''Tiger Claws'' is a 1992 Canadian-American action film directed by

Kelly Makin Kelly Makin is a Canadian television and film director. He directed episodes of '' The Kids in the Hall'' comedy television series and also directed several episodes of '' Queer as Folk'' including the series finale. More recently, Makin has dir ...

and starring

Cynthia Rothrock Cynthia Rothrock (born March 8, 1957) is an American martial artist and actress best known for her martial arts films. She holds black belt rankings in seven styles of martial arts and was a high-level competitor in martial arts before becomin ...

Jalal Merhi Jalal Merhi is a Brazilian-born Lebanese-Canadian martial artist, actor and filmmaker. As a competitor, he was a regular on the tournament scene in the late 1970s to mid 1980s. As a film and television producer, he owns the Film One company, and ...

and

Bolo Yeung Yeung Sze (; born February 7, 1946), better known as Bolo Yeung, is a Hong Kong former competitive bodybuilder, martial artist, and actor. Primarily known for playing villains in action and martial arts films, he is regarded as one of the most i ...

. It is notable for being the film that, according to Canuxploitation.com, introduced the world to Film One Productions, a company started by

who also co-starred in the film, although ''

Fearless Tiger ''Black Pearls'' is a 1991 Canadian martial arts film directed by Ron Hulme, and starring Jalal Merhi, Monika Schnarre, Lazar Rockwood, Bolo Yeung and Jamie Farr. Merhi stars as a college graduate who renounces his upper class lifestyle to learn m ...

'', another Film One production, was released the previous year in Canada, but would not be released in the United States until 1994.

Plot

The police investigate a serial killer (

) who seems to target only martial arts masters. One after another is killed in the same brutal fashion. This may be a chance for detective Linda Masterson to work on her first murder case. She is assigned the job and to assist her is another martial arts specialist, Sgt. Tarek Richards. Now they need to find a tiger style master, because the killer obviously uses tiger-style kung fu. Not a simple task, since tiger is a very ancient and rare style. Sgt. Richards decides to renew his training in tiger style in order to better prepare himself for the eventual confrontation with the serial killer. He manages to track down the serial killer and engages him in combat where he ultimately defeats him.

Availability

After a quick run at the American Film Market, the film was released on videocassette and laserdisc in the summer of 1992 in the United States by MCA/Universal Home Video and that same year in Canada by

Cineplex Odeon Cineplex Odeon is a theatre brand owned by Cineplex Entertainment in Canada, after acquiring the Cineplex Odeon Corporation in 1998. As of 2023, there are 61 Cineplex Odeon locations in Canada. The former corporation was one of North America's ...

Sequels

The film was followed by ''Tiger Claws II'' (1996), and ''Tiger Claws III: The Final Conflict'' (1999). Rothrock and Merhi reprised their roles in both films, with Yeung returning for the second film.

References

External links

* {{Kelly Makin 1992 films Canadian martial arts films American martial arts films 1991 martial arts films English-language Canadian films 1992 directorial debut films Films directed by Kelly Makin 1990s English-language films 1990s Canadian films 1990s American films English-language action films Canadian action films American action films 1992 action films