"Mission of Justice" opens with a bang: a short fight between Moon Lee and Gary Daniels (yes, THAT Gary Daniels), even before the title appears on the screen. The first half of the movie has some pretty good action scenes, although it's quite atypical in having Yukari Oshima a) being the cute good girl, b) generally getting her butt kicked. But the middle is alternately boring (lots and lots of scenes of people traveling through Thai jungles) and misguided (THREE women get raped - isn't there enough exploitation of women in other films, do we really need to find it in a Moon Lee - Yukari Oshima vehicle?). The two leads disappear for a long time, and the baddies take over. When they reappear at the end, you start getting prepared for some more good action, but much of it is spoiled by excessive use of slow motion and "echoing" sound effects. Not one of the better films in either woman's catalogue. ** out of 4.
5 Reviews
Mostly skippable
CobraMist30 November 2020
Mission of Justice follows several female law enforcement officers as they try to bring down a criminal organization. As is typical for these sorts of movies, there is also a rival criminal organization that is trying to expand its power/territory. All in all pretty typical stuff.
Mission of Justice features a few fun gun battles but sadly they are primarily located and the beginning and end of the movie. In between we are treated to some mostly bloodless fights that are neither exceptionally good, bad, or ridiculous; they are just very average. Squibs are used for some of the bullet wounds, albeit not as liberally as in similar movies. Stabbings and explosions are kept to a minimum with the exception of the final fight where a super shotgun, ala Hard Boiled (1992) gets some screen time.
Most of action takes place in a rural area so you will not get the same slimy city feel that exists in many "girls with guns" and "heroic bloodshed" flicks. The dialog (my copy was dubbed) is also lacking; opting for standard tough cop/criminal lines instead of something more unique. Unlike some of Godfrey Ho's additions to the "girls with guns" sub-genre, Mission of Justice never reaches the bizarre heights that titles such as Born to Fight (1990) or Angel Enforcers (1989). The movie is also very focused on the main story so we are not treated to very many fun subplots for the heroines to punch and shoot their way out of. There's one bad guy who rises slightly above the uniformity that the rest exist at but he is mostly squandered and really only gets to have fun at the beginning and end of the movie.
Overall I would not suggest this to anyone other then people who are big fans of "girls with guns" movies and who are desperate for something they have not seen. They might be able to find that the high points redeem the rest of the movie. Everyone else is not likely to.
Mission of Justice features a few fun gun battles but sadly they are primarily located and the beginning and end of the movie. In between we are treated to some mostly bloodless fights that are neither exceptionally good, bad, or ridiculous; they are just very average. Squibs are used for some of the bullet wounds, albeit not as liberally as in similar movies. Stabbings and explosions are kept to a minimum with the exception of the final fight where a super shotgun, ala Hard Boiled (1992) gets some screen time.
Most of action takes place in a rural area so you will not get the same slimy city feel that exists in many "girls with guns" and "heroic bloodshed" flicks. The dialog (my copy was dubbed) is also lacking; opting for standard tough cop/criminal lines instead of something more unique. Unlike some of Godfrey Ho's additions to the "girls with guns" sub-genre, Mission of Justice never reaches the bizarre heights that titles such as Born to Fight (1990) or Angel Enforcers (1989). The movie is also very focused on the main story so we are not treated to very many fun subplots for the heroines to punch and shoot their way out of. There's one bad guy who rises slightly above the uniformity that the rest exist at but he is mostly squandered and really only gets to have fun at the beginning and end of the movie.
Overall I would not suggest this to anyone other then people who are big fans of "girls with guns" movies and who are desperate for something they have not seen. They might be able to find that the high points redeem the rest of the movie. Everyone else is not likely to.
Mission of justice
coltras3531 December 2022
When a Hong Kong arms dealer only identified as Somi escapes to the Golden Triangle in South-East Asia to establish an alliance with a drug lord, two military agents from Hong Kong, Moon (Moon Lee) and Bullet (Yukari Oshima) are dispatched to assist with his arrest.
Moon Lee and Yukari Oshima (here for once with long hair, which suits her very well) are undercover agents in Thailand to bust an international drug dealer ring, and they do their usual thang which is taking on the bad guys, but not before some "spy trade", however the villains aren't stupid, and figure out they are being followed, and their calls tapped. The story is formulaic and relatively simple, and there's nothing wrong with that as it's pacey and rarely there's a boring moment. There's some tension. The fights are all pretty cool, though the ones at the end is marred by slow-motion Kung-fu. The shootings are pretty bloody, and a beautifully exotic and effective setting is offered to unleash plenty of action. There's some unnecessary sexual violence. Two of the main villains should've got shot than just captured.
Moon Lee and Yukari Oshima (here for once with long hair, which suits her very well) are undercover agents in Thailand to bust an international drug dealer ring, and they do their usual thang which is taking on the bad guys, but not before some "spy trade", however the villains aren't stupid, and figure out they are being followed, and their calls tapped. The story is formulaic and relatively simple, and there's nothing wrong with that as it's pacey and rarely there's a boring moment. There's some tension. The fights are all pretty cool, though the ones at the end is marred by slow-motion Kung-fu. The shootings are pretty bloody, and a beautifully exotic and effective setting is offered to unleash plenty of action. There's some unnecessary sexual violence. Two of the main villains should've got shot than just captured.
Pretty good Girls-with-Guns actioner...
rudeboy80806 August 2002
'Mission of Justice' is an offering from the girls-with-guns genre that probably isn't as memorable as 'Yes, Madam', the 'In The Line Of Duty' saga, or the 'Angel' films(which were made prior to 'MOJ' and also star Moon Lee Choi-fung and Yukari Oshima), but it's still quite entertaining. The film combines espionage and commando-like action(Moon Lee and Yukari Oshima even wear brown camoflouge)in a story that takes place in the Golden Triangle in Southest Asia. Moon(Moon Lee) and Bullet(Yukari Oshima) are two agents who work for the supposedly ficticious Anti-Crime League led by Colonel Carry(Carrie Ng). There's a prolouge where Gary Daniels and Moon Lee are hunting eachother. Why it happens in the film is difficult to explain. Moon and Bullet are sent to spy on a woman named Yie Feng, who runs white slavery, counterfeiting, and drug smuggling rings. Yie Feng plans on selling large amounts of narcotics to a man named Somi and his henchman, Hans. Moon and Bullet recieve assistance from Mr. Ma( of Station 'B', in what I have to assume is Burma). When Mr. Ma is killed and Moon and Bullet's covers are blown, they join Colonel Carry and her troops in an attempt to bring Yie Feng, Somi, and Hans to justice. As with most girls-with-guns actioners, the plots are somewhat sub-standard in quality, the budgets are miniscule, the music scores(assuming it's not stock music) sound like something from a 3M advertisement from the 1970' or 1980's. Yet, where else are we going to see gorgeous women with solid acting skills and amazing athletic abilities kicking #@$? Usually, not in Hollywood. I, personally, enjoyed the film despite its shortcomings. This film probably isn't the best from the girls-with-guns genre, but it's worth a look.
Wasted potential
Leofwine_draca8 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A distinctly average girls with guns action flick from Hong Kong, MISSION OF JUSTICE is a movie that seems to have been shot in Thailand with a big cast of extras and only a few main characters. It tells of a small scale operation by the army to bring some opium smugglers to book, with Betty Mak playing the chief villainess and Moon Lee and Yukari Oshima teaming up as the soldiers battling her. Given the wealth of talent involved you expect better, but this is a film that wastes its potential with silly slow motion fight sequences and a generally cheesy, zero budget feel, particularly during some random scenes of sexual violence that feel included to pad out the running time.
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