Wizard-8 Though it came out just two years after the first movie, "Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold" feels totally different than the first movie despite the central plot being the same (the heroine out to demolish a drug ring.) And it some aspects, it is an improvement over the original movie. This sequel looks a lot more exotic, thanks to the Hong Kong setting and the budget obviously being a lot higher. Also, the action sequences are a lot better, particularly the over the top climatic battle. However, the script should have been worked on a bit more before filming started. There isn't a lot of story here, and it unfolds extremely slowly. Also, the character of Cleopatra Jones is almost an afterthought at times, with her being offscreen for extended periods of times. These script problems, along with the facts that the blaxploitation genre and the Hong Kong action genre were dying when the movie was released may explain why the movie didn't do particularly well at the box office. But if you liked the first movie despite its faults, you will probably like this sequel as well.

utgard14 Statuesque special agent Cleopatra Jones (Tamara Dobson) is back in this action-heavy sequel, facing off against yet another lesbian drug lord (Stella Stevens). Two of Cleopatra's friends go missing in Hong Kong so she heads there to find them. She teams up with a local detective (Ni Tien) and the two chop-socky their way to the evil Dragon Lady.Tamara Dobson was certainly an elegant and striking presence. While I don't think she was as good an actress as Pam Grier, she did bring something unique to the screen. She's like a more feminine and attractive Grace Jones. Her makeup choices in this are very questionable, though. Busty Stella Stevens makes for a sexy villainess. She doesn't appear nude here (despite a scene that teases she will) but she does show off her magnificent cleavage. Pretty Ni Tien (billed as Tanny) is good as Dobson's butt-kicking partner. Norman Fell plays the obligatory white boss that is the brunt of many deserved jabs from Dobson.It's a watchable movie but not as good as the first Cleopatra Jones. There's many reasons for this but a few are the weaker soundtrack, a more boring script, too much focus on other characters besides the lead, and no Shelley Winters hamming it up. This does have some nice martial arts scenes (particularly for blaxploitation, where 'amateur' would be the kindest way to describe most fight choreography). It does seem like it was filmed with a higher budget than most blaxploitation movies I've seen. Still, there's something ho-hum about it all and I found myself wishing it was more fun than it is.

JasparLamarCrabb Tamara Dobson returns as the high fashion government agent in this fun, and very dumb, sequel to the 1973 hit. This time Dobson is in Hong Kong trying to find the drug dealers who've kidnapped her cronies (jive-talking brothers Matthew & Melvin Johnson). She's helped out by Shaw Bros. star Tanny, as Mi Ling Fong, a very efficient Chinese detective and the two women have great chemistry. Director Charles Bail brings a lot of style to the film, aided by very colorful cinematography by Alan Hume. Dobson wears one outlandish outfit after another including, at one point, a fox stole. As in the earlier film, she's a very commanding presence. The supporting cast is stellar and includes Norman Fell as Dobson's befuddled superior, creepy Christopher Hunt and Stella Stevens as the "Dragon Lady." It's action packed though not the classic the original is.

moonspinner55 Follow-up to 1973's far better "Cleopatra Jones" has statuesque black actress Tamara Dobson returning to her signature role as chic, super-tough narcotics agent, here busting a heroin ring in Hong Kong. Cross-pollination of blaxploitation action-flick and kung-fu B-movie is fun at the outset but eventually flags. The shoot-out finale is right off the assembly-line, and Dobson herself seems less energetic than before (she's still sexy, and she puts a unique spin on her comically-stilted dialogue, but these surroundings may have been too much of one thing for her--she's jaded). Stella Stevens plays the villainess this time; she's good, but can't match Shelley Winters in the predecessor. ** from ****