In the Line of Duty 4 (1989) [Film Review]

In the Life of Duty 4; or, Someone to Watch Over Me
     We can't be responsible for her emotional state. You know what, Yeung? You are too sentimental. Luk is lying there because of it. I'm beginning to doubt your ability.
After the release of In the Line of Duty 3, D&B Films Company pressed on with the action series about badass police officers by commissioning a fourth instalment with Cynthia Khan slated to return as fearless Inspector Yeung, and accompanied by young and cocky Donnie Yen. Directed by Yuen Woo-ping and produced by Stephen Shin, In the Line of Duty 4 is a classic entry in the series which provides death-defying stunts and exciting fist fights.

Release Info

Directed by: Yuen Woo-ping Starring: Cynthia Khan, Donnie Yen, Yuen Yat-chor, Michael Wong

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 皇家師姐IV直擊證人 Runtime: 94 min

Synopsis
Seattle, USA. Police officers are monitoring a Chinese drug smuggling operation. A local cop witnesses the trade in which a CIA agent takes part. He takes a photo of the agent and tries to escape, but he gets shot by the drug dealers. In his dying moment, he passes on the photo negatives to harbour worker, Luk (Yuen Yat-chor). Luk barely survives the confrontation with the dealers and, fearing for his life, he flees to Hong Kong. Considered to be a suspect who participates in the smuggling endeavour, Luk is now wanted by the police. Inspector Yeung (Cynthia Khan) and Captain Yan (Donnie Yen) are sent to Hong Kong in order to find Luk; however, they are repeatedly interrupted in their search by Captain Wong (Michael Wong).

Witness Protection
I remember seeing In the Line of Duty 4 a couple of years ago and, obviously, I found it to be extremely entertaining. My original copy must have been a rip from a laserdisc due to visible poor quality, but this week, I got my hands on the Blu-ray release and the modern remaster really gives this movie justice it deserves.

From beginning to the end, the movie is filled with bombastic action set pieces revolving around the graceful Cynthia Khan and the brass Donnie Yen. Be it a confrontation with a bloodthirsty biker, fight on top of a speeding ambulance, or sliding down the elevator shaft, all sequences crafted under the watchful eye of Yuen Woo-ping are breathtaking and definitely stand the test of time.

Some fans point out that this movie is more of a Donnie Yen vehicle, than a proper Cynthia Khan flick. Well, I tend to disagree. Both of them have many opportunities to shine in the film, and especially Cynthia seems to be at the top of her game. My favourite girl with a gun plus the leather jacket à la Indian Jones is a double win for me.

The only drawback of the movie is heavily underused Michael Wong. He appears to be a perfect fit for a suave villain, but he has very little stuff to do, apart from the final showdown with Cynthia. Interestingly, Michael also played a police officer in Royal Warriors (1986) (a.k.a. In the Line of Duty Part 1).

From the trivia, I could not help but spot an Easter Egg for Polish viewers. Namely, a Polish trawler called Antares GDY-341 “played” in the opening sequence as the drug boat. Unfortunately, the unit was decommissioned in 1991, so it can’t serve as a relic for movie fanatics like me.

 Recommendations
I highly recommend In the Line of Duty 4 for the fans of Hong Kong action flicks. Watch it for the awesome duo Cynthia Khan and Donnie Yen as well as well choreographed and well paced action that does not let go. In the Line of Duty 4 is a classic cops vs. bandits story.
Overall score: 8/10

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In the Line of Duty 3 (1988) [Film Review]

In the Line of Duty 3; or, The Force of Cynthia Khan

     I won't let that bitch go if I see her!

The 1980s were a great decade for action movies, especially Hong Kong action-oriented productions, as they offered not only martial arts, but also shootouts and lots of explosions. Surprisingly, the 1980s also saw the rise of Girls with Guns genre, a fact to which many social justice warriors are oblivious nowadays. In the Line of Duty 3 (technically, the first movie of this series) is the prominent example of this genre.

Release Info

Directed by: Arthur Wong, Brandy Yuen Starring: Cynthia Khan, Hiroshi Fujioka, Michiko Nishiwaki

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 皇家師姐III雌雄大盜 Runtime: 80 min

 

Synopsis

Tokyo, prestigious jewellery exhibition. Two ruthless terrorists, Nakamura (Stuart Ong) and Nishiwaki (Michiko Nishiwaki), stage a robbery in order to provide finances for the Japanese Red Army. During their bloody escape, the assassins kill a protégé of Inspector Fujioka (Hiroshi Fujioka). The policeman goes after them to Hong Kong where they intend to sell the jewels. In the meantime, a young officer, Madam Yeung (Cynthia Khan), is climbing up the ranks in the police force. Her protective uncle, Inspector Cameron (Paul Chun), does not want her to get hurt, so Yeung is assigned to menial tasks. Only when she is assigned to keep Fujioka out of trouble do the two cops join forces in hunting down the killers.

 

Maximum Impact

Firstly, I should explain that In the Line of Duty is a very loose and ambivalent series. The production company D&B Films Co., Ltd. initially released a string of unrelated action flicks with Michelle Yeoh (then known as Michelle Khan) in the leading role (ex. Yes, Madam! (1985), Royal Warriors (1986), Magnificent Warriors (1987)). When Yeoh married one of the producers, she retired from acting for a good period of 5 years. With the studio wanting to continue their action-oriented productions, they brought in a replacement in the form of… Yang Li-tsing (nicknamed as Cynthia Khan after Yeoh and Rothrock). As a result, with the release of In the Line of Duty 3, the previous Michelle’s films were retroactively incorporated into the series.

