"China Strike Force" is an oddball throwback to the glory days of Hong Kong cop actioners with a new school twist and a touch of Americanized compost. In fact the movie is in English even though that is not the native dialect of over half the cast. And it shows. The acting was, let's say, slightly less than serviceable. Oddly enough, Coolio wound up delivering his lines pretty well and was funny more intentionally than not, unlike some of his co-stars. And of course there's Mark.

Mark Dacascos is always a pleasure to watch--his acting is halfway decent and his martial arts skills are A-list quality. It's kind of a bitch that he never really blew up the way he should have. But isn't that always the way? JCVD gets famous and he bites. Pop stars and Hollywood megastars get highly funded kung fu vehicles and they are all undeserving. But what of Mark Dacascos, Ernie Reyes Jr., Scott Adkins, and Brad Allen (and many others)? Where are their big contracts for major action movies? Someone or something out there controlling the cosmic balance has the most twisted sense of humor. I mean, think about it. John Lennon: shot and killed; Martin Luther King, Jr.: shot and killed; Ronald Reagan: shot and wounded, survived. What kind of shit is that?!? People, we must protect the balance if God won't. Live your lives with some degree of honor and stay vigilant. Hopefully we can protect what is sacred.

Whoa, sorry about that folks, I'm starting to wear this soapbox out. Before I shot out into left field I think we were dicussing a movie of some kind. Right? So, "China Strike Force" is inconsistant in the acting department and plain and standard on the whole plot thing, but how is the action? Pretty good, actually. Stanley Tong always seems to craft some kinetic fights with high energy, and this movie is no exception as we are given some very functional choreography. The previously mentioned Mark Dacascos gets to shine in this arena. While he only really gets two fights and is basically gypped out of the end fight, he still gets to show off his goods with style, grace, and power. The stunts are well done, but despite the enjoyable action there are still lags here and there due in part to poor direction and choppy acting. The end fight was kind of disappointing as well. Though it had a definite element of danger, it did not have the pace or quality of the rest of the fights.

Overall I did enjoy it and I would say it is worth checking out, but it won't necessarily become one of your favorites. Thanks for the time. Stay up on the down. I got stuff to do but we'll catch up.

It doesn't really matter what China Strike Force is about, because if you watch a film like this and focus on the plot too much - you'll be shaking your head. It's a lot like a Jackie Chan film, but without a Jackie Chan. Basically it's about Coolio shipping drugs into China and the cops who try to stop it. The pacing for this film is sporadic and it drags at times just as much as it explodes into an action fury. Overall though - it's easy to follow and somehow manages to keep your attention (mine anyway). The acting is decent for an action film and the characters are interesting enough - although there's nobody to really root for except for the 2 supercops who deliver sometimes stiff performances and don't really offer much personality.

The film's ending is amazingly stupid, but it's still entertaining nonetheless. Nothing any more outrageous than what can be seen in the US release Con Air. There are a few other stunts that defy gravity and believability, but yet I still enjoyed watching nonetheless.

The DVD is great - the transfer is clean, but a little washed out - I had to adjust my TV a little. It's about on par with the Tokyo Raiders HK release. The sound is great too - it includes Cantonese DD5.1 AND DTS & Mandarin DD5.1 AND DTS. I watched in Cantonese DTS. The DTS was great - it was very powerful and clear. I think the source was analog though because during very quiet scenes you could hear a little tape-hiss. It's still the best way to listen. They know how to do DTS mixes over there. The subtitles are a little small, but very clear and appear inside the "Black Bars" for the most part leaving the image alone. The subtitles are fairly accurate, except for when they subtitle what Coolio says - it's hilarious to read what they thought Coolio was saying. That's another thing - they still haven't figured out to NOT subtitle English dialogue. Marc Dacascos speaks English better than I do and Coolio is easier to understand than the subtitles would have you believe. They totally misinterpret about half of what he says. It's funny... It also includes a Making Of featurette - some of which is in English and some of which is in Cantonese (not subtitled - grr). It's basically clips from interviews strewn together in front of an ambient soundtrack and mixed in with clips from the film and some behind the scenes footage. There's also an action sequence that never appeared in the film (and it should have! - WOW)... some of it is informative and some of it is interesting... it's pretty standard, but a good addition nonetheless. The cover is printed on shiny metallic paper also which looks kinda cool.

I have to highly recommend this disc - it's not the best film, but it's certainly a must-have. Some people haven't liked it, but I was certainly not disappointed. It's a stupid action movie - but I don't watch action movies to learn about the world - I watch them to be entertained. This film delivers and it's not so stupid that you can't enjoy it (like Gen-Y Cops).

Reasons to own this disc:
1. The DVD is fantastic
2. Marc Dacascos kicks ass!
3. Coolio doing kung-fu
4. Unbelievable car chase scene that blows away the formula racing on city streets scene in Stallone's Driven
5. Because I said so.

Ratings:
Movie - 7.9/10
DVD - 8.2/10
Seen on: DeltaMac DVD

Highly Recommended