Killer Angels (1989) - A Review

 

Killer Angels is a really good 'Girls With Guns' movie!

Killer Angels (also known as Ultra Force) is a Hong Kong martial arts/action movie released in 1989. Killer Angels is usually categorized as a 'Girls With Guns' or 'Bullet Ballet' movie that became popular in Hong Kong in the mid 80s to the mid 90s. It stars Moon Lee, Kingdom Yuen King-Tan, Yuen Hung, Takajo Fujimi, Lau Siu-Kwan, Gordon Liu, Leung Kar-yan, and Mark Houghton. The movie was directed by Tony Lou Chun-Ku, with action directed by Chui Fat.

Bow down to Moon Lee, an incredible action star.

In Killer Angels, Moon Lee plays Yau Li, a member of the Blue Angels (an elite group hired by the police for special cases). She and her partner, Rose (played by Kingdom Yuen King-Tan) are hired to protect a former Triad member Jacky Chan (played by Lau Siu-Kwan), who claims to have a list of names of members of the Shadow Gangsters Triad he just left. Yau Li also goes undercover at a nightclub to find evidence that the boss of the nightclub (played by Leung Kar-yan) is actually the boss of the Shadow Gangsters. While working there, the boss's enforcer Michael (played by Gordon Liu) seems to have feelings for Yau Li. The boss's daughter (played by Takajo Fujimi) is incredibly interested in Michael, so she naturally hates Yau Li's guts!

While undercover Yau Li finds out that the female workers at the nightclub are being sent overseas for prostitution. A new member of the Blue Angels joins them in the safehouse later on. Amy (played by Yuen Hung) has a tragic past, and she wants to kill Jacky Chan! Eventually, secrets on both sides come out, people die for them, and Yau Li is determined to bring in the Shadow Gangsters' boss!

Takajo Fujimi is fierce in her role as the boss's daughter!

Killer Angels is a cult classic 'Girls with Guns' movie. This one may not be as well known and regarded as Yes, Madam! or Iron Angels, but it's still really good! I watched the English dub of this, so what I wrote in the plot summary may not be totally accurate to the original Cantonese version, but it is an interesting movie that is never boring. Moon Lee is the unflappable heroine, doing what must be done to stop the criminals. She is awesome in this. Not only does she get to show off her fighting skills, but also her singing and dancing skills as well. A lot of people like this aspect of the movie! Gordon Liu plays a villain in this, but he's a villain with a heart. It is a bit unclear whether he is in love with Moon Lee's character, or if he's just protective of her. Gordon Liu doesn't fight at all in this, but he uses his huge gun a lot! Yuen Hung is amazing in this as well. Her backstory is tragic, and her rage is understandable. She is a top-notch fighter! Takajo Fujimi as the boss's daughter is ferocious! She absolutely hates Moon Lee's character! She shows no mercy to anyone! She's awesome. Finally, Leung Kar-yan as the nightclub boss/suspected Shadow Gangsters boss, is actually pretty similar to the final boss Yuen Wah plays in Dragons Forever. Same huge glasses, business suit, and cigar. He's great in this movie. He is not obviously evil...until he is.

And yes, it is weird that the guy the Blue Angels are protecting is named Jacky Chan. This guy is constantly trying to get with the females in the safehouse, and in one instance Rose has to kick his butt to get him to stop! I do wonder if naming him Jacky was some kind of inside joke that we aren't aware of....

A nice little reminder among all the death and chaos going on in this scene!

The action in Killer Angels is really good! I will say, the fight scenes are actually pretty short, but they have great choreography. Moon Lee's fight against some henchmen in a shipping port is really good. She does some graceful, yet powerful moves in that one. Moon Lee vs. Yuen Hung is great as well. They fight all over the safehouse, with Moon Lee just trying to stop Hung from killing Jacky. Yuen Hung does some awesome kicks and acrobatics, and one awesome move is a jumping double side kick that Moon Lee blocks perfectly. Moon Lee fights Mark Houghton in a good one as well. Mark Houghton shows of his skills well! The final fight is between Moon Lee and Yuen Kar-yan, and it is acrobatic and hard-hitting. They are going all over the place in that fight! Really good fight, but ends faster than you'd like.

Killer Angels is a good movie! Or at least, it's a good movie if you love action, gunplay, martial arts, explosions, and women who kick butt. I highly recommend it if you're into those things. There are a lot of gun fights, martial arts fights, explosions, car chases, and betrayals to last you a good long while. If you couldn't tell, I really like this movie. Check it out! Moon Lee is incredible, and more people need to see her in action.

Reviewed by David Williams