Action legends Cynthia Rothrock and Richard Norton have made many collaborations over the years and reunite for their first Western since starring in Sammo Hung’s action classic, ‘Millionaires Express’. This time Rothrock takes the reins as she writes, produces, and stars in this dark tale of rootin’ tootin’ revenge. She plays Rose, a tough rough-rider who returns to her hometown seeking revenge when her sheriff brother (Kilpatrick) is slain by ruthless land baron Sinclair (Norton) and his gang of outlaws. Her quest for vengeance doesn’t quite go to plan and, left for dead, she is taken in by a desert shaman (Wilson) and his sidekick (Taylor), who help heal and re-train her so she can take revenge on Sinclair.
Fun little Western B-movie that reunites Rothrock and Norton as adversaries, ‘Black Creek’ is less gun-slinging and more high kicking thanks to its roster of well-known 90s martial arts stars. Adopting a similar tactic to the recently released ‘The Last Kumite’ (which also featured Rothrock) by filling the cast with once prolific action stars, ‘Black Creek’ gets by on seeing some the great 90s Hong Kong/American martial arts movie stars front and centre. Norton (in one of his last completed roles before his untimely passing) is great as the merciless villain (and seems to be having a hoot!), Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson is also on great form as the kindly desert sage, and great to see Keith Cooke (‘King of the Kickboxers’) back in a meaty role as the is-he-or-isn’t-he good guy! Also look out for Benny ‘The Jet’ Urquidez (‘Wheels on Meals’) and Keith Vitali (‘No Retreat No Surrender 3’) in small roles as two fighters pitted against one another.
Unfortunately, Cooke and Wilson don’t really get to fight (which is a shame considering their great screen fighting skills) but certainly shine in their roles. The bulk of the action is handled by Rothrock and while there is some doubling, she’s still got the moves and, coupled with Mike Möller’s crisp choreography, the fight scenes pack a punch and a few high kicks. Again, the action is mainly martial arts based rather than six-shooter shootouts, but this benefits the kung fu Western vibe the film is going for.
While the fight action is ample and solid, the running time drags things out at just a tad under two hours. It’s a fairly straightforward narrative that perhaps would have benefited from a lean, mean 85 minutes to keep everything a bit tighter. This also means the sometimes rough-around-the-edges production and wonky acting is evident, meaning those of a more critical persuasion may not be so kind. However, ‘Black Creek’ is nevertheless a fun little kung fu Western that benefits from the ample charm from its stars and some great Möller-infused fight action.
