A tainted cocaine case pairs two mismatched cops in this low budget martial arts film.
A Quick Overview
Chinatown Connection is a low budget martial arts and crime film directed by Jean-Paul Ouellette. Although it is often listed under the year 1988, it reached audiences in 1990. It stars an actor credited as Bruce Ly alongside Lee Majors II, and it was made by Esseff-Arpaia Productions in association with BCD Productions. The producer is Michael S. Emerson, the screenplay is credited to Joseph Berry, the cinematography is by Jack Anderson, and the editing is credited to Skip Williams and Lee Harry. It is not a polished film, but it has a clear identity as an action picture of its era.
The Plot
Los Angeles is dealing with a wave of crime. In Chinatown, tainted cocaine is being sold, and one user suddenly dies. Meanwhile, gang activity is rampant. Warren Houston, a cop who cares about one thing, taking down the bad guys, storms a gang inside a church. His actions appear on the news, and his captain responds by reassigning him to the Chinatown district.
There he is forced to partner with John Lee Chan, a veteran detective who has also been assigned to teach martial arts to officers with attitude problems. Their investigation leads them to the crime lord Hong, whose top man, North, is responsible for the poisoned drugs. As the partners slowly bond, Chan turns his anger management students into a special task force to help with the case.
Two Cops Who Do Not Agree
The film is built on a familiar formula, the mismatched partners. It arrived a few years after the 1987 hit Lethal Weapon, and the parallels are easy to see. Chan plays the experienced veteran in the manner of Murtaugh, while Houston is the reckless one in the manner of Riggs. The difference is that this movie replaces big studio gloss with scrappy independent energy.
Houston wants speed and force, while Chan believes in discipline and self-control. Watching them argue about methods gives the first half a rhythm that is often more entertaining than the plot itself.
Bruce Ly
The actor credited as Bruce Ly plays Chan, and the name is the most curious thing about the production. He was presented as a new Bruce Lee-style performer, though he bears no resemblance to the martial arts icon. According to many sources, the man behind the name is Henry Yu Yung, a former classic kung fu star who kept working until relatively recently. Ly is also credited as the film’s martial arts coordinator. His character is written as a teacher of restraint, which gives the film a calmer center than a typical shoot-first action picture.
Lee Majors II
Lee Majors II plays Houston. He is the son of Lee Majors, the star of The Six Million Dollar Man, and he chose to use the credit Lee Majors II rather than Jr. He does not closely resemble his famous father, so the film depends on his own screen attitude. Houston is the cop who acts first and thinks later, which gives Majors II the louder half of the partnership and sets up most of the conflict with Chan.
Art Camacho and the Villains
Art Camacho, who became a prolific martial arts director, plays Estes, a hot-headed officer forced into Chan’s class. This was one of his first roles. The Estes subplot is the film’s most thoughtful touch, because it shows martial arts building self-discipline instead of simply producing more violence.
Fitz Houston plays North, the man behind the tainted drugs and the muscle for the crime boss, with real size and menace. William Ghent plays Hong. Pat McCormick, Brinke Stevens and Susan Frailey also appear in the cast, which adds some recognizable names to a modest production.
The Action
The action is hit and miss, depending on the viewer. Martial arts fights share the screen with gunplay, and the combination gives the movie a mix of kung fu and shootouts. Some scenes feel rushed or awkward, while others deliver the physical punch genre fans expect. Overall, there has been worse. The strongest idea is that Chan’s students, who begin as officers sent for anger management, become part of the investigation instead of staying in the classroom.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The strengths are the odd-couple pairing, the self-discipline subplot and a villain with genuine presence. The weaknesses are just as clear. The plot is thin, the budget shows, the action is uneven, and the story leans on clichés that were already common in late eighties police films.
Even so, the movie rarely becomes boring. Its short runtime of simple scenes, a direct plot and constant movement keep it easy to follow, and that is a real advantage for a film with limited resources.
Why It Still Gets Noticed
Interest in the film comes largely from its cast. Fans of martial arts cinema are curious about the mysterious Bruce Ly, fans of action actors like seeing Lee Majors II step out from his father’s shadow, and many remember Art Camacho’s early appearance. For collectors of low budget action, the combination is hard to resist.
Final Thoughts
Chinatown Connection is an interesting kung fu and gunplay mix in the style of Lethal Weapon, with an even more unusual core duo in Bruce Ly and Lee Majors II. It is a dated eighties action film, but it is not at all truly terrible, and viewers who enjoy low budget martial arts movies should find enough here to stay entertained.
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