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

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