In The Line Of Duty 3 (1988) - A Review

 

Cynthia Khan busts onto the Hong Kong movie scene with In The Line Of Duty 3.

In The Line Of Duty 3 (also known as Yes Madam 2, Force Of The Dragon, and  In the Line of Duty - Part 3) is a martial arts crime comedy movie released in Hong Kong in 1988 and stars Cynthia Khan, Fujioka Hiroshi, Nishiwaki Michiko, Stuart Ong, Paul Chun Pui, Dick Wei, Sandra Ng Kwun-Yu, Benny Law Ching-Ho, and Yueh Hua. Brandy Yuen and Arthur Wong directed the movie, with martial arts directed by Chris Lee Kin-Sang, Tony Leung Siu-Hung, Brandy Yuen, Yuen Cheung-Yan, and Yuen Yat-Choh. In The Line Of Duty 3 was Cynthia Khan's debut film.

Fujioka Hiroshi (left) as Hiroshi Fujioka and Cynthia Khan as Madam Yeung, our two heroes.

In In The Line Of Duty 3, Cynthia Khan plays Yeung Lai-Ching, a young cop who has been promoted to her uncle Insp. Cameron Chuen's (played by Paul Chun Pui) squad in the Hong Kong police force. Being her uncle, Insp. Chuen doesn't want Madam Yeung to get involved in dangerous police cases. Eventually, a major case comes in, and Madam Yeung gets thrust into the action.

The case they are working on involves two Red Army terrorists (played by Nishiwaki Michiko and Stuart Ong) who steal jewels at a fashion show in Japan, and brutally kill people in the process. Interpol agent Hiroshi Fujioka (played by Fujioka Hiroshi, yes, the first Kamen Rider) and his young partner are there and chase the terrorists. Unfortunately, the terrorists kill Fujioka's partner and get away. Fujioka vows to find the terrorists and kill them in revenge for his partner. The terrorists go to Hong Kong to sell the jewels to get money for a cache of weapons. After finding out the jewels are fake, the terrorists go on a search for the fashion designer they stole the jewels from to kill him. Fujioka follows them to Hong Kong, and Madam Yeung is assigned to keep him out of trouble. As you can imagine, Fujioka cannot be stopped in his quest for vengeance, and Madam Yeung gets thrust into the middle of this conflict. Things go from bad to worse, and Madam Yeung has to deal with the terrorists on her own terms...

Nishiwaki Michiko (left) and Stuart Ong as the Red Army terrorists. Yes, things get kinky during this scene...

After Michelle Khan (Michelle Yeoh) got married and retired from acting, D&B films wanted to continue the successful In The Line Of Duty franchise with a new actress. They chose Cynthia Khan (real name Yang Li-tsing, her name is a combination of Cynthia Rothrock and Michelle Khan's, two of the most successful female action stars at that time) to star in In The Line Of Duty 3, and they really did everything they could to make her a credible action star. Their efforts were successful, as Cynthia Khan showed she can live up to her namesakes, and bring something all her own to the role.

As Madam Yeung, Cynthia is shown as being very smart, strong, brave, and physically capable and skilled to take on any violent crime. Throughout the movie, the stakes are raised higher and higher, and Cynthia rises to the occasion every time. She is determined to catch the bad guys no matter what. On the other hand, Nishiwaki Michiko (you may remember her as the muscular woman in My Lucky Stars, 1985) who plays one of the terrorists, is absolutely ruthless! She is relentless in her vengeance, and is a very tough foe for Cynthia. Her character is very... sensual in a way (you have to see the movie to see what I'm talking about). Similarly,  Fujioka Hiroshi, the Japanese Interpol agent, is driven by revenge as well. His role is actually similar to Hiroyuki Sanada's role in Royal Warriors (1986). He does everything he can to avenge the death of his partner, but it causes more problems for Cynthia and the Hong Kong police force.

The tone of the movie is mixed; it is mostly a comedy, but things get violent and gritty as well. On the comedy side, we have a few cameos from the My Lucky Stars cast. Richard Ng and Eric Tsang seem  straight up to be playing their characters from My Lucky Stars. The relationship between Madam Yeung, her uncle the Inspector, and his squad is comical. On the other hand, the terrorists are violent and vicious. There are violent shoot-outs, massive explosions, and gritty fights. There is nothing funny going on involving them. Hey, it's an 80s Hong Kong action movie! This is to be expected, and I would not have it any other way!

Cynthia Khan kicks major butt in this movie!

The action in In The Line Of Duty 3 is hard-hitting. Cynthia Khan shows off her fighting skills well in this, and she gets put through the wringer. Not only does she have to fight Nishiwaki Michiko, but she has to fight the ferocious Dick Wei at the same time! This is a great fight, and shows Madam Yeung's intelligence as well. She has to use her wits as well as her brawn to defeat them and survive. Fujioka Hiroshi and Stuart Ong have a gritty fight to the death that isn't so much about martial arts skill, but about doing any thing they can to maim and kill each other. It's an amazing fight that will have you on the edge of you seat! The choreography is very good; it's fast, fluid, and impactful. 

In conclusion, I highly recommend watching In The Line Of Duty 3! It may not be as good as its predecessors, Yes, Madam! or Royal Warriors, but it is good in its own way. It has comedy, cameos, emotion, and awesome action. Really, the action is the main reason to watch this, as is Cynthia Khan, who makes her film debut in smashing fashion. Cynthia has gone on to star in more action classics through the years, and she should get the respect she deserves as an action star.

Here is the original export trailer:

Reviewed by David Williams

Outlaw Brothers (1990) - A Review

 

Outlaw Brothers is a solid 90s Hong Kong action movie!

