Martial Law II: Undercover (1991)

aka Karate Cop: Martial Law 2

Hardworking cop Sean Thompson (Jeff Wincott) gets promoted to Detective and soon after does some detecting that puts him in movie-danger.
It has more action but also more filler, a peculiar state of imbalance that makes it even less entertaining than the first Martial Law (1990) movie. Clichés are used frequently; they're forgivable because it's that kind of film. But the hero's man-coat shoulder pads are altogether unpardonable.
A bitch-fight (that's over seconds after it's begun!), a hulking bodyguard, and heroes that take a shit-ton of punches and kicks to the face but don't bleed are what you're in for should you progress beyond the opening credits.

2 transactions out of 5

Martial Law (1990)

Realistically, the best you can hope for when watching a US made martial arts movie from the 80s or 90s is that it'll not completely suck ass. If you're really lucky it'll be an average time-waster that doesn't make you regret being born. Martial Law scrapes in at the lower end of that scale.
Two brothers, on opposite sides of the law from each other, fail to stir the emotions. Cynthia Rothrock helps the upstanding brother get his rocks off in the bedroom and bust some bad guy butt on the street, in that order. Her character is underused and underdeveloped.
David Carradine is the primary villain; he's like an older Kwai Chang Caine who's turned evil and developed an ego a foot taller than he is.

2 double shifts out of 5

China O'Brien 2 (1990)

It's been two years since China and her two main deputies did some hick town cleaning. Thanks to her continued presence the crime rate is still down, but a recently escaped prisoner is on a murderous hunt for the people that put him away in the first place, which brings him to China's part of the world.
It's certainly a better film, and even has a villain with some actual menace to his character this time, but, once again, unless you're there for the high kicks there's really not much else to recommend.

2 cut-offs out of 5

China O'Brien (1990)

The movie's selling point is that it's from the director of Enter the Dragon (1973) and was produced by Raymond Chow under the Golden Harvest banner. China is the girl next door type but with an ability to topple villains twice her size. When she exchanges the big city for a small town she encounters a squad of unsavoury types in need of a disciplinary ass-kicking.
Cynthia Rothrock is light on her feet, able to effectively deliver the moves required. It's just as well because the plot is old hat, except for that election rally that's just awful. I felt embarrassed for everyone involved.

2 staff shuffles out of 5