Here we go again: another early-90's low-budget Hong Kong action film where the action is great and the film is sloppy. The good news is that the fight scenes (choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping) are fast, intricate and very well-performed; the bad news is that while you're waiting for them, you are subjected to a story that is not only uninteresting but often doesn't even make sense from scene to scene, and to humor that, more often than not, misses the mark. It doesn't help any that the English subtitles (on my World Video version at least) become just about invisible against white backgrounds, which means that any non-Chinese-speaking viewer is losing entire sentences of dialogue. On the bright side, Cynthia Khan looks very beautiful, plays a fearless character, and is in top fighting form. Kara Hui spends most of the film being seductive, but also gets a couple of fights near the end; however, this is mainly a showcase for Cynthia and Anthony Wong, and they are both up to the challenge. In short: enjoy the fights, but prepare to be scratching your head in-between them. (**1/2)
4 Reviews
The problem is the middle part of the film
unbrokenmetal30 November 2003
A young lady and her father are threatened by a gang named the Five Fingers. Private eye Charlie comes to the rescue. A movie with a couple of funny moments (mostly to Charlie's credit) and a great fight scene with Cynthia Khan and a gangster hanging from the scaffolding of a construction site with one hand or one leg and somehow still managing to continue the fight! The problem is the middle part of the film where most of the time is spent talking about the father and if he should marry again. After a speedy beginning, the movie is losing so much drive in the middle that it is a bit hard to sit through, but the final action sequences made it worthwhile still. Voted 5/10.
Madam City Hunter
coltras3520 December 2022
Cynthia Khan plays Officer Ching who accidentally disrupts a gun smuggling operation. Head of the deadly Five Fingers gang in turn frames Ching for killing a group of teenagers. As a result, her superior, Officer Kwong, suspends her for the time of the investigation. Ching with the help of a goofy private detective Charlie Chan start the hunt for the gang and the very first lead they find is connected with Ching's father who has recently married mysterious Siu Hung.
Starts out quite well, with sharply done fights, and you think you're in for a gritty and exciting ride, however it takes a U-turn into heavy comedy, quirky one at that, which sometimes borders on the bizarre. This can be amusing but it gets tedious midway, and you are wishing that Cynthia gets to fight, and that wish comes true at the end with some well done Kung fu. Still, the film is muddled, and confusing at times. I didn't get the ending where Cynthia's father is still with the woman who was planning to kill him for his inheritance. Did she change her ways? Well, this certainly isn't explained. But this isn't a too bad watch and that's because of Cynthia Khan who is beautiful, fights really well- she's a babe!
Starts out quite well, with sharply done fights, and you think you're in for a gritty and exciting ride, however it takes a U-turn into heavy comedy, quirky one at that, which sometimes borders on the bizarre. This can be amusing but it gets tedious midway, and you are wishing that Cynthia gets to fight, and that wish comes true at the end with some well done Kung fu. Still, the film is muddled, and confusing at times. I didn't get the ending where Cynthia's father is still with the woman who was planning to kill him for his inheritance. Did she change her ways? Well, this certainly isn't explained. But this isn't a too bad watch and that's because of Cynthia Khan who is beautiful, fights really well- she's a babe!
The martial arts action stands out much more than the lame brain comedy
jordondave-2808511 October 2023
(1992) Madam City Hunter
(In Chinese with English subtitles)
ACTION/ COMEDY
Comedy is not that funny and the plot line about daughter of cop played by Cynthia Kahn attempting to prevent her wealthy father to marry a much younger lady who appears to look like a gold digger working whose alongside with some gangsters, resorting to the daughter to involve a Private Investigator Anthony Wong and his goofy female sidekick, leaving with the action which is why I'm giving this film a positive rating! Bonified "Asian Trash Cinema". I don't care too much for the comedy as much as I do for the action, which I thought the martial arts is as good as any mother martial arts made during that time.
Comedy is not that funny and the plot line about daughter of cop played by Cynthia Kahn attempting to prevent her wealthy father to marry a much younger lady who appears to look like a gold digger working whose alongside with some gangsters, resorting to the daughter to involve a Private Investigator Anthony Wong and his goofy female sidekick, leaving with the action which is why I'm giving this film a positive rating! Bonified "Asian Trash Cinema". I don't care too much for the comedy as much as I do for the action, which I thought the martial arts is as good as any mother martial arts made during that time.
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