Everyone knows Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, but if you’re truly down to explore the dense world of martial arts movies, you might want to dive a little deeper.
And there you might just discover Cynthia Rothrock – a petite, charmingly unpretentious all-American blonde from Delaware who managed to fight her way into the heart of classic ’80s Hong Kong action movies, kicking up the screens with folks like Michelle Yeoh and Yuen Biao.
Unlike her future Oscar-winning Yes, Madam co-star Yeoh, Rothrock didn’t go on to mega-stardom, but she’s still a cult heroine amongst those of us who like a good, non-CGI enhanced brawl on film.
Rothrock is no casual actor with a martial arts hobby – she’s earned seven black belts and was a top martial arts competitor before ending up in films. In her debut, Yes, Madam, she tore up the screen with Yeoh, elevating a middling movie into something near-great, and the two of them fought in an all-timer classic climax brawl where they move like liquid fire:
Rothrock went on to star in a bunch of Hong Kong films, often dubbed, typically as the brash white Yankee counterpart to her Asian male co-stars in movies like Righting Wrongs or brawling with legendary Sammo Hung in Millionaires Express:
Yet while her Hong Kong flicks were pretty legendary in certain circles, they never quite translated into mainstream fame – she nearly did a movie with Sylvester Stallone, which could’ve been amazing. Often she was relegated to glorified cameos where she’d pop up for a scene or two, do some stunningly elegant action and vanish. She’d often be the best part of the movies she appeared in.
Eventually, back in America, she began appearing in a steady stream of what were once known as “direct to video” action flicks with titles like Sworn To Justice and Angel of Fury. These movies don’t quite have the manic energy of the Hong Kong movies but Rothrock is almost always a delight when she gets a chance to kick ass.
She attempted to get a franchise going with the very enjoyable China O’Brien series, and appeared in the absolutely unhinged Undefeatable, which combines schlock with shock to serve up an all-time kung-sploitation revenge cheesefest with a gory final battle that went viral online and only hints at the sheer over-the-top insanity of this movie:
I’ll admit, Rothrock isn’t always the strongest actress – there’s a few times in her films when she’s called upon to break down in emotional tears and it’s pretty cringe – but she’s got an easygoing, relaxed presence. To be blunt, she seems cool and approachable, someone you’d want to hang out with. It’s hard to imagine just chilling with Bruce Lee or Sonny Chiba.
And I’m enough of a feminist ally to say it still seems refreshing to watch Rothrock dance onto the screen and thump men twice her size with ease. Vintage martial arts movies, despite breakthrough stars like Yeoh, can still often be pretty sexist and dated by today’s standards, but Rothrock always did her part to kick back hard against being put into a box.
As the ‘90s rolled on Rothrock’s movies generally got worse and cheaper and she slowed down a bit with age, but she’s still very much out there, with a devoted fanbase and an ever-growing appreciation for her place in action movie history.
And of course, it’s long since been proved that women can kick ass – Sigourney Weaver in Aliens, Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, The Matrix’s Carrie Anne Moss, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 and many more.
But whether they know it or not, many of these awesome women were following in the footsteps of Rothrock, who might just be the greatest American female action star many people have never heard of.
Nik Dirga 