Tiger Cage 3 (1991) [Film Review]

Tiger Cage 3; or, Beware of Femme Fatale
     What have I done? In this world, whoever gets the money also gets the power!
The third part of Tiger Cage is also the final instalment of Yuen Woo-ping’s action thriller trilogy. Interestingly, this particular movie is a sharp breakaway from the style set by the previous pictures. There is more emphasis on drama and economic espionage. Is Tiger Cage 3 a worthy conclusion of the saga about righteous police officers from Hong Kong? Let's see together.

Release Info

Directed by: Yuen Woo-ping Starring: Kwok Leung Cheung, Michael Wong, Sharla Cheung

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 冷面狙擊手 Runtime: 98 min

Synopsis
Inspector James (Kwok Leung Cheung) and his colleague Inspector John (Michael Wong) are investigating a businessman called Lee Siu Bong (Kam-Kong Wong). Thanks to James’ girlfriend, Suki (Sharla Cheung), who works for Lee, the police obtains documents which incriminate the businessman. However, Lee Siu manages to get the papers. He also kidnaps Suki and injures James. In the meantime, John is discharged from the force due to accusations of carrying out blackmail. The friends join forces in an attempt to get even with Lee. However, things do not appear to be as they are…

The Streets Are Hot
After seeing Tiger Cage 1 & 2, I was hopeful that Yuen Woo-ping will deliver yet another action flick with well-made choreography and fast-paced fights. However, Tiger Cage 3 seems to be more like a mash-up between Sam Raimi’s Darkman (1990) and The Bold and The Beautiful (1987) soap opera. Seriously, the main protagonist, Inspector James, ends up getting disfigured by the bad guys due to the documents of his sweetheart (just like in Raimi's film). What is more, the alliances between characters shift more frequently than Windows 10 updates. Towards the third act, you can get pretty confused in the maze of plot twists.

Nevertheless, if you are a fan of Sharla Cheung, then you will find her as the redeeming factor of this story. In fact, Tiger Cage 3 is all about Sharla and her sex appeal. In addition, each scene is an excuse to put her into a new 1980s dress. Honestly, I think that Sharla was doing a much better job in Stephen Chow’s comedies, whereas in Tiger Cage 3 her performance is mediocre at best.

What about the action? Don’t get your hopes, because the fight sequences are scarce. The only confrontations worth nothing are Kwok Leung Cheung vs. John Cheung showdown and the finale at a rooftop of a skyscraper. What is more, Michael Wong is criminally underused in this picture (Yet again, when counting his short appearance in Magnificent Warriors). Michael seems to be the only actor experienced enough to carry this movie, but weak script brings everything down.

That being said, I enjoyed the picturesque panorama of Hong Kong. Tiger Cage 3 is one of the rare movies which show how awesome the city’s downtown area really is. This place is truly one of a kind.

Recommendations
I recommend Tiger Cage 3 only for die-hard fans of Yuen Woo-ping. This movie is the only entry in the trilogy which was made without any solid idea. I guess Yuen must have really liked Darkman when it came out and he wanted to replicate those vigilante vibes. Try to refer to D&B company’s other productions instead, like In the Line of Duty series.

Overall score: 5/10

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Tiger Cage 2 (1990) [Film Review]

Tiger Cage 2: or, Midnight Run
     Do you even know where is the Caribbean Sea?
Director Yuen Woo-ping continues his series of dynamic thrillers about police officers with Tiger Cage 2, the movie that has absolutely nothing in common with the original Tiger Cage apart from the title and a couple of returning actors. This “sequel in name only” is considered by many fans of Hong Kong cinema as the cult classic due to relentlessly electrifying action set pieces and the presence of Doonie Yen as the male lead.

Release Info

Directed by: Yuen Woo-ping Starring: Donnie Yen, Rosamund Kwan, David Wu

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 洗黑錢 Runtime: 102 min

Synopsis
Mandy (Rosamund Kwan) is a lawyer at a prestigious company; however, she witnesses a brutal murder in the parking lot in the course of which a suitcase filled with money laundered by mobsters goes missing. The mobsters presume that Mandy may be in the possession of the money, so they go after her. Due to unexpected circumstances, the lawyer bumps into a hot-headed cop called Dragon (Donnie Yen). The two are framed for killing Mandy’s friend, Petty (Carol Dodo Cheng). As a result, Mandy and Dragon are on the run from the gangsters and the police. With the help of a fellow worker from the company, David (David Wu), the trio decides to find the money and clear their names.

