Please don't spend money on this.

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Hong Kong detectives Fan (Cheung), Shirley (Cheng), and Terry (Yen), among others, are a select band of cops set up to be a hard-hitting narcotics squad. As they take down the drug-dealing baddies, they realize there is a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top. It even involves police corruption at the highest levels. When it's discovered that there is a tape that shows some of the illegal doings, all hell breaks loose as the forces of evil vie for the tape, while the good cops must protect it - at any cost.We absolutely loved Tiger Cage. If you love those classic Hong Kong police actioners from the golden age of the 80's/early 90's, this one is a killer. It's fast paced, colorful, exciting, and has plenty of bone-breaking action. There's tons of shooting in a gritty urban environment, but also some top notch Martial Arts battles as well. Donnie Yen's big fight scene naturally stands out. Speaking of Yen, Tiger Cage is kind of like Flashpoint before Flashpoint. The stunt work is awesome, as many characters take a lot of punishment and keep on coming. The whole movie has that dynamism and infectious energy that makes these Hong Kong productions so addictive. This kind of violent, no-holds-barred style is like manna from heaven for action fans and makes productions from other countries seem slow and dull by comparison.It's not just a mindless shoot-em-up, however. Interwoven are the timeless themes of honor, betrayal and loyalty. This emotional approach gives the film (as well as other HK productions) its unique flavor and gives the violent doings a reason to exist. There are characters you really, really root for, as well as some super-evil bad guys. You never lose interest in what you see on the screen. Adding yet another layer of greatness is the fact that VCRs play a pretty important role in the movie. So it gets in that 80's flavor as well.If you can see this on Netflix Streaming, do, because it's a top-notch stream in widescreen with subtitles. But any way you see Tiger Cage, it truly delivers the goods.

Sometimes, when you are fortunate, a very cool Hong Kong action movie will appear on SBS outside of the Cult Movie program (9:00 pm Saturday). Tiger Cage was one of them. What is it that makes a Hong Kong action movie any different from your typical American action movie? The answer from my friend is that in Hong Kong cinema, the movies tend to be more violent than those in America. It is not just violence that Hong Kong cinema pushes the boundaries, it is also sex. In the movie Erotic Ghost Story, there is more flesh than in your average American movie. American movies generally only show one or two bare breasts in selected (non-pornographic) movies, where as Hong Kong cinema will not worry about such restrictions. Even then, with most of the action movies that I have seen, nudity is mostly non-existence.Tiger Cage is about a group of cops in the drug unit of the Hong Kong police department. It opens with the bust of a major crime ring but the leader escapes. He then returns to kill one of the police officers only to be later arrested himself. The dead officer was engaged to marry another officer on the team so she is out for vengeance. What is slowly unravelled though is that a number of the officers on the team are a part of a drug ring. They are not being paid to turn their heads, but rather they are actively involved in dealing with drugs.Tiger Cage is not typical of an action movie as the plot focuses more around the characters rather than the antagonists. In a normal movie there might be an explosive opening and then the team will chase one particular bad guy. The criminals in Tiger Cage play a minor part as it is the team that the police are fighting. The focus of this movie is corruption within the police force than crime outside of it.As with most Hong Kong action movies, Tiger Cage is an explosive action movie. It pulls no punches and protects nobody. Both men and women are subject to the violence in the movie, and they are willing to go places that the Americans do not (such as a guy's head being skewered on a coat hook). Tiger Cage is typical of Hong Kong action and is a good movie to see for those who enjoy that genre.

Fortunately we have an all-star cast of Hong Kong legends working their magic here, (Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Jacky Cheung, Ka-Yan Leung) along with director Woo-ping Yuen helming this action extravaganza. The story is nothing special, straightforward with a few twists thrown in to keep the audience interested. Drug smuggling ring, betrayals, corrupt cops, and all the other usual elements of a late 80's HK crime flick. Dull in this regard however the movie wasn't intended to showcase script writing, rather we get some nice displays of martial arts fighting.The fight choreography and shootouts are the highlights of the film, although the plot wedged in-between sequences feels painfully like filler to meet the minimum run time. In typical fashion bizarre Chinese humor is used as a device to provide character development, and as usual it feels misplaced in a serious crime movie such as this. Despite the small amount of character development it's sufficient to provoke a reaction when the protagonists end up in peril. Donnie Yen only is given a few minutes of screen time, but during his few minutes he really steals the show. The action is entertaining but not enough to deem a second watch. I would only recommend to those wanting to see Donnie Yen's early work. -6/10

Hong Kong used to produce some of the most hardcore action movies in the 80's and early 90's. Having not producing any in a while, their trying to come back to formula with movies like Fulltime Killer and Infernal Affairs. Anyway, in my opinion, Tiger Cage is an excellent crime thriller amongst Hong Kong cinema. It still stands above some movies in Hong Kong and the all "arrogant" Hollywood. They don't make movies like these anymore. The plot is great, and the movie didn't seem to have any flaws. Whether a protagonist or a antagonist, Simon Yam always proves that he is the man for the job. As for this movie, he plays the villain very well. Might I also add that Jacky Cheung gives a gritty performance. Donnie Yen gives Michael Woods a run for his money, and Carol "Do Do" Cheng is great as a female cop who struggles to keep her personal life as well as her cop life intact.The action is top notch. Hardcore and served with devastating blows is the way I like it. Master Yuen Woo Ping did a fine job with this one. Also, look out for his minute Cameo. While Martial Arts was evident in the movie, old-fashioned street fighting was served with the main course. Watch the last 15 minutes and see what I mean. Donnie Yen is always impressive, but I was surprised at Jacky Cheung. The boy has some kicks to his disposal. He does it with so much vengeance. This is one of Yuen Woo Ping's better movies. In fact, this is one of his best movies (way better than that Matrix BS).Overall, this movie is one of Hong Kong's best efforts and deserves a re-release and restoration. One can only hope that this and more Asian movies are treated with respect (MIRAMAX AAARGGGH!!!!).Final Judgment: ****/****