Devil Hunters (1989) - A Review

 

Classic, yet infamous, girls with guns movie.

Devil Hunters (also known as Ultra Force 2, Red Force 3, and Megaforce 2) is an action/crime/girls with guns movie released in Hong Kong in 1989 and stars Sibelle Hu, Moon Lee, Ray Lui, Michael Chan, Alex Man, Ken Lo, Francis Ng Chun-yu, and Wong Wai. It was directed by Tony Lou Chun-Ku, with action directed by Chui Fat and action choreographed by Lung Sang. Devil Hunters is most famous for the botched stunt that occurs at the end of the movie.

Sibelle Hu (left) and Moon Lee gearing up to kick butt!

In Devil Hunters, Superintendent Tsang (played by Alex Man) is leading his team in trying to arrest Hon San (played by Wong Wai), a Triad boss. He has his best officer on the case, Tong Fung (played by Sibelle Hu). Unbeknownst to them, Chun Bing (played by Moon Lee) is also tracking down Hon San. Chun Bing ruins the police's big ambush, allowing Hon San to escape. During this, Chai Yuet (played by Ray Lui), the son of a rival Triad boss, helps his father escape. Hon San believes this rival Triad boss was in on the police ambush, so he sends his right hand man Chiu Sing (played by Francis Ng) to assassinate the boss (which happens right in front of Chai Yuet).  

Chun Bing tries to work with Chai Yuet; she wants Chai to bring her Hon San alive, but he refuses. She then tries to work with Tong Fung and the police, but things go wrong, and a beloved officer is killed during an incident with Hon San's gang. Tong Fung is now determined to get Hon San. Eventually, Chun Bing gets Hon San, and she works with Yin Fu (played Michael Chan), one of Hon San's loyal gang members, to get him to the Philippines. Things go wrong, secrets are revealed, and Tong Fung, Chun Bing, and Chai Yuet have to work together to capture the big man responsible for everything...

Ray Lui kicks some serious butt in this!

I first heard of Devil Hunters on an Asian cinema message board in the early 2000s in a topic about the most dangerous stunts/the most serious injuries in Hong Kong cinema. Reading about what happened was pretty shocking. I kept that movie in mind for years, until I finally was able to watch it on Hulu of all places (back when Hulu was free). Finally seeing the actual stunt play out, it was way worse than described in that message board thread! Basically, the three main characters (Moon Lee, Sibelle Hu, and Ray Lui) are supposed to jump out of a second story window as an explosion goes off behind them. Unfortunately, too much gun powder was used, and the explosion goes off a bit early, causing the flames of the explosion to engulf the actors, mainly Moon Lee and Sibelle Hu. Because Sibelle Hu seemed hesitant to do the stunt (she is not ready to jump when the others start their jump), she got the worst injuries. You can see in the movie that she is totally engulfed in the flames as she plummets to the ground. It's brutal. You would think maybe the producers and director would do something different for the ending and not use the botched stunt in the movie, but no. The stunt footage is used at the end, and it is shown from multiple angles! A message is shown at the end of the movie acknowledging the botched stunt and commending and wishing the actors well. The end credits show all the newspaper stories covering the accident. All three actors suffered third degree burns and were hospitalized.

To me, it seems the accident affected the plot of the movie in some ways. Since the action and stunts are usually filmed first, and then the acting scenes are filmed later, the three main actors may not have been available for their scenes (since they were recovering from the accident). As a result, Sibelle Hu disappears during the middle of the film, Moon Lee is not involved in a lot of action until the end, and close ups of Moon Lee and Sibelle Hu seem to be filmed at different locations than the ones the scenes they are in are taking place. Ray Lui (who jumped first and seemed to be the least injured) has the most screen time of the three. Michael Chan also gets his own action scene, to perhaps make up for the lack of Moon Lee and Sibelle Hu action at the end.

The infamous stunt. Sibelle Hu is in the middle.

 Despite all this, the movie is pretty good! The plot may be a little convoluted, but it is interesting throughout. Let's just say, what's going on with the villains is not all what it seems. The acting is very good, with Michael Chan putting in a surprising performance as a family man (if you know the types of roles he is known for, this role is a surprise). Francis Ng is a complete bastard in this movie as well.

The action is excellent in Devil Hunters. The fight scenes are fast, hard-hitting, and creative. Moon Lee is amazing, as always. Ray Lui surprised me with his skills, he's really good! Ray Lui and Ken Lo have a brutal fight at the end. The final fight is great as well, with Moon Lee, Sibelle Hu, and Ray Lui teaming up to take out the final boss. There are a lot of gun battles as well. Lots of explosions, too. This movie has it all in the action department.

So, should you watch Devil Hunters? I say yes. Despite the controversial botched stunt, the movie is good, the action is top notch, and the music rocks too. This is an excellent example of the girls with guns film genre. Devil Hunters is the best and the worst of the girls with guns genre, as well: Awesome action done by awesome actresses, but conversely, the exploitive actions of the producers of the movie using the accident to hype up the movie is lamentable. Watch Devil Hunters and show respect to Sibelle Hu, Moon Lee, and Ray Lui; three actors who almost gave their lives for the entertainment of the audience.

Reviewed by David Williams