Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975)

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.

If you can stand this frightening eye shadow, as well as those painted long very long eyebrows then you can stand anything ! First of all they wanted to make a stronger sequel in kind of big production where Dirty Harry meets James Bond meets Bruce Lee ! And they did it through this story about a casino, dragon lady, a drug smuggling, etc. It's bigger indeed than (Cleopatra Jones) which was close to a solid TV pilot. BUT I have a lot to say about it though..Of course as you guessed : (Tamara Dobson) and her outrageously bizarre looks in here! In fact she made me sick to my stomach during the whole 96 minutes. What the hell was that anyway ?! Those showy outfits, flamboyant costumes, funny hats, jewelry with frippery, and that genuinely horrible make-up !!!! She looked all along like a total freak, or a walking bazaar. That was too damn much in the most ugly way EVER !It was beyond any endurance's power I have. So it may hurt you badly when some boy whistles when he sees her and be that dazzled ! Yes, she could DAZZLE easily I know to the extent that makes you blind !Not to mention the characterization of Cleopatra this time. If you complained about her being some mannish at the first movie then be assured; here she's all man baby ! with no slight second to feel any kind of femininity. They wanted the taste this time as intensive as it could be. Look at the frame of Cleo here : no boyfriend, with a girl sidekick all the time, her girl sidekick got no boyfriend also !, moreover being in explicit manly costumes. It's the typical manly violent black lady of the era for all the aggrieved black people, the aggrieved women, and the sexually perverted persons too.I liked the theme song, the wonderful music, the good cinematography, the strong editing, and the fact that there were no Barb Wires in the fights' scenes unlike our very fake days ! Despite some crappy moments like when the Chinese girl, who supposed to be a sharp police officer, opened her flat's door while she was going to shower so the whole bunch of killers could enter plainly !?. It transformed into comedy already when Cleo was hiding in the dark to descend upon a bad guy at the stairs unexpectedly while she was wearing the most flashy suit I've ever seen in my life !It's fine Action for sure but as I told you earlier; how it recommends a very powerful stomach to bear Dobson's sight as she wasn't here a "Hard Woman" inasmuch as a "Hard" only !

A much better looking lesbian villainess for Cleopatra Jones to fight in this second one of the series! Stella Stevens as the "Dragon Lady" is a two-face: smiling and cooing to her casino guests, but a deadly bitch to those who cross her (including one of her Chinese girl lovers whom she has killed when the girl decides she prefers Black dude Albert Popwell instead of her blonde sapphic mistress.The climatic fight to the death between the black heroine and the white villainess is totally rousing, and the outcome prompted cheers from the 1975 audience! Rumors of Stella's nude bath scene are still unconfirmed. It would be great to see!

I think this is one of the best movies during the Blaxploitation era. Its full of Suspense and Drama. I would recommend this movie to anyone. I gove it two BIG thumbs up!!!!!!!!