Sure, the story is recycled from lots of other movies, but there are a few things that make this worth a look. Gary Daniels makes a cool hero. The fights scenes are good. The only problem is they are spaced too far apart and there are not enough of them. The climax on the boat is cool though. Worth a least a rent.
12 Reviews
Fairly Good Martial Arts Film, That's Entertaining, With Fun Performances, However The Main Fight Between Daniels And Tagawa is Extremely Disappointing!
callanvass10 October 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This is a fairly good Martial arts film, that's entertaining with fun performances, however the main fight between Gary Dainels and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is extremely disappointing!. All the characters are cool, and the story is fairly interesting throughout!, plus Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is simply amazing in this!. It has some awesome fight scenes, and some very cool shootouts as well, plus Gary Dainels has a lot of charisma, and is quite fun to watch!. Dainels and Julia Nickson-Soul have decent chemistry together, and there is quite an emotional scene near the beginning!, plus Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is extremely menacing as always as the main villain!. It has some decent plot twists, and the finale is really good,however if only for that final fight!. The plot is familiar, however it's executed pretty decently, and the film is never boring, plus there are a couple of shocking moments as well!. This is a fairly good Martial arts film, that's entertaining with fun performances, however the main fight between Dainels and Hiroyuki Tagawa is extremely disappointing!, worth the watch. The Direction is Decent. Richard Martin does a decent job here, with good camera work, okay angles, and keeping the film at a fairly fast pace throughout!. The only blood we get is bloody gunshot wounds. The Acting is very good!. Gary Dainels is fantastic here, he is extremely likable, charming, has a lot of charisma, kicks that ass, had decent chemistry with Julia Nickson-Soul, is a wonderfully talented Martial Artist, did pretty decent in his one emotional scene, and was a lot of fun to watch! (Dainels Rules!). Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is amazing as always, and is amazing here, he is extremely menacing, cold, vicious, pretty scary at times, and was his usual intense self, he was amazing! (Tagawa Rules!!!!!). Julia Nickson-Soul did what she had to do adequately, and had okay chemistry with Dainels. Rest of the cast do fine. Overall worth the watch. **1/2 out of 5
A weak plot, but plenty of action to take your mind off that
Leofwine_draca4 December 2016
Warning: Spoilers
A middle-of-the-road action thriller with almost enough cool action to take your mind off the predictable, almost non-existent plot. Although the pacing is a little on the slow side, the film is well-photographed and the martial arts bouts well-staged and exciting. The British Gary Daniels adopts the familiar "cop on the edge" role so frequently used by the likes of Van Damme and Seagal and is surprisingly efficient in the leading role, with passable acting and a fine range of skills in the action stakes.
Daniels is supported by an attractive love interest (not sure of her name, but she looks like Jenny Agutter) and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who has a ball as the sadistic, insane villain. This is a film for those who like to see Woo-inspired heavies riding motorbikes and getting gunned down, people being kicked in slow motion through windows and off balconies, arms and necks breaking, and lots of shootings and explosions. Good action, but a strong story is needed for a good film and this just doesn't have one unfortunately.
Daniels is supported by an attractive love interest (not sure of her name, but she looks like Jenny Agutter) and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who has a ball as the sadistic, insane villain. This is a film for those who like to see Woo-inspired heavies riding motorbikes and getting gunned down, people being kicked in slow motion through windows and off balconies, arms and necks breaking, and lots of shootings and explosions. Good action, but a strong story is needed for a good film and this just doesn't have one unfortunately.
Great stuff
Estraven13 July 2000
Gary got to choreograph his own fight scenes this time and the results are spectacular. Also because he has dependable genre stalwart Cary Hiroyaki-Tagawa, who just seems to get better as he gets older, as his enemy. The latter gives a chilling performance as a perverted drug king who, against the orders of the Triad elders, introduces a deadly designer drug to the market. The fight sequences between the two in the drug lord's house and on his ship are riveting. This is the best Gary Daniels movie I have seen (along with Gedo), with a solid plot, a great villain and, best of all, the opportunity for Gary to really strut his stuff. Hugely entertaining - a must-see.
