While its international title is ROYAL WARRIORS, originally this film was IN THE LINE OF DUTY, the second of a long-running series about hard-hitting kung-fu-fighting female cops in Hong Kong. Inevitably these are excellent action movies for their era which mix car chases and martial arts fights, along with detective stuff and a little comedy. They feel a lot like Jackie Chan's POLICE STORY films, albeit with a little less humour and a more ensemble team. The first four in the series are particularly excellent and helped inspire a decade of similar films from the region.
ROYAL WARRIORS is a must for kung fu fans thanks to the presence of not one but two genre luminaries in the title roles. First up we get a young, agile and athletic Michelle Yeoh as the heroine; while her acting isn't as assured here as later on in her career, she certainly livens up the screen in her many fight scenes. She's given excellent support by imported Japanese star Hiroyuki Sanada (ROARING FIRE) in one of his detours into Chinese cinema. It's a worthy follow-up for him to NINJA IN THE DRAGON'S DEN, and he once again plays the same honourable, hard-assed character.
A lot of people give Michael Wong (IN THE LINE OF DUTY 4) a hard time, but I don't have a problem with the actor and he does well with his annoying-but-likable character in this movie. And the action is very good indeed, as is the suspenseful plot which forever moves forward with very few slow moments; a massacre in a nightclub, inspired by a similar moment in THE TERMINATOR, is the dramatic highlight. Michael Chan Wai-Man always makes for a decent villain too. While I would have liked a few more bad guys for our heroes to go up against - that's where the later sequels have the edge - this is still above average for the genre and a thoroughly entertaining movie.
ROYAL WARRIORS is a must for kung fu fans thanks to the presence of not one but two genre luminaries in the title roles. First up we get a young, agile and athletic Michelle Yeoh as the heroine; while her acting isn't as assured here as later on in her career, she certainly livens up the screen in her many fight scenes. She's given excellent support by imported Japanese star Hiroyuki Sanada (ROARING FIRE) in one of his detours into Chinese cinema. It's a worthy follow-up for him to NINJA IN THE DRAGON'S DEN, and he once again plays the same honourable, hard-assed character.
A lot of people give Michael Wong (IN THE LINE OF DUTY 4) a hard time, but I don't have a problem with the actor and he does well with his annoying-but-likable character in this movie. And the action is very good indeed, as is the suspenseful plot which forever moves forward with very few slow moments; a massacre in a nightclub, inspired by a similar moment in THE TERMINATOR, is the dramatic highlight. Michael Chan Wai-Man always makes for a decent villain too. While I would have liked a few more bad guys for our heroes to go up against - that's where the later sequels have the edge - this is still above average for the genre and a thoroughly entertaining movie.