White Tiger (1996)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Absolutely the worst movie.

Absolutely Brilliant!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

A middle-of-the-road action thriller with almost enough cool action to take your mind off the predictable, almost non-existent plot. Although the pacing is a little on the slow side, the film is well-photographed and the martial arts bouts well-staged and exciting. The British Gary Daniels adopts the familiar "cop on the edge" role so frequently used by the likes of Van Damme and Seagal and is surprisingly efficient in the leading role, with passable acting and a fine range of skills in the action stakes.Daniels is supported by an attractive love interest (not sure of her name, but she looks like Jenny Agutter) and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who has a ball as the sadistic, insane villain. This is a film for those who like to see Woo-inspired heavies riding motorbikes and getting gunned down, people being kicked in slow motion through windows and off balconies, arms and necks breaking, and lots of shootings and explosions. Good action, but a strong story is needed for a good film and this just doesn't have one unfortunately.

DEA agent Mike Ryan (Daniels) would rather be rock climbing with his buddy and fellow Special Op John Grogan (Craven)...but instead he's chasing after a gang of Asian drug lords led by the sinister Victor Chow (Tagawa). Like Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991), Tagawa and his boys are going to unleash a powerful new drug on the black market. When Chow murders his buddy, despite being told to just "let it go", Mike Ryan goes out for revenge - but who can he trust? The beautiful Jade (Nickson)? The beautiful Detective Fong (Cheung)? Mike Ryan is going to have to go rogue and trust his own instincts and martial arts skill on his quest to find Victor Chow.Gary Daniels plays another likable dude and Tagawa another baddie in White Tiger, a film with not much going on in the plot department, but which contains great fights and is very fast paced. The story is credited to Bey Logan, the mastermind of the excellent Dragon Dynasty label of releases. So you know there's going to be quality fights and stunts. Funnily enough, the music that underpins it all is either this modern techno or 90's "grunge". While the movie does take place primarily in Seattle (although it was filmed in Vancouver, Canada), the band "Pull" should be ashamed. Graeme Coleman who did the electronic soundtrack was trying to bring the martial arts film into the 90's, but we feel he over-reached a bit.But the overall feel is that the filmmakers were trying to modernize the direct-to-video action film, with the aforementioned music, slick cinematography and a professionally-made vibe. Luckily, they didn't use these things as substitutes for the action goods, as is so common today. Gary Daniels always rocks and here is no exception. In his non-action scenes, he is his usual personable, charming self, and in the action department, he seems to be constantly pushing himself and trying new things. Check out some of his awesome takedowns for proof. While Tagawa and some of the others are good, White Tiger is a clear case of No Daniels = No Movie. He carries the film and makes it seem effortless.For an intellectually unchallenging but classier-than-usual DTV beat 'em up, White Tiger will fit the bill perfectly.For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

This is a fairly good Martial arts film, that's entertaining with fun performances, however the main fight between Gary Dainels and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is extremely disappointing!. All the characters are cool, and the story is fairly interesting throughout!, plus Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is simply amazing in this!. It has some awesome fight scenes, and some very cool shootouts as well, plus Gary Dainels has a lot of charisma, and is quite fun to watch!. Dainels and Julia Nickson-Soul have decent chemistry together, and there is quite an emotional scene near the beginning!, plus Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is extremely menacing as always as the main villain!. It has some decent plot twists, and the finale is really good,however if only for that final fight!. The plot is familiar, however it's executed pretty decently, and the film is never boring, plus there are a couple of shocking moments as well!. This is a fairly good Martial arts film, that's entertaining with fun performances, however the main fight between Dainels and Hiroyuki Tagawa is extremely disappointing!, worth the watch. The Direction is Decent. Richard Martin does a decent job here, with good camera work, okay angles, and keeping the film at a fairly fast pace throughout!. The only blood we get is bloody gunshot wounds. The Acting is very good!. Gary Dainels is fantastic here, he is extremely likable, charming, has a lot of charisma, kicks that ass, had decent chemistry with Julia Nickson-Soul, is a wonderfully talented Martial Artist, did pretty decent in his one emotional scene, and was a lot of fun to watch! (Dainels Rules!). Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is amazing as always, and is amazing here, he is extremely menacing, cold, vicious, pretty scary at times, and was his usual intense self, he was amazing! (Tagawa Rules!!!!!). Julia Nickson-Soul did what she had to do adequately, and had okay chemistry with Dainels. Rest of the cast do fine. Overall worth the watch. **1/2 out of 5

Sure, the story is recycled from lots of other movies, but there are a few things that make this worth a look. Gary Daniels makes a cool hero. The fights scenes are good. The only problem is they are spaced too far apart and there are not enough of them. The climax on the boat is cool though. Worth a least a rent.