Bullet Points: Guardian Angel
Like many martial artists turned movie stars in the 1990’s, Cynthia Rothrock, who first made a name for herself making movies in Hong Kong, had the opportunity to work with Richard Pepin and Joseph Meri. Pepin and Mehri owned the PM Entertainment Group, a major player in the direct to video market during the golden era of home video.
Cynthia Rothrock’s first (and only) collaboration with PM Entertainment is the subject of this review, 1994’s Guardian Angel…
- Blue Wedding: Christine McKay (Cynthia Rothrock) and Nick Taylor (Marshall R. Teague) play two cops in love in Guardian Angel. As the movie begins, the married couple to be are investigating a counterfeiting ring and getting closer and closer to cracking the case. McKay and Nick pose as buyers after they “convince” a low level criminal to set up a meeting with the counterfeiters. David (Robert Miano) is the mastermind/artist behind the counterfeiting operation. David sends his right hand woman Nina (Lydie Denier of Acapulco H.E.A.T. fame) to meet with McKay and Nick to complete the transaction. But once Nick flashes the badge all hell breaks loose. McKay and Nick are surrounded by some thugs and our heroic cops quickly put their martial arts skills to use. When Nick notices that Nina is running off, he goes after her. After McKay is done dispatching of the gaggle of goons, she catches up with Nick who soon has a gun pointed at his head courtesy of Nina. Nina demands that McKay throw down her weapon… McKay complies but the evil Nina shoots Nick anyway and takes off in a stolen cop car, leaving Nick to die in the arms of the woman he loves.
- Maneater: After Nina shoots Nick, she wastes no time going back to David’s place where she shoots David, believing he knew the deal with Nick and McKay was a police bust and he was setting her up to get her out of the picture. Nina’s thirst for revenge ends up costing her her freedom as the cops manage to catch up to her as she is leaving David’s place after the shooting. Nina’s hatred for men becomes more and more obvious as the movie goes on (she lights a dude’s crotch on fire!) and it all stems from her childhood and an abusive father. Nina’s mother died during child birth, so her father took out the loss of his wife on Nina.
- I Quit: Nina has her day in court and is convicted of the murder of Nick Taylor but as Nina is being escorted out of the court room an emotionally charged McKay shows up and goes after Nina, throwing her down some stairs in the courthouse and vowing to kill Nina. Not surprisingly McKay is called out on the carpet for her actions. McKay’s boss wants her to take some time off, but McKay does one better, slams her badge on the desk and quits. McKay then spends the next six months living like a slob in an RV and talking to her dog. Things look like they might be picking up for McKay when the filthy rich Hobbs (Daniel McVicar) answers her ad and inquires about McKay’s personal security services. McKay is turned off by Hobbs’ womanizing ways and it doesn’t look like she is going to take the job… and that’s about the time Nina (who at this point has escaped from prison) shows up to kill her ex-boyfriend Hobbs! And suddenly McKay is ALL IN on this new business venture… and Hobbs hopes he can mix some pleasure in with this business… if you know what I mean!
Guardian Angel was a quality vehicle for Cynthia Rothrock. If you are worried that the romantic subplot between McKay and Hobbs gets in the way of the action, have no fear… “The Lady Dragon” is given plenty of opportunities to kick ass and she makes the most of those opportunities.
Lydie Denier’s Nina is every man’s psycho ex nightmare turned up to eleven. There is also a bit of mystery as to how a spoiled rich guy like Hobbs got involved with a shady character like Nina to begin with and that gives the story a little twist.
You can never go wrong casting Marshall R. Teague in a supporting role and even in Guardian Angel where he is killed off in the first act, his presence is definitely felt in a positive way.
I’m positive that I feel the presence of some Bonus Bullet Points…
- AKA: Guardian Angel was released as Beyond Justice in Germany.
- Familiar Faces: Ken McLeod of Showdown and College Kickboxers fame, plays one of McKay’s fellow cops, Ostendorf. Ostendorf takes issue with just about everything McKay does as a cop and as Hobbs’ bodyguard. His asshole rating goes up as the movie goes on… Dale Jacoby of No Retreat, No Surrender and Ring of Fire fame, plays Nina’s boy toy and he too feels the wrath of Nina… Last but not least is Art Camacho of Firepower fame. Camacho plays Jimmy Lee, a criminal who is involved in one of the most conspicuous illegal transactions in movie history at the beginning of the film.
- Favorite Quote: “You want a discount, go to K-Mart!”
- Reunited: Robert Miano and Lydie Denier would work together again a few years after Guardian Angel, when Miano did a guest spot on the “Code Name: The Stolen Leg” episode of Acapulco H.E.A.T.
- Directed By: Guardian Angel was directed by Richard W. Munchkin. Munchkin also directed Deadly Bet starring Jeff Wincott, Out for Blood starring Don “The Dragon” Wilson and Fists of Iron starring Michael Worth and Matthias Hues.
