ROYAL WARRIORS (1986)
While I've occasionally, usually without enough detail, touched on the so called 'Line of Duty' franchise here, it's time for a closer examination of part two in the series. Or is it part one? With so many different titles it's hard to keep track, thanks to overseas distributors messing around for some reason. But be assured that the first one has Cynthia Rothrock with this one has Hiroyuki Sanada. Regardless of where you might start these are the ones that give Michelle Yeoh centre stage, where she can showcase her action moves and her screen presence. This time around everything has been ramped up to keep the fights and stunt set pieces on par with the likes of Police Story. Which means this is a real treat for martial arts junkies.
The opening is a pretty breezy affair, with CID detective Michelle Yip (Michelle Yeoh) taking in a parade before cracking a few heads. A Japanese restaurant being threatened by katana wielding thugs might suggest that this will be a culture clash story. But beyond the team up with Interpol operative Peter Yamamoto (Hiroyuki Sanada) and a few lines about formal pleasantries there isn't any link to the wider plot. It's just an excuse to have some weapons variety. It's a spectacle first kind of affair, without any deep themes or overarching subtext. The storyline is in fact very light. It toys with ideas like revenge causing further revenge and the loyalty between brothers in arms. But it doesn't include anything convoluted or over-written which is refreshing for a sequel in a Hong Kong film series.
In fact it's really just a spiritual successor in some ways. The lead character has been renamed and now works for a different police branch. There are no mentions of the sudden ending of the last instalment. Instead it gets straight into weapons forms and hijacking scenes. Michelle and Peter join supposed Air Marshall Michael Wong (...Michael Wong) during an attempt to free a prisoner being extradited. What did he do and what are the gang responsible planning? It really doesn't matter. They want him to be freed because of a pact they made in the Vietnam war, and that's all that counts. They have no big scheme, at least that is shown here, and after the escape goes awry they want revenge on the main trio. It quickly escalates when it becomes clear that Peter won't get a happy ending to his story.
This initial sequence on the flight sets the stage for what is to come. The use of a fire extinguisher (not improved on until Full Contact) is just one inventive moment as cabin pressure is lost and innocent bystanders enter the fracas. There's a cold brutality to many of the action scenes in which sentimental moments and melodrama are blasted away. Domestic drama? Up in flames. Attempts to turn this into a romantic comedy? Thrown from twenty stories. As things unravel both Michelle and Peter become loose cannons in their own ways. But it's rarely predictable with things like construction sites and night clubs adding new scenery to be utilised. The amount of pyrotechnics, broken glass, and dirt, sometimes literally piling up, is often an assault on the senses.
The parts that are less stimulating involve interfering agent, and frequent mega-creep, Michael. Unlike the dull but earnest soap opera at Peter's house, the attempts by Michael to woo Michelle are just awkward. He doesn't seem to be put off by massive civilian casualties or near death experiences, and thinks that there's no bad time for giving flowers or running his mouth. Luckily he's usually put in his place and shown up for being such an idiot. There's so much of this nonsense that before the third act it feels like they may become a couple, without it ever being earned. Which thankfully never happens. Instead there's a shocking turn of events that may or may not be intended as comedy. Be assured that the conclusion to this sub-plot is in keeping with the rest of the film's mood.
This whole romance angle does at least take the place of any forced comedy, like the kind found in the previous movie and many others in this genre. It's odd not to see the likes of John Shum burst onto the scene for some slapstick shenanigans, but then again it's also a big relief. Instead there's a gritter vibe to the proceedings, even if the finale features a bizarre armoured vehicle set piece. It looks like something the A-Team would build, or something from a Bud Spencer movie. If there's one weak element in terms of action it's this ending, despite all the TNT, the explosive bullets and even a chainsaw. Perhaps it just feels underwhelming because everything that led to this point was so jaw-dropping. With so much creativity it's perhaps ungrateful to ask for more, but a little extra push would have helped.
Perhaps there could be more real connection between Michelle and Peter,
as cops from different regions, but it's not that kind of story. As it stands this is on par with, if not perhaps occasional surpassing, the original movie. The synthesized music is constantly pulsing and the kicks and punches keep coming. It's a wild ride. After the following year's Magnificent Warriors Michelle Yeoh unfortunately would not be in anything like this for some time, until Police Story III came around. There are of course more In The Line of Duty films without her, but that's a story for another time. This might broadly be a series of shoot-outs, car chases, foot chases, and other staple elements. But they're all assembled in way that means it has a huge amount of raw energy and impact.
4/5
BONUS REVIEW
THE OWL VS BOMBO (1984)
Meanwhile this is The Owl vs Bumbo... or is it Dumbo? In what is Michelle Yeoh's first big role she's not really in it that much, and she's certainly not an action hero. Instead it's a jumbled mixture of disparate elements. A tale of outcasts on probation trying to rejoin society? Sure. A tale of two ex-cons being blackmailed into helping the same charity cause? Maybe. A dazzling dance filled extravaganza in which Sammo Hung does tap and aerobic moves? I wish. There are at least three different films going on all at once, and they still make time for a typical warehouse finale and yet another 'hiding in a cupboard' comedy skit. Each element is very familiar but nothing really gels as it stumbles from one scene to the next and various shenanigans ensue.
The Owl (George Lam) has retired from a life of crime, as has Bumbo (Sammo) who is teaching an exercise class. But when irate police Inspector Fung (Stanley Fung) finds himself taken off a big case, he decides that coercing them into working together will result in the break he needs. How exactly? It's not clear what his plan is, beyond risking their lives through a property auction scam. Meanwhile they're stuck teaching a lot of lost causes about proper job interview etiquette. Michelle Yeoh and Deannie Ip are simply here as basic love interests, which is standard patience testing stuff. It's never clear what the job the central duo is doing will achieve in the grand scheme of things. Or why these two teachers would ever spend time dating them. It's all pretty contrived to say the least.
Which is a shame because the two dance scenes, during the aforementioned aerobics class and one of the date scenes, are actually great. Sammo can really move and is able to get into a variety of styles that should have been utilized properly. Eventually there is a big fight scene with an obligatory Dick Wei villain role, which is appreciated. On the other hand the school scenes occasionally veer into real life drama as the class members talk at length about why they're present, and why their teachers have no right preaching to them about social issues. It feels genuine... but there's no narrative tissue between all of these ingredients, which means they're all wasted. Checking out the individual moments somewhere is probably a more effective use of your time, rather that getting through the rest which can be a slog.
2/5