Solid martial arts thriller
Justin-Fog29 January 2006
"White Tiger" is a solid martial arts thriller starring Gary Daniels. Out to avenge the murder of his best friend and partner, DEA-cop Gary Daniels gets hot on the tracks of Chinese drug-lord Chow. He busts and kicks his way through Chinatown and gets kicked around a lot, until he meats a beautiful woman who is the only person to help him. Well, the show down is a bit disappointing, but the fight scenes are better than in numerous other movies of the kind. Julia Nickson plays her sensual, erotic and sympathetic part excellently, and I enjoyed the movie. I've seen many better ones but a lot worse ones. 90 minutes of solid martial arts entertainment. Jasper P. Morgan
For an intellectually unchallenging but classier-than-usual DTV beat 'em up, White Tiger will fit the bill perfectly.
tarbosh2200014 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
DEA agent Mike Ryan (Daniels) would rather be rock climbing with his buddy and fellow Special Op John Grogan (Craven)...but instead he's chasing after a gang of Asian drug lords led by the sinister Victor Chow (Tagawa). Like Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991), Tagawa and his boys are going to unleash a powerful new drug on the black market. When Chow murders his buddy, despite being told to just "let it go", Mike Ryan goes out for revenge - but who can he trust? The beautiful Jade (Nickson)? The beautiful Detective Fong (Cheung)? Mike Ryan is going to have to go rogue and trust his own instincts and martial arts skill on his quest to find Victor Chow.
Gary Daniels plays another likable dude and Tagawa another baddie in White Tiger, a film with not much going on in the plot department, but which contains great fights and is very fast paced. The story is credited to Bey Logan, the mastermind of the excellent Dragon Dynasty label of releases. So you know there's going to be quality fights and stunts. Funnily enough, the music that underpins it all is either this modern techno or 90's "grunge". While the movie does take place primarily in Seattle (although it was filmed in Vancouver, Canada), the band "Pull" should be ashamed. Graeme Coleman who did the electronic soundtrack was trying to bring the martial arts film into the 90's, but we feel he over-reached a bit.
But the overall feel is that the filmmakers were trying to modernize the direct-to-video action film, with the aforementioned music, slick cinematography and a professionally-made vibe. Luckily, they didn't use these things as substitutes for the action goods, as is so common today. Gary Daniels always rocks and here is no exception. In his non-action scenes, he is his usual personable, charming self, and in the action department, he seems to be constantly pushing himself and trying new things. Check out some of his awesome takedowns for proof. While Tagawa and some of the others are good, White Tiger is a clear case of No Daniels = No Movie. He carries the film and makes it seem effortless.
For an intellectually unchallenging but classier-than-usual DTV beat 'em up, White Tiger will fit the bill perfectly.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
Gary Daniels plays another likable dude and Tagawa another baddie in White Tiger, a film with not much going on in the plot department, but which contains great fights and is very fast paced. The story is credited to Bey Logan, the mastermind of the excellent Dragon Dynasty label of releases. So you know there's going to be quality fights and stunts. Funnily enough, the music that underpins it all is either this modern techno or 90's "grunge". While the movie does take place primarily in Seattle (although it was filmed in Vancouver, Canada), the band "Pull" should be ashamed. Graeme Coleman who did the electronic soundtrack was trying to bring the martial arts film into the 90's, but we feel he over-reached a bit.
But the overall feel is that the filmmakers were trying to modernize the direct-to-video action film, with the aforementioned music, slick cinematography and a professionally-made vibe. Luckily, they didn't use these things as substitutes for the action goods, as is so common today. Gary Daniels always rocks and here is no exception. In his non-action scenes, he is his usual personable, charming self, and in the action department, he seems to be constantly pushing himself and trying new things. Check out some of his awesome takedowns for proof. While Tagawa and some of the others are good, White Tiger is a clear case of No Daniels = No Movie. He carries the film and makes it seem effortless.
For an intellectually unchallenging but classier-than-usual DTV beat 'em up, White Tiger will fit the bill perfectly.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
The alchemist
viamillitaris10 December 2017
This was one of the movies which I used to like when I was kid. I'd been surprised with great action scenes full of attractive fighting elements. Gary Daniels was great in this movie. He is ex Delta squad or some kind of special forces, well trained and ruthless FBI agent. He got the most unexpected partner for his companion ( Matt Craven ), who was dedicated family man. Of course there' d always been some kind of double agent, who worked for the both sides ( Julia Nickson ). I remembered her from the sequel of Rambo, when he was in the mission of saving American prisoners who'd been captured on the wrong sight of the map and after American soldiers'd retreated from Vietnam they had been suddenly forgotten and left to die in pain and suffer. Her character in this movie was double agent, who'd been working for the both sides. Their mission was to locate, find and capture one of the most dangerous international criminals, who'd been charged for distributing bio-chemical weapon. His code name was The White Tiger ( Cary- Hiroyuki Tagawa ). Craven'd been killed in action and Julia was missing and completely disappeared. Of course, there came expect-able part when the main character'd been suspended and without any authority, on his own hand, trying to revenge partner's death and find the other before everything became too late.