Outlaw Brothers is an action/martial arts comedy movie released in Hong Kong in 1990. It stars Frankie Chan, Yukari Oshima, Max Mok, Michiko Nishiwaki, Michael Miu, Sheila Chan, Sharon Kwok, Mark Houghton, Vincent Lyn, and Jeffrey Falcon. Outlaw Brothers was directed by Frankie Chan; with Fung Hak-On,  Yuen Shun-Yi, and Cheng Chi-Ho as martial arts directors.

In Outlaw Brothers, Frankie Chan plays James, who along with his best friend Bond (played by Max Mok) steal expensive cars for their very rich boss. James and Bond live the high life with the money they get paid for stealing cars. Bond wants to marry his girlfriend (played by Sharon Kwok), but it seems James and her had a previous relationship. James also has a younger sister (played by Sheila Chan), whose boyfriend is in a criminal group and regularly physically abuses her.

The heroes: from left- Max Mok, Frankie Chan, and Yukari Oshima.

Trouble starts when Sergeant Tai Hwa Wang (played by Michael Miu) uses his superior officer's car to catch some car thieves in action. Unfortunately for him, James and Bond steal the car in a moment of distraction. Later on, a rival gang wants James and Bond to steal a car for them, which Bond is forced to agree to. James and Bond decide to 'steal' James' car and report it to the police so the gang will get arrested. This is where Detective Tequila (played by Yukari Oshima) comes into the picture. She sneaks into the garage full of stolen cars, beats everyone up, including the gang boss, and gets the car back.

When James goes to get his car, Tequila goes undercover to find out more about him and his line of work. James is immediately smitten by Tequila. They go on a car ride, flirt a little, dance a little, break into a house, fight off gang members, you know the usual. At first their relationship is very shaky, but as Tequila sees what a good man James is, she begins to soften her stance on him. Throughout this courtship, Wang is frustrated that his crush Tequila is interested in the suspicious James!

Eventually, James' sister reveals that she is pregnant, and that she doesn't want her boyfriend to participate in an upcoming race (involving criminals). She asks James to steal his race car so he can't race. James and Bond steal the car, but are caught red-handed by Tequila and the police squad. She lets them go, much to the frustration of Wang. James and Bond find a certain something hidden in the car's gas tank, and this stolen car is very important to Miego (played by Michiko Nishiwaki), a coked up crime boss who is the mortal enemy of Tequila. All of this leads to Tequila, James, and Bond confronting Miego and her criminal gang in a final battle!

Michiko Nishiwaki and Jeffrey Falcon have a serious conversation while Sheila Chan enjoys the heck out of her champagne.

Outlaw Brothers is a somewhat underrated 90s martial arts action movie. The fighting is really good in this, but a lot of people don't really like the plot or the comedy. I'm okay with it. The comedy is decent. There are some funny lines said between James and Tequila during their first meeting. Some good physical comedy as well. The incredible Sheila Chan is in this, but she doesn't play a comedic character. Her character is actually quite tragic. There is one funny scene with her, though the scene is supposed to be serious. There are some messed up jokes in this about AIDS (City Hunter also had a horrible AIDS joke, but it has been 'translated' into something else in the most recent releases), and this movie shows real chickens getting needlessly killed... so this movie may not be for everyone.

Frankie Chan plays James as a goodhearted, humble, elegant thief. He's a criminal, but you can't help but like him. Yukari Oshima plays a tough, no nonsense cop as Tequila, who begins to soften a little as she gets to know James better. I will say, it is nice to see her play a hero. The movies I've seen her in, she usually plays a villain or a more neutral character. Yukari Oshima is awesome in Outlaw Brothers! Michiko Nishiwaki plays the main villain Miego, and man is she ruthless. It is disconcerting seeing her snort cocaine as well. Michiko is great in this, though! Michael Miu as Wang is hilarious as the jealous partner of Tequila. That guy just never wins in this movie!

Yukari Oshima is a fighting machine in this movie. This is one woman you do not want to mess with!

What this movie may supposedly lacks in an original story, it makes up for in awesome fight scenes! Frankie Chan and, especially, Yukari Oshima really get to show off their skills in this one! At the beginning of the movie, Frankie Chan has to fight off a bunch of security guards in a parking garage, and ends up using a broom to hold them off! Frankie even gets to fight the head security guard, played by the legendary Fung Hak-On. Yukari Oshima's introductory scene has her sneaking into a garage that houses stolen cars, and a bunch of thugs as well. Yukari proceeds to destroy those thugs with no remorse, causing damage to the stolen cars in the process! She kicks the boss through a window, and he lands on a car a level below. That guy had what was coming to him, though. The final fight scene has the best fights, with Frankie Chan & Yukari Oshima facing off against Mark Houghton, Jeffrey Falcon, Vincent Lyn, and others in a storage facility. These fights are hard-hitting, fast, and intricate. It is also cool to see traditional kung fu styles used in the fight scenes. Good stuff, and Jackie Chan had a hand in some of the choreography in it.

So, should you see Outlaw Brothers? I would say yes if you love Hong Kong style action. Once again, there is a cruel joke and needless animal cruelty in this, so you may want to avoid. Overall, Frankie Chan did a good job with this movie. He really let Yukari Oshima shine as the butt kicker she truly is. It is really unfortunate she never became a huge star on the level of Michelle Yeoh or Cynthia Rothrock, because she had the skills and the screen presence. Watch this movie for the fights and for Yukari Oshima!

Cover of the DVD I watched for this review. That is not an accurate representation of what Yukari Oshima looks like in this movie (or in general)!

Back cover of the Dragon Dynasty DVD release of Outlaw Brothers.

The DVD disc art. Pretty cool, eh?

Reviewed by David Williams