Sworn to Justice (1996)

Best movie of this year hands down!

The Worst Film Ever

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

SWORN TO JUSTICE is something of a mixed-bag martial arts thriller starring the one and only Cynthia Rothrock, perhaps America's best-known female martial artist. As a huge fan of Rothrock's Hong Kong movies made in the 1980s, I can report that this film is far below quality, although it's still enjoyable for fans of 1990s-era B-movie fare.Rothrock plays a psychologist (somewhat unbelievably) whose sister is brutally murdered in the opening sequence. She goes gunning for revenge against the goons who committed the crime, handily using her new-found psychic abilities unlocked thanks to a blow on the head. So you get an EYES OF LAURA MARS-type sub-plot in addition to the usual action thriller format.Rothrock has never been the world's best actress but she is likable and that's what counts. Here she's in her prime, confident enough to go near-nude in a couple of lengthy sex scenes which seem inspired by the Shannon Tweed-style erotic thrillers that were all the rage in the 1990s. She doesn't get to fight as much as I'd hoped, and unforgivably the main baddie fight at the climax is given to another actor, but she's in remarkable condition and looks great on screen.The film features three cameos from famous faces: Brad Dourif has a one-scene turn as a creepy killer, Walter Koenig is a friendly superior, and Mako a blind old-timer dispensing justice (check out his luxurious head of hair). The film randomly jumps from tragedy and emoting to lame comedy, with some of the early fights accompanied by cartoon sound effects (a guy hit on the head hears birds tweeting). These are really embarrassing. The main problem with the action, though, is that most if not all of the fights are staged at night so you can't see the performers doing what they do best. The director needs lessons in martial arts choreography and staging.

i don't think i've ever seen an actress that could do this things together in the same movie:she looks gorgeous in her costumes she wears,fights very well,she's involved in 2 very erotic scenes and acts very well.i don't understand why Cynthia wasn't appreciated for her role from this movie.every rothrock's fan should watch this movie because is almost perfect : has great fight scenes(one is in hk tradition with Cynthia fighting against an Asian guy),quick comedy,2 sex scenes and a sexual short scene,a decent story but very common unfortunately(because of that i said is 'almost perfect').this movie is on the same level with other great movies that Cynthia did in China like :Police Assassins,Righting Wrongs or Blonde fury.

2 days ago i've seen no retreat no surrender 2 and i was really impressed by the queen of martial arts performance so i decided to watch sworn to justice after this.what can i tell about this movie is that 'lady dragon'is very sexy in this and has 2 sex scenes and the fight scenes are decent (not spectacular)but too short unfortunately,the end is very disappointed, male co-star beat the chief villain instead our favorite female.the story of this movie is mediocre but the performance of cynthia in this is decent so i think that fans of this lady will enjoy this movie but others no.but sworn to justice is much better than outside the law for example but i expected more from this movie which is supposed to be her best American movie.***/*****

**SPOILERS** Interrupting a burglary at her sisters, Shelly, high-rise apartment criminal defense psychologist and martial-arts expert Janna Dane has it out with the four robbers and then, when they open fire on her, ending up jumping from the balcony and after breaking her fall. Janna ends up slamming into a tree-branch and lands smack dab on her head knocking herself out cold. With the police later on the scene of the crime it's found that both Janna's sister and nephew Michael were brutally murdered by the robbers. Later Janna also finds that her experience of almost cracking her head open also opened up her ability to get in touch with her psychic self. Working in the court system as a defense expert witness on the criminal mind, and what makes it tick, Janna is now bothered by getting killers, like those who murdered her kid sister and nephew, off by day while a the same time being a vigilante avenger against those same types of hoods by night. Janna later learns by touching a murder suspects weapon, a knife that he killed a policeman with, whom she's defending was one of the thugs who were involved in her sisters and nephew's murder. This makes it very difficult for Janna to do her job, as an expert witness for criminals like Slate, in the courts anymore.The group of thugs who killed both Shelly and Michael belong to a gang of ex-convicts run by this sadistic psycho Eugene who's being controlled and used by someone very high up in the city's justice system. Janna goes after this "Mr. Big", or what he likes to be called "The Man", but to get to him she has to take on the entire Eugene crime organization which turns out to be a task that not only taxes her fighting an psychic abilities but takes the lives of those near and dear to her as well. Cute, as well as beautiful, and spunky Cynthia Rothrock, as Janna Dane, is in top form and is far more effective and believable in her fight sequences then her love interest in the movie, and also martial-arts expert, Kurt McKinney who plays lawyer and psychic book publisher Nicholas who comes across as a long behind second in the fight scenes that their both in. Being an five-year undefeated martial-arts woman champion in real life Cynthia doesn't need to have a double or any special effects to make her role look genuine and her kicks and punches are powerful enough to put down and knock out not only one but a couple of men, at one time, twice her size. Going out in the streets at night to grind down the Eugene Gang in a number of sizzling fight sequence's Janna finally gets the person behind all their criminal activities non other then Santa Martin Police Detective Sgt. Briggs, Tony Lo Bionco. Sgt. Briggs has been blackmailing Eugene & Co. by threatening to put them back behind bars for life if they didn't follow his orders. Which were to shake down car shops and dealerships in the neighborhood and force them into chopping up stolen cars, that the Eugene Gang hijacks. Then have the gang pay more then 60% of the profits back to the gangsters which Briggs gets a nice chunk of change off. With Eugene and his friends put out of action by both Janna and later her boyfriend Nick Sgt. Briggs is left all alone to not only face the music but also Janna's lethal and lighting-like "Scorpion Kick".