Yes, Madam Goes Places
Tiger Cage 2 is a film produced by the famous D&B company and basically made by the same team of filmmakers who cooked up In the Line of Duty 4 (1989). Donnie Yen finally takes over the wheel as a leading man in this film and we see him battle such popular “bad guys” as Michael Woods and John Salvitti. Even Cynthia Khan herself makes a small appearance as Inspector Yeung. Apart from one nice chase scene, she does not have much to do in this film, but one has to appreciate her wardrobe (this casual white outfit is so slick!)

Yet, Cynthia Khan is not the only cutie who appears in Tiger Cage 2. Carol Cheng makes a surprise appearance as the love interest of the main villain, but she only has two scenes to play in. The real heroine of this picture is the beautiful Rosamund Kwan who portrays a standard damsel in distress with a baggage of foreseeable clichés. Nevertheless, it is a joy to see Donnie save her skin time and time again.

With regard to action, Yuen Woo-ping really tried to push the envelope with this project. In comparison with the original film, the fights are much bolder and bigger in scope. The sequences that stood out the most for me was the double-decker bus chase, Cynthia Khan vs. Leung Lam-Ling confrontation, and the epic sword fight between Donnie and John Salvitti. All of that coupled with synthwave-like music score by Richard Yuen amounts to a great viewing experience.

The only disadvantage of Tiger Cage 2 I can think of is a mediocre villain. Robin Shou is a very good actor but he is no match for the charismatic Simon Yam who dominated the first movie. I think someone like Andy Lau or Tony Leyng Ka-fai would have been a better choice.

Recommendations
If you like straightforward beat-em-ups, then I recommend Tiger Cage 2. In the Line of Duty 4 is a better cop film in my opinion, but this also a fine endeavour from director Yuen Woo-ping. Now, I’m off to check out Tiger Cage 3.

Overall score: 8/10

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Tiger Cage (1988) [Film Review]

Tiger Cage; or, Between a Rock and a Hard Place
     We bachelors really envy your true feelings. You're lucky, you're quitting tomorrow.
Tiger Cage is a trilogy of films made by Yuen Woo-ping between 1988 and 1991 which focus on the hard life of Hong Kong cops who solve criminal cases. The first movie in the series is a hard-edged thriller with an excellent cast and explosive action.

Release Info

Directed by: Yuen Woo-ping Starring: Jacky Cheung, Simon Yam, Donnie Yen, Carol Cheng

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 特警屠龍 Runtime: 92 min

Synopsis
Officer Hsiu (Leung Kar-Yan) together with his anti-narcotics team raid the smuggling den. The policeman is chasing a bad guy (Johnny Wang) during the raid. The mobster is presumably shot dead, but he actually survives and takes his revenge on Hsiu by killing him. Shirley (Carol Dodo Cheng) who was about to marry Hsiu finds it hard to get over the loss of her fiancé. She is consoled by Inspector Wong (Simon Yam). In the meantime, two officers, Fan Chun-yau (Jacky Cheung) and Terry (Donnie Yen) discover that their partner, Uncle Tat (Ng Man-Tat) actually cooperates with drug dealers. When they present the evidence to Inspector Wong, they unknowingly put themselves in danger…

Upholding the Law
Tiger Cage seems like a prelude to Yuen Woo-ping's other classic action film In the Line of Duty IV (1989). Indeed, action set pieces are exhilarating and Donnie Yen appears as the righteous cop. (Un)surprisingly his character is killed off early on in the picture, mostly due to the fact that Donnie was not then as popular as Jacky Cheung who is the real leading man.

Great cast and excellent fight sequences are indeed the main advantages of Tiger Cage. It is a pleasure to see Donnie Yen facing off against Michael Woods and Jacky Cheung battling the intimidating Simon Yam. Interestingly, Carol Cheng (during pre-Her Fatal Ways days) shines in the film, in spite of having small screen time. Also, Ng Man-Tat has a lot of stuff to do in the movie, contrary to being just a comic relief as in his many other roles from the 1990s.

The only disadvantage of Tiger Cage, I would say, is the film’s tendency to crank up that aspect of uncomfortability to the max in certain scenes. For instance, the death scene of the character played by the graceful Irene Wan is too harrowing and too out of the blue. In contrast, Uncle Tat is the story’s main punching bag, but he survives every ordeal.

A word of caution: if you expect to see traditional sequels, it is best to say out-front that Tiger Cage 2 and Tiger Cage 3 are completely unrelated to the original film, even though some of the cast members (Donnie Yen and Carol Cheng) return in new roles. The follow-ups present completely independent storylines.

Recommendations
That being said, I admit that Tiger Cage is a pleasant viewing. If you like the cops vs. bandits spectacles , then I recommend the film. In addition, the 1980s vibes and suave Simon Yam as well as Jacky Cheung on the edge are awesome bonuses. Gotta love classic Hong Kong productions.Overall score: 8/10

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