Why of the Tiger
NoDakTatum27 October 2023
Stop me if you have heard this one before: Mike (Gary Daniels) and John (Matt Craven) are DEA agents out on their first weekend off with John's picture perfect wife and son (stop). They are called in early to bust a drug operation (stop!). John is killed (STOP!). Mike seeks vengeance (NO!!)...yeah, you have heard this one before. The main villain, Victor (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) has created a new synthetic drug that is more addictive that anything on the streets now, as most movie synthetic drugs are. Victor is eliminating the competition, while Mike is following him and putting up with a corrupt Seattle cop force who are in Victor's pocket. Mike meets Jade (Julia Nickson), the mysterious woman who seems to be playing on both sides of the law. The inevitable investigation and fiery climax arrive at their appointed times, feel free to unbuckle your seatbelt and move about your living room.
I am mad at "White Tiger." Four people are credited with the screenplay and story, when in fact the basic plot is older that the hills, and has even been spoofed in the "Naked Gun" films. The fact that no one seems to realize this, and plays their parts so seriously, frustrated me. Come on, we have the thought-dead villain miraculously jumping back to life; Mike at one point says the eternal line "he killed my partner"; Victor is a "funny" villain who has a one-liner for every violent occasion; and we get the obligatory sex scene between Jade and Mike complete with new age music and artsy camera angles. There is not one plot point or character that you have not seen in any other action film before.
So why the slight recommendation? Simple- everything else but the script worked for me. While director Martin overdoes the "slow motion flames" shots, his action scenes are very sure of themselves. The editing is crisp and clean, not wasting a camera angle, and the cinematography- this was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia- is professional and takes advantage of the scenery. Daniels is a little stiff in some of the dialogue scenes, but he had male model looks and could kick butt with the best of any major action star on the big screen back then. Nickson is given a thankless role but does her best with it. Tagawa plays a great villain, he is sometimes the only good thing in the films he ends up in. His last drugged out scenes with Nickson are just plain weird. Matt Craven, playing this movie's equivalent of "Hot Shots!"'s Dead Meat, registered nothing with me. I can barely recommend "White Tiger," I found enough to keep this from being a complete mess. Martial arts action films are hard enough to pull off successfully, and the cast and crew here were let down by a loser script.
I am mad at "White Tiger." Four people are credited with the screenplay and story, when in fact the basic plot is older that the hills, and has even been spoofed in the "Naked Gun" films. The fact that no one seems to realize this, and plays their parts so seriously, frustrated me. Come on, we have the thought-dead villain miraculously jumping back to life; Mike at one point says the eternal line "he killed my partner"; Victor is a "funny" villain who has a one-liner for every violent occasion; and we get the obligatory sex scene between Jade and Mike complete with new age music and artsy camera angles. There is not one plot point or character that you have not seen in any other action film before.
So why the slight recommendation? Simple- everything else but the script worked for me. While director Martin overdoes the "slow motion flames" shots, his action scenes are very sure of themselves. The editing is crisp and clean, not wasting a camera angle, and the cinematography- this was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia- is professional and takes advantage of the scenery. Daniels is a little stiff in some of the dialogue scenes, but he had male model looks and could kick butt with the best of any major action star on the big screen back then. Nickson is given a thankless role but does her best with it. Tagawa plays a great villain, he is sometimes the only good thing in the films he ends up in. His last drugged out scenes with Nickson are just plain weird. Matt Craven, playing this movie's equivalent of "Hot Shots!"'s Dead Meat, registered nothing with me. I can barely recommend "White Tiger," I found enough to keep this from being a complete mess. Martial arts action films are hard enough to pull off successfully, and the cast and crew here were let down by a loser script.