 

To be honest, Cynthia Khan’s reputation for being just a Michelle Yeoh’s replacement is quite unfair and harmful. Right from the opening scene, Cynthia proves that she is a very gifted martial artist who is not afraid of the camera. Whenever Yeoh drew a gun, I just saw (great) Yeoh with a gun, but the sight of Cynthia holding a gun, was to me, the image of the real policewoman in action. She is a true action heroine in her own right.

 

With regard to the movie itself, it is filled with typical 80s clichés (cop-on-the-edge on a mission to avenge his partner, violent sex scene which does not further the plot), shifts in tone (light comedy mixed with extreme deaths), city pop atmosphere (disco shootout), and relentlessly non-stop action which ultimately make this film a ridiculously entertaining 30-year-old classic. I would go as far as to say that this movie should be an obligatory screening for every politically-correct snowflake.

 

My only critique limits to the narrative of In the Line of Duty 3. In other words, the plot focuses more on the errands of Inspector Fujioka throughout two thirds of the runtime, and then Cynthia comes into the spotlight in the third act. It seems as if the producers were not sure about giving Cynthia more stuff to do and went with the more established actor instead. Nevertheless, the action sequences are more than rewarding. The three most memorable scenes are Fujioka vs. Nakamura’s fight for life and death at the harbour, Cynthia vs. a henchman in a car, and Cynthia vs. Nishiwaki’s final showdown which is sheer awesomeness incarnate. Two ladies at the top of their game, one trying to kill and the other trying to stay alive: no further comment required.

 

Recommendations

I recommend In the Line of Duty 3 to any fan of Hong Kong action movies. In addition, it is a good way to start your journey through Cynthia Khan’s filmography. Give it a go and you will certainly not regret it. This film is one of the best entries in the series, topped only by In the Line of Duty 4, starring Cynthia and young Donnie Yen, but that sequel deserves its own review.

Overall score: 7/10

Madam City Hunter (1993) [Film Review]

Madam City Hunter; or, This is not a sequel to Jackie Chan's film

      Don't be angry. This is for you. Tofu flower. Isn't it special?

While researching information on the original City Hunter (1993), I stumbled upon this inconspicuous film with a very informative title and my beloved Cynthia Khan in the leading role. Thinking that it’s a sort of rip-off/spin off flick I decided to give it a go and the movie turned out to be completely something else.

Release Info

Directed by: Johnnie Kong Starring: Cynthia Khan, Anthony Wong, Kara Hui, Sheila Chan

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 城市女獵人 Runtime: 98 min

 

Synopsis

Cynthia Khan (most notably known for Yes, Madam!/In the Line of Duty series) plays Officer Ching who accidentally disrupts a gun smuggling operation. Head of the deadly Five Fingers gang in turn frames Ching for killing a group of teenagers. As a result, her superior, Officer Kwong (Tommy Wong), suspends her for the time of the investigation. Ching with the help of a goofy private detective Charlie Chan (Anthony Wong) start the hunt for the gang and the very first lead they find is connected with Ching’s father (Wu Fung) who has recently married the mysterious Siu-Hung (Kara Hui).

Madam Strikes Again

As previously stated, Madam City Hunter has absolutely no connection with Jackie Chan’s City Hunter, however, it has a similar light-hearted tone. On the one hand it is very entertaining in terms of action, but on the other, it fails miserably at humour and plotline development.

What is awesome is that the movie starts right off the bat with an explosive introduction in which Cynthia “scythes” down some random bad guys with guns and grenades. You’d expect the film to slow down after such a great prologue but it doesn’t. What we get is even more kung fu fighting and great action stunts. It is only when Ching gets suspended that the film loses its momentum and relentlessly drags throughout the middle section, only to go out with a bang with an epic final showdown at the bamboo scaffolding (similarity to an action set piece from Rush Hour 2 is purely coincidental).

With regard to the disadvantages, the filmmakers seemed not to have paid much attention to the story at all and treated breaks between action as an opportunity to try out some experimental shooting techniques (like a teenage shootout on acid or Kara Hui’s striptease with lots of rapid zoom-ins) or throw in a bit of comedic relief. In consequence, you have to really focus on the dialogue in order to know what is going on, because otherwise, things may get confusing towards the end. In addition, Sheila Chan (Anthony Wong's sidekick in the film) provides a test of endurance for the viewers with her highly irritable performance that was supposed to be funny. I have nothing against Sheila herself, but unfortunately, screaming like a maniac in front of a camera does not equal comedy by default.

Aside from these disadvantages, the movie is more than watchable. Anthony Wong deserves an honourable mention as a crazy private eye, because he is too cool for school in this role. Not only does he manage to deliver a few laughs, but also has a great deal of fighting scenes which are a pleasure to watch. Kara Hui sadly doesn’t do a lot of combat, but at least we can admire her sex appeal as a deadly femme fatale.

 

Recommendations

On the whole, I enjoyed this movie a little more than Jackie’s City Hunter. If the moments of embarrassing goofiness from the second act had been done away with, Madam City Hunter would have been a classic girls with guns flick. If you’re not patient enough to sit through the silliness to get to the proper stuff, then don’t watch it. Otherwise, I safely recommend this film to anyone who likes good old HK action. Plus, there’s Cynthia Khan and Anthony Wong at the height of their careers.

Overall score: 6/10