Tiger Cage 2 (1990) [Film Review]

Tiger Cage 2: or, Midnight Run
     Do you even know where is the Caribbean Sea?
Director Yuen Woo-ping continues his series of dynamic thrillers about police officers with Tiger Cage 2, the movie that has absolutely nothing in common with the original Tiger Cage apart from the title and a couple of returning actors. This “sequel in name only” is considered by many fans of Hong Kong cinema as the cult classic due to relentlessly electrifying action set pieces and the presence of Doonie Yen as the male lead.

Release Info

Directed by: Yuen Woo-ping Starring: Donnie Yen, Rosamund Kwan, David Wu

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 洗黑錢 Runtime: 102 min

Synopsis
Mandy (Rosamund Kwan) is a lawyer at a prestigious company; however, she witnesses a brutal murder in the parking lot in the course of which a suitcase filled with money laundered by mobsters goes missing. The mobsters presume that Mandy may be in the possession of the money, so they go after her. Due to unexpected circumstances, the lawyer bumps into a hot-headed cop called Dragon (Donnie Yen). The two are framed for killing Mandy’s friend, Petty (Carol Dodo Cheng). As a result, Mandy and Dragon are on the run from the gangsters and the police. With the help of a fellow worker from the company, David (David Wu), the trio decides to find the money and clear their names.

Yes, Madam Goes Places
Tiger Cage 2 is a film produced by the famous D&B company and basically made by the same team of filmmakers who cooked up In the Line of Duty 4 (1989). Donnie Yen finally takes over the wheel as a leading man in this film and we see him battle such popular “bad guys” as Michael Woods and John Salvitti. Even Cynthia Khan herself makes a small appearance as Inspector Yeung. Apart from one nice chase scene, she does not have much to do in this film, but one has to appreciate her wardrobe (this casual white outfit is so slick!)

Yet, Cynthia Khan is not the only cutie who appears in Tiger Cage 2. Carol Cheng makes a surprise appearance as the love interest of the main villain, but she only has two scenes to play in. The real heroine of this picture is the beautiful Rosamund Kwan who portrays a standard damsel in distress with a baggage of foreseeable clichés. Nevertheless, it is a joy to see Donnie save her skin time and time again.

With regard to action, Yuen Woo-ping really tried to push the envelope with this project. In comparison with the original film, the fights are much bolder and bigger in scope. The sequences that stood out the most for me was the double-decker bus chase, Cynthia Khan vs. Leung Lam-Ling confrontation, and the epic sword fight between Donnie and John Salvitti. All of that coupled with synthwave-like music score by Richard Yuen amounts to a great viewing experience.

The only disadvantage of Tiger Cage 2 I can think of is a mediocre villain. Robin Shou is a very good actor but he is no match for the charismatic Simon Yam who dominated the first movie. I think someone like Andy Lau or Tony Leyng Ka-fai would have been a better choice.

Recommendations
If you like straightforward beat-em-ups, then I recommend Tiger Cage 2. In the Line of Duty 4 is a better cop film in my opinion, but this also a fine endeavour from director Yuen Woo-ping. Now, I’m off to check out Tiger Cage 3.

Overall score: 8/10

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