Yes, Madam! (1985) - A Review

 

The movie that started the 'Girls With Guns' genre in Hong Kong!

 

Yes, Madam! is an action/martial arts comedy film released in Hong Kong in 1985 (a big year in Hong Kong cinema). It stars Michelle Yeoh (known as Michelle Khan at this time), Cynthia Rothrock, John Shum, Mang Hoi, Tsui Hark (yes, the Tsui Hark), James Tien, Dick Wei, Chung Fat, and Melvin Wong. Yes, Madam! was directed by Corey Yuen, with the martial  arts directed also by Corey Yuen and Mang Hoi.

Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock about to show why they are the best.

In Yes, Madam!, Michelle Yeoh plays Senior Inspector Ng, a tough, no nonsense cop in the Royal Hong Kong Police force. At the start of the movie, Inspector Ng deals with a flasher and then an armored car theft. Later that night, an illicit deal is being made in a hotel room between a foreigner and a shady man named Willie (played by Dick Wei). The deal goes wrong, and Willie kills the foreigner. After Willie leaves, two thieves disguised as waitstaff, Aspirin (played by Mang Hoi) and Strepsil (played by John Shum) go into the room to steal the dead man's valuables, not knowing the man was just murdered.

That same night, Ng had plans to visit her friend that was vacationing in Hong Kong for the week. She arrives at the hotel room, and it is the same man that was murdered! She runs out of the room to search for the murderer, and suspects the murderer was someone disguised as a waiter or waitress. She asks for all waitstaff to stay where they are. This allows Willie to escape, right in front of her.

At the police station, Ng finds out her friend Richard Nornen was working undercover, and he had microfilm of documents that proved that happy-go-lucky business man Henry Tin (played by James Tien in one of his most obnoxious roles ever, you just want him to get arrested...or worse) was involved in illegal activities (Henry Tin is getting ready to launch distributing opium into his business plans). Of course, Aspirin and Strepsil unwittingly give the microfilm (hidden in an ID card) to their friend Panadol (played by Tsui Hark), who then sells it to a shady guy going out of town. The police learn of this and plan to catch the guy at the airport, and this is where Carrie Morris (played by Cynthia Rothrock) arrives to help with the case. 

From left: Chung Fat, James Tien, and Dick Wei as the dastardly villains.

Ng and Carrie (who is a detective working for Scotland Yard) don't get along too well at first; they are on the same page, they just have different ways of dealing with suspects. One thing leads to another, and Strepsil and Aspirin try to blackmail Henry Tin into paying them for the microfilm. Things go very bad, and Inspector Ng, Carrie Morris, and Strepsil, go to Tin's mansion to make a trade for the microfilm. As you can imagine, an epic fight ensues, and justice is served...just not in the way you would expect.

Yes, Madam! was the movie that started the 'Girls With Guns' trend in Hong Kong after it released. This movie was also Michelle Yeoh's and Cynthia Rothrock's first starring roles. This is a classic Hong Kong action movie that everyone should see. To think, this movie released one month before Jackie Chan's Police Story. Hong Kong was just swimming in classic action movies in 1985!

Even though Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock are the stars of the movie, a lot of the focus is on the three petty crooks (played by John Shum, Mang Hoi, and Tsui Hark). These three characters argue a lot, and they are mostly comedic. Mang Hoi did win Best Supporting Actor for his role as Aspirin in this movie, so people enjoyed what they saw of these characters. It is also amazing to see legendary movie director Tsui Hark in this movie! His portrayal of Panadol is quirky, funny, and weird. Conversely a lot of the more recent reviews find them annoying, but also mistakenly call this a buddy cop movie. Inspector Ng and Carrie Morris are colleagues in this movie, not buddies. Ng is a bit more calm and reasonable when dealing with suspects, while Carrie beats the crap out of them to get the info she needs! They are on the same page, but go about doing things in their own way. Also, a lot of reviewers say Rothrock gives a poor acting performance in this movie, but you have to understand; this was Cynthia Rothrock's first acting role ever, and it wasn't even in a language she knew how to speak. A lot of reviewers are also unsatisfied with the ending, but it is totally fitting. To talk about it, I would have to spoil it. 

Cynthia Rothrock showing a criminal how it's done! This movie has some incredible fights and stunts!

The action in Yes, Madam! is top notch! Corey Yuen and Mang Hoi outdid themselves with the choreography and stunts in this one! In Michelle Yeoh's introductory action scene, she has to chase after some armored truck thieves and get into a shoot out with them. She shows no fear as she stops the crooks in pretty brutal fashion. In Cynthia Rothrock's introductory scene, she fights off a criminal who tries to take her hostage, showing off her impressive kicks to boot. She shows she can handle herself in a tough situation. Yeoh and Rothrock fight Dick Wei in a restroom, and that is a hard-hitting fight. The choreography is on-point for this scene. The final fight takes place in a glass-filled mansion, and this is where everyone goes all out! Yeoh and Rothrock fight off henchmen first, and these henchmen take some of the most brutal, violent, and painful falls ever put on film! Then, Yeoh and Rothrock take on Henry Tin's enforcers (played by Dick Wei and Chung Fat). These fights are hard-hitting and intricate as well. Maybe a little too hard-hitting, as Dick Wei was not really holding back and injured Cynthia Rothrock in the filming of their fight scene (she went to the hospital and finished the scene anyway). This final fight scene has to be seen to be believed! One of the best fights in Hong Kong cinema, and Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock more than held their own in these fights.

Since Yes, Madam! is not only a classic Hong Kong action movie, but also a classic action movie in general, you have to see it. Yes, there is comedy in this otherwise serious movie, but that is just the Hong Kong style of the time. Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock show why they are the best female action stars ever, and why everyone else pales in comparison to them. It has an awesome end fight that must be seen. Watch this movie. NOW.

 

The DVD I watched for this review. I special ordered it from Tai Seng back in the day.

 

The back cover of the DVD case.

The DVD disc. It was tough to get a picture of this, as the disc is reflective. Just know that the title and Michelle Yeoh striking a tough pose is on the disc!

 

 

 

Reviewed by David Williams