy from Australia shows up to help China O'Brien, like a third a way into the movie, he has a weird looking neck.
If you're a bad movie fan like I am, this is great material.
If, however, you are looking for any sort of meaningful plot, acting ability, or movie-making skill, this is best avoided.
As this is a  Robert Clouse film, don't expect an intelligent or unique plot (daughter of a murdered town sheriff takes her revenge !!).
However with Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton (who should be as big, if not bigger than J.C.Van Damme), and Keith Cooke (whose kicks rival Bruce Lees), there are some excellent martial art fight scenes staged.
Whilst this can't save the film from being anything more than average, a decent budget and director would benfit the stars on show (who are no less talented in the acting stakes than the likes of Schwarzenegger, Norris, or Van Damme).
I got both the China O'Brien and Rage & Honor movies on video recently, and I must say that Cynthia Rothrock is great at both martial arts and acting.The first China O'Brien film is very enjoyable.
The main one for the most part is Deputy Lickner, who manages to be loathsome, but the bad guy leader doesn't do much at all.Richard Norton makes a great partner for Ms. Rothrock, as does Keith Cooke as the mysterious Dakota.
China O'Brien is a great movie.
China O'Brien (Rothrock) is a tough cop in the big city, who also happens to be a karate instructor.
Luckily, the three of them have plenty of martial arts skill and they take on an army of goons, because the only way for Beaver Creek to be untainted with corruption is to punch and kick everyone in sight.As has been noted elsewhere, one of the major flaws in China O'Brien is the lack of a powerful bad guy - at least one that can do martial arts.
Because the "bad guy" here is the nebulous notion of "corruption", and the man who has his fingers in all the interests of the town looks more like he should be doing daytime TV commercials complaining about his "diabetis", the film's end could be described as an anti-climax.
But the star of the show is obviously Rothrock, and she does a great job as the crusading O'Brien.
In that sense it's appropriate, but fans may be puzzled by it.The best way to describe this movie is "Americana with punching" - wouldn't you love to see a Norman Rockwell painting of Cynthia Rothrock and Richard Norton pummeling the baddies into submission?
China O'brien, city police woman and martial arts trainer, is forced to hand in her badge and head home to the small town where she grew up.
When her father, who also happens to be the town sheriff, is killed, China decides to run for his position and clean up the town.
So it wasn't uncommon for films called 'king Of The Kickboxers', 'Martial Law', and 'Tiger Claws' to be really popular movies.But, as I've said already, I was young, and seeing the movie over twenty years ago, hasn't done me any favours in the nostalgia department.The main problem is, is that the film just isn't any good, and seeing and reviewing thousands of films,you realise that it was just a rehash of several other films, to get a prolific martial artist a movie deal.Van Damme, Seagal, and even Billy Blanks had an air of panache of them, but Rothrock looks like the P.E teacher from school you fancied, because you know you wouldn't stand a chance with the fit one.Fight scenes are poor, and the acting is also pretty bad.Nevermind, at least I'll never make mistake of recommending this film to anyone, like I did when I was thirteen..
Bad '80's B-movie" all the way.
The influx of "talent" (a term sometimes loosely used, since some of the women were picked more for their looks and willingness to do nudity, rather than their acting skills or martial arts ability) coming into Hong Kong -- who were often willing to work for much less money than Rothrock -- caused Cynthia's own roles to dwindle in visibility.
Madam), her roles were becoming more of glorified cameos than anything else.With this situation in mind, Rothrock decided to head back to America, where martial arts films were gaining popularity after the success of films by stars such as Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal.
After Clouse's collaboration with Jackie Chan (the horrible The Big Brawl) failed, Clouse found himself directing B-movie action junk like the kung fu/gymnastics combo Gymkata.
Cynthia plays a big-city cop named China O'Brien who leaves the force after shooting a teenager during a fight.
Along the way, she meets up with her old boyfriend (Richard Norton) and a mysterious Native American named Dakota (groan -- anyway, he's played by Keith Cooke), who, even though he goes around wearing a really bad-looking Evil Dead 2-type fake stump hand, manages to kick a lot of ass on the local rednecks.
For instance, Dakota like to ride a dirtbike around, and there are several times where you can see that his stump has magically changed into a hand (it's not like the electrical tape wrapped around his hand was convincing anyway), and apparently, this town's police station consists of one room, which also happens to be one of the bad guy's offices, after some "creative" re-arrangment of the props.Despite it's inherent problems, China O'Brien is still a pretty fun movie to watch -- it falls into that "so bad it's good category." If you enjoy nitpicking or ripping on movies, you will have a field day with this one; it's most definitely "Mystery Science Theatre" material.
Besides that, the action is surprisingly good for a US B-movie.
Both Rothrock and Norton, if not the greatest actors in the world, are excellent martial artists and this movie showcases their talents in a good light.
Of particular note is a fight where the two take on a gang of thugs in a gym, where seemingly every piece of equipment that isn't nailed down is used as a weapon in some fashion.Some notes about the fate of the principal people involved on the film: Cynthia Rothrock never became a star in the States (US audiences weren't as receptive to female action stars as their Asian counterparts), but continued to work steadily in low-budget action movies (as well as TV shows like the Hong Kong film-inspired Hercules) and has earned the title of "the queen of B-grade action movies" from her fans.
She never returned to Hong Kong, though footage from some of her films, through cut-and-paste director Godfrey Ho has been put into a few Hong Kong movies (the most blatant case being the horrid Angel the Kickboxer, which is a "remix" of Rothrock's Honor and Glory) and some of her western direct-to-video releases have been put into theatres in Asia.Keith Cooke, who was heavily promoted as one of the "hot" new action stars (there is a sizable segment in the documentary The Deadliest Art -- perhaps not coincidentally produced by Fred Weintraub -- dedicated to him) never found much success in films, though he still finds work from time to time.
His most notable roles have been in films involving Hong Kong B-movie actor Robin Shou, such as playing some of the ninjas in the movies based on the popular "Mortal Kombat" video game.Richard Norton has had a bit more success than the rest.
Norton, like Rothrock, also became a staple of cheap US B-movies, as well as sometimes working in Hong Kong, with major roles in Jackie Chan's City Hunter and Mr. Nice Guy. He also served on producer for a few movies, and is currently working in Australia and Europe on various movies and TV shows."