Excellent use of the locations and stunning action sequences make up for the run of the mill plot.
aloep29 April 2004
I bought this on VHS in a double feature with "Terminal Rush", I wasn't particularly interested in Terminal Rush but I remembered seeing a trailer of White Tiger about 8 years ago now, and it looked like something which would be relatively entertaining. Having finally sat down and watched it last night, it maybe wasn't worth waiting 8 years for, but it's not bad, not bad at all.
First the negatives. The plot is the most derivative and beaten to death you can get. "He killed my partner now I'm going to get revenge" is probably the most overused of all except for maybe the infamous "terrorists take innocent civilians hostage" Die Hard rip off scenario. In White Tiger, the partner isn't just Mike Ryan's DEA partner but he's his best friend in life, and the criminal mastermind who shot him is a vicious drug lord who's invented a new designer drug which could replace heroin. So now Mike is going to get revenge on drug lord Victor Chow (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). In short, he meets up with Jade (Julia Nickson Soul) who eventually leads him to Victor Chow.
So with such a thin plot, why did I enjoy this movie so much? Firstly, Gary Daniels makes a likeable action hero and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Rising Sun, Showdown In Little Tokyo) makes a superb villain. But what I found really makes this movie were the action sequences. This has to be one of the slickest looking and most professional looking straight to video flicks of the 90's. There is absolutely nothing to indicate that this was done on a low budget, with production values that look equal to any A-list big studio production of the time and even many today. The action scenes are superbly handled, the fight choreography is flawless, the director puts the scenery of the mountainous locations to excellent use, and the action is all driven along very well by the music. There is a lot of use of slow motion, but this time it actually works, and the director knows when and where to use it and the sounds accompanying the broken glass and explosions are equally satisfying. The movie has a much more "modern" feel than the more simplistic 80's style action of Gary Daniels movies with PM Entertainment such as "Rage" and "Deadly Target".
The opening shootout at the docks and the fiery climax on the ship are the highlights, and there's several impressive scenes in between and it's all put together relatively well, and the movie moves at a comfortable pace.
Overall, I highly recommend this movie if you like this sort of thing. Putting the lack of plot aside, there's few things I can fault in White Tiger. It has everything you should want from action movie, and is excellent entertainment to pass 90 minutes.
Rating: 08/10
First the negatives. The plot is the most derivative and beaten to death you can get. "He killed my partner now I'm going to get revenge" is probably the most overused of all except for maybe the infamous "terrorists take innocent civilians hostage" Die Hard rip off scenario. In White Tiger, the partner isn't just Mike Ryan's DEA partner but he's his best friend in life, and the criminal mastermind who shot him is a vicious drug lord who's invented a new designer drug which could replace heroin. So now Mike is going to get revenge on drug lord Victor Chow (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). In short, he meets up with Jade (Julia Nickson Soul) who eventually leads him to Victor Chow.
So with such a thin plot, why did I enjoy this movie so much? Firstly, Gary Daniels makes a likeable action hero and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Rising Sun, Showdown In Little Tokyo) makes a superb villain. But what I found really makes this movie were the action sequences. This has to be one of the slickest looking and most professional looking straight to video flicks of the 90's. There is absolutely nothing to indicate that this was done on a low budget, with production values that look equal to any A-list big studio production of the time and even many today. The action scenes are superbly handled, the fight choreography is flawless, the director puts the scenery of the mountainous locations to excellent use, and the action is all driven along very well by the music. There is a lot of use of slow motion, but this time it actually works, and the director knows when and where to use it and the sounds accompanying the broken glass and explosions are equally satisfying. The movie has a much more "modern" feel than the more simplistic 80's style action of Gary Daniels movies with PM Entertainment such as "Rage" and "Deadly Target".
The opening shootout at the docks and the fiery climax on the ship are the highlights, and there's several impressive scenes in between and it's all put together relatively well, and the movie moves at a comfortable pace.
Overall, I highly recommend this movie if you like this sort of thing. Putting the lack of plot aside, there's few things I can fault in White Tiger. It has everything you should want from action movie, and is excellent entertainment to pass 90 minutes.
Rating: 08/10
Gary Daniels, always lookin' buff and struttin' his stuff, in one of his better vehicles...for what that's worth.
TheVid17 April 2003
Probably a notch above for straight-to-video martial arts flicks, thanks to above-average production values, key casting of Cary Tagawa as the villain and the beefcake charm of Daniels, who flexes his physique plentifully for his fans in this one. At least you get what you pay for here.
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