MAGNIFICENT WARRIORS (1987)
It's time to travel into the past. Not only in terms of the setting for this film, but to revisit an old favourite of mine from years gone by. Like some of the recent Yuen Biao adventures I've reviewed the world of Michelle Yeoh movies is something I've touched on before. Unfortunately without much real detail or discussion and in a brief marathon format. But what's old is new again, particularly when it comes to re-releases that have been restored and put onto a more modern format. Will The Champions and Wing Chun get the same treatment? I can only hope. At any rate it's a good excuse to find out if this is still top tier action cinema, or if the mixture of classic spectacle and not-so classic comedy holds up today.
To set the stage Ming (Michelle Yeoh) arrives on her personal aircraft to deliver a cargo of rifles to a suspicious arms dealer. It's the 1930s and these are the guns that helped the Japanese take Manchuria, or so he claims. He's clearly an idiot and things go awry almost immediately when they meet the buyer. Luckily these local rebels are no match for Ming's skill with a bladed kyoketsu-shoge rope, and before you can say 'get over here' she's burned the place down and destroyed the ammunition to escape, literally burning her bridges in the process. This potential business avenue may have gone up in smoke, but she's not phased by this and has more important work to deal with.
Next she's forced to rescue her war hero grandpa from some bad guys, although things are not as they seem. These opening set pieces contain all the important aspects of the story which soon begins to unfold. Firstly there's the mixture of weapons and action, mixing Hong Kong stunt work with elements from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Mainly the time period and a few other ingredients. The whip has been swapped out, as showcased in a rope versus sabre battle, but the leather coat is intact. Secondly there's all of the fire effects, which become something of a recurring image during the adventure. Things are always burning down or exploding. Which is great for fans of this kind of genre fare.
Meanwhile various sub-plots develop, though some aren't as compelling as others. The main one involves the Japanese occupation of small city called Kaa Yi. The location is never specified, but costumes and other details suggest somewhere in Tibet or Nepal. Here the imperial army is using city money, and city residents, to develop a poisonous gas weapon. Chinese secret agent Sky (Derek Yee) is trying to help by rescuing city governor Lord Youda, (Lowell Lo Koon-Ting) even if it's not clear how that will stop the chemical plant construction. It's also not clear why Youda is such a juvenile coward, which is kind of annoying after a while. This does at least lead to a character arc later on, although not everyone gets this kind of development.
The pacing starts to suffer when con artist 'Paulina' Wong (Richard Ng) appears on the scene. First there's a farcical gambling scene where he tries to use loaded dice on some local thugs. Then there's a farcical identity mix-up during which Ming thinks he's Sky, thanks to confusion caused by a carrier pigeon. It's not all his fault, and an unconvincing romance between Youda and feisty councillor's daughter Chin-chin (Cindy Lau) also drags occasionally. It's often corny as characters spell out their ideals or their personal histories. Which is odd when Sky has such a ruthless edge in some sequences. Fortunately these kind of shenanigans aren't the main focus, and soon various characters have to find a backbone and do the rebellious thing.
It might take time but once the people of the city have finally had enough of General Toga (Tetsuya Matsui) things start to heat up. But first Ming needs to steal some fuel to get her plane, along with Youda, in the air. When this doesn't work out there are some great vehicle set pieces as the set turns to cinders. You've got to appreciate a classic Jeep and or motorcycle jump. As the battle against the occupation grows the finale turns into an epic siege full of dynamite, swords, commandos, arrows, and even rocks. Wong even proves useful as both a figure of comedy and an ally. It's a blistering conclusion filled with high flying kicks and crushing blows, even if the real final note of the story is a little muted.
Maybe it's because the traitorous henchman played by Thunderleg himself Hwang Jang-Lee is underutilised. Maybe it's because they should have brought back Ming's grandpa or her plane for the finale. But then again the same could be said of David Chung's Royal Warriors which also ran out of steam, just a little, in the climactic showdown. Still, despite a few minor caveats and a few moments in which the music is oddly repetitive, this remains a firm favourite in my case. The 'all for one' melodrama is cheesy and the humour sometimes clashes with the brutal subject matter. But it's a great mixture of kung-fu brawls and old fashioned adventure story with plenty of charm.
4/5
