a.l.jude p
Utter crap of Hongkong Origin.
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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Audience Member
Although lightly touted as Black Belt Jones 2, The Tattoo Connection is the farthest thing from in most ways. Not that that is a bad thing, just a bit misleading. I grabbed this from a dollar bin a while ago and have finally thrown it in the ol'DVD warmer for watching. What I got was a crime drama with some martial arts action and some really awkward dialogue between the men and women of this movie.
The Tattoo Connection is about the theft of a very expensive diamond, and how the insurance company sends an ex-CIA operative with a martial arts background to retrieve it before they have to pay out on the money owed. That operative being Jim Kelly AKA Black Belt Jones...except not in this movie. He is either referred to as Lucas, or The Black Guy, which is a bit offputting. There is also a side story about the more honorable number one lackey of the thieves trying to make his life better for him and his woman. This same woman that his boss wants to own and push about.
For the most part, this has a spy movie feel to it, except really dull. It is a bit too mish-mashed together to flow well, and it never seems to want to pick who the main character is. Jim Kelly doesn't appear until 15 minutes in and then takes over from the lackey who was in charge for that time. Yet, by the end, we are jumping between both of them but never landing on anything interesting in their stories. I will say the last 25 minutes is pretty fun with non-stop action and hand to hand fighting, and when Jim Kelly takes off his shirt, the poop hits the fan, like his shirt was holding him back.
The Tattoo Connection gets fun. Yet, it starts a bit dull and never seems to gain momentum after that until the very end. Still, if you have to see everything Jim Kelly does then you should give this one a watch.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/08/23
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Audience Member
The only other film featuring Jim Kelly I've seen is the much more famous martial arts classic Enter The Dragon. However, I sure had a lot of fun watching The Tattoo Connection. Nearly everything about this film is poorly made: the story is convoluted and confusing (Complete with random subplots that go nowhere), there's hilariously awful dubbing for all the Asian characters (There are no more than 3 voice actors doing the dubbing, tops. And the dubbers have a British accent, adding to the hilarity), the acting altogether is quite campy, the sets are cheap and tacky, and the film positively oozes with 70's cheesy goodness. The one thing this film does well, however, are the fight scenes which are well choreographed and quite entertaining to watch (I also love how every punch/hand strike and kick makes a sound, even if they don't hit the opponent). Overall, The Tattoo Connection is pure 70's trashy goodness that is a hell of a lot of fun to watch.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/26/23
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Audience Member
Jim Kelly is charismatic and looks in charge as he swaggers around the lowbrow locations. Away from unusually inventive cinematography, boasting impressive shots at off-kilter angles, the direction is average at best. Lee Tso-Nan has a stab at symbolism but the low production values are much in evidence and in spite of skilful Kung Fu moves the film adopts weak cinematic devices to raise its stock (gratuitous nudity, regrettable mistreatment of animals). Despite these shortcomings, this is worth checking out.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/02/23
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Audience Member
Probably the best movie.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/27/23
Full Review
Audience Member
The black guy is here!
A diamond has been stolen and an insurance agency sends two detectives in to recover the diamond and uncover who the thieves are and the motive for the theft. The detectives find a corrupt group of men, that may be into more than just diamonds, who may be responsible for the thievery. Can the detectives bring the gang down in their home country?
"Your Chinese legs aren't bad."
"Well, thank you. How do my feet taste?"
Tso Nam Lee, director of Kung Fu Wonder Child, Killing in the Nude, Woman Avenger, The Invincible Kung Fu Legs, Challenge of Death, and Fist of Fury in China, delivers The Tattoo Connection. The storyline for this picture is entertaining and well delivered for the genre. The characters are well presented and the action is better than average. The cast is solid and includes Jim Kelly and Bolo.
"It is a dirty world, but you are much dirtier."
This movie was part of a Martial Arts Masters box set my father gave me for Christmas a couple years ago. There have been movies in this series that surpassed my expectations and this was one of them. The script was hilarious and the characters were well presented. This is definitely worth watching if you are a fan of the martial arts genre.
"It is about time to introduce us to the ladies."
Grade: C+
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/19/23
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