AllMovie

This blaxploitation sequel is full of appealing elements, but never truly manages to gel. The culprit is William Tennant's screenplay, which attempts to throw in a nod towards every commercial action film trend of its time, including martial arts films, spy thrillers, drug-themed police action, and blaxploitation. As a result, the story feels overplotted due to its attempts to accommodate all these elements. This overabundance of plot also causes the film to lose sight of its heroine, who ends up feeling like part of an ensemble instead of its driving force. Most notably, it fails to give Cleopatra a major role in the action until the film is almost half over. Despite these key storytelling flaws, Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold remains an entertaining affair thanks to a solid cast and slick direction. Tamara Dobson makes an entertainingly sassy heroine and Stella Stevens makes a sly yet menacing foe. Three's Company fans will also be delighted to see the future Mr. Roper, Norman Fell, in a supporting role as Cleopatra's perpetually exasperated boss. There are plenty of fun action set pieces, the highlights being a scene where Mi Ling has to fight off a room of attackers with her arms tied down and the explosive final assault on the Casino of Gold. This action look fantastic thanks to stunt coordinator-turned-director Chuck Bail, who uses his stunt choreography skills to give these moments the maximum impact they need. In the end, Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold is too slight an affair for most modern viewers, but provides enough excitement to make a fun curio for blaxploitation enthusiasts and action buffs.