Chinatown Connection

The film stars Bruce Ly as Lieutenant John Chan and Lee Majors II as Detective Warren Houston. John has the job of reforming violent police officers. He has to team up with a cop Houston who is somewhat trigger happy.[1][2] For a reason that defies explanation, drug dealers are selling poisoned cocaine. They have to work together to find the source of cocaine that has been laced with cyanide.[3][4] Their quest takes them to where the evidence points to, a secret organization which is called The Taipan. They are faced with the task of taking this organization on.[5] Tony North who is the #1 man of the cartel boss is the man responsible for the drugs being poisoned.[6][7] Along with their heavily armed assault team, they bring down the powerful organization that was behind the narcotics being sold.[8][9]

One of the executives in the production company for the film, Esseff/Arpaia Productions was involved with a company that made and sold mozzarella cheese. The bundles of cheese were used as stand ins for the packages of drugs. This was their second film, the first being the sci-fi film, R.O.T.O.R..[10][11][12]

The Synopsis by Filmaffinity mentioned that the plot was thin it had decent martial arts action and gun fights, also mentioning the church shootout and the finale as well done action sequences.[15] The review given by Fist of B-List was a low one and recommended it only for Art Camacho completists and those who like the East-meets-West reluctant partner dynamic. It noted Fitz Houston's performance in the film and referred to him as a cross between Predator-era Carl Weathers with muscles and great polo shirts and Norman Smiley, a former pro-wrestler.[16] Comeuppance Reviews said that in spite of the amateurish qualities, there was a lot to like about the movie. It was ideal for action fans who don't take themselves too seriously.[17]

• Art Camacho as Estes
• Susan Frailey as Dawson
• William Ghent as Hong
• Paul Gunning as Mike
• Fitz Houston as Tony North
• John M. Jackson as P.C. Pete
• Bruce Ly as John Chan
• Pat McCormick as Flynn
• Lee Majors II as Detective Warren Houston
• Scott Richards
• Brinke Stevens as Missy

[18][19][20][21]

• Director ... Jean-Paul Ouellette
• Editing ... Skip Williams, Karen D. Joseph (associate editor)
• Music ... Chris Caswell
• Producer ... Michael Emerson
• Screenwriter ... Joseph Berry
• Sound ... Itzhak Magal
• Sound recording engineer ... Itzhak Magal[22]

• Production Co ... Bcd Productions,[23] Esseff / Arpaia Productions[24]

The film was released in theaters on June 1, 1990, and made it on DVD on Jul 26, 1990.[25]

• Imdb: Chinatown Connection
• Russian Picture of Russian release
• Trailer