China O’Brien 1 & 2 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

China O’Brien 1 & 2 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 3, 2024

Robert Clouse's "China O'Brien" (1990) and "China O'Brien" (1990) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release feature new program with Cynthia Rothrock; new program with Keith Cooke; new audio commentaries by critics Mike Leeder and Arne Venema; vintage trailers; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Regio-Free.

In the 1990s, Robert Clouse’s China O’Brien and China O’Brien II officially put Cynthia Rothrock on the radar of casual film aficionados in America. Domestic and international distributors promoted the two next to films like Gymkata, Bloodfist, and many video renters considered Rothrock the female buddy of stars like Lorenzo Lamas, Miles O’Keefe, and Michael Dudikoff. During the same period, Jean-Claude Van Damme was rapidly moving away from this group, but often video stores had his films placed very close to China O’Brien and China O’Brien II as well.

In recent programs for various releases of her earliest Hong Kong films, Rothrock reveals that her work in America was quite different. This is not news, but it is worth highlighting for several reasons. The biggest and most important reason is that China O’Brian and China O’Brien II, as well as other films Rothrock appeared in after them, emphasize a less intense, far more conventional action than the one seen in her Hong Kong films. Rothrock plays more conventional characters as well. Finally, Rothrock’s earliest American films are smaller projects with less impressive casts. So, while all of the films Rothrock made in Hong Kong and America are action films, they are quite different.

In China O’Brien, Rothrock plays a young policewoman chasing criminals in the big city. After committing a terrible mistake that damages her reputation, China hands her badge to her superior and heads back to a small town in the countryside where her father is the sheriff. China is immediately recognized by ex-boyfriend Matt Conroy (Richard Norton), but before she can properly settle down and catch up with him, her father is killed by a dangerous crime boss. Not realizing that the police department has an ambitious dirty cop working with the crime boss, China decides to replace her father and restore order in town. But despite winning the election with overwhelming support from the local residents, and being assisted by Matt and another justice warrior named Dakota (Keith Cooke), China is forced into an all-out war with the crime boss and his small army of mercenaries.

In the straight-to-video sequel, China, having successfully replaced her late father, clashes with a Vietnam vet-turned-powerful drug tsar (Harlow Marks) trying to recover a couple of million dollars that have been stolen from him. The drug tsar unleashes his mercenaries on China, but with help from Matt, Dakota, and a couple of other good cops, order is again restored.

While nicely shot and edited, China O’Brien and China O’Brien II are classic 1990s B-films that can be somewhat entertaining only if seen in the wee hours of the night. Indeed, they have very simple narratives, with appropriately simplistic characters reciting scripted lines in the most basic manner possible. As a result, both films never reveal even a whiff of desire to appear authentic. But even Rothrock’s best films have serious issues with authenticity, so this is essentially a meaningless criticism.

China O’Brien and China O’Brien II are not particularly exciting films because the quality of their action is underwhelming. This is a problem because they are supposed to make up for everything a B-film is expected to struggle with by delivering creative and intense action. Rothrock’s earlier Hong Kong films, which have various flaws, do precisely that. Also, in China O’Brien andChina O’Brien II Rothrock must lead with authority, but she visibly struggles. Outside the elaborate fights, it just looks like she is going through sequences of rehearsed scenes that someone edited as best as possible.

China O’Brien 1 & 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Eureka Entertainment presents China O'Brien and China O'Brien II on 4K Blu-ray only. Please keep in mind that this release does not have Blu-ray discs.

Please note that all screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-rays and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray discs, including the actual color values of this content.

Both films look very healthy and unquestionably the best they ever have on a home video release. I viewed both with Dolby Vision and thought that they produced equally impressive visuals, boasting outstanding depth, clarity, and sharpness. Grain exposure looked equally even and stable. Color balance is convincing. Only during a couple of outdoor sequences it feels like the Dolby Vision grade flattens select blue primaries a bit, causing visuals that are supposed to look bright and warm appear subdued, but the rest is fine. Image stability is excellent. Fluidity is terrific, so on a large screen the fast action footage looks loverly. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free.

China O’Brien 1 & 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Mono) for the first film, and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Stereo) for the second film. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Even though the two tracks have slightly different native qualities, both sound equally impressive. I did not notice traces of age-related anomalies. During the big shootout at the end of the second film, dynamic intensity is pretty impressive too, or at least for a straight-to-video production. However, the music does not produce any memorable contrasts.

China O’Brien 1 & 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary for China O'Brien was recorded by critics Arne Venema and Mike Leeder. The commentators follow their usual format, which means that they share plenty of information about the different actors that have meaningful parts in China O'Brien, the financing and style of the film (with some quite interesting comments about its '90s identity), the evolution of Cynthia Rothrock's career, etc.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary for China O'Brien II was recorded by critics Arne Venema and Mike Leeder. Again, the commentators share a wealth of information about the production and distribution of China O'Brien II -- the film was released in the United Kingdom before it reached the United States -- the casting choices, the similarities and differences between the first and second film, Cynthia Rothrock's performance, the overall quality of the action and why some of it works and most of it does not, etc.

• Commentary Three - this exclusive new audio commentary for China O'Brien and China O'Brien II was recorded by critic Frank Djeng. Again, there are a lot of comments about the production histories of these films, how they were marketed and how they performed, their qualities and what makes them similar and different, etc. I wish to specifically mention that I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Djeng that the second film is better because the quality of its action is superior.

• Commentary Four - Cynthia Rothrock discusses several action scenes with Frank Djeng and recalls what was done well and what did not turn out as good as it could have. In English, not subtitled. (23 min).

• Cynthia Rothrock Interview - in this recent program, Cynthia Rothrock explains how China O'Brien and China O'Brien II were conceived while she was under contract with Golden Harvest and recalls her work Robert Clouse and different cast members. Also, Mrs. Rothrock clarifies that there were two choreographers -- one from Hong Kong and one working with Clouse -- that made it difficult to her to perform as she had become comfortable in Hong Kong. In English, not subtitled. (23 min).

• Keith Cooke Interview - in this recent program, Keith Cooke discusses the enormous impct Bruce Lee's work had on him, his involvement with the China O'Brien films, and the evolution of his career. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).

• Richard Norton Interview - in this recent program, critics A.J. Richardson and Gavin Kelley from The Martial Arts Podcast interview Richard Norton about his martial arts background and involevement with the China O'Brien films. In English, not subtitled. (50 min).

• Leon Hunt on China O'Brien - in this recent program, critic Leon Hunt discusses the China O'Brien films. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• James Mudge on China O'Brien - in this recent program, critic James Mudge recalls his first encounters with the China O'Brien films and discusses their style, and discusses Robert Clouse's legacy. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Trailer One - presented here is an original trailer for China O'Brien. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Trailer Two - presented here is an original trailer for China O'Brien II. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Booklet - a collector's booklet featuring new writing by Eddie Falvey and James Oliver.

China O’Brien 1 & 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cynthia Rothrock's confession that she struggled during the production of China O'Brien and China O'Brien II because Robert Clouse insisted on working with an American action choreographer he trusted should not be surprising. The effects of the struggle are visible throughout both films. However, this was probably an unavoidable development because even though Golden Harvest had funded these films, they were made in Utah, not in Hong Kong, so they were destined to be very different. They can look quite pretty at times, but the quality of their action, which is supposed to be their strength, is underwhelming. Eureka Entertainment's release presents very good new 4K makeovers of both films with a nice selection of bonus features.