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| All Images Courtesy: 88 Films/Fortune Star |
Following up on our review of 1985’s Yes, Madam!, we are continuing through 88 Films’ new standalone blu-rays of the In The Line of Duty series, which they previously released last year in a limited edition four-film box set. 1986’s Royal Warriors is the second film in the very loosely connected series, and is the one which initially carried the alternate title In The Line of Duty in some markets, giving the franchise its name. However, the film is not a direct narrative sequel to Yes, Madam!, but rather a spiritual one, and as such it can be enjoyed as its own standalone film. The only connections between the two are that they are both produced by Dickson Poon, they both star Michelle Yeoh as a Hong Kong cop, and they both see Yeoh’s character teaming up with a fellow inspector from another country to solve an international crime. However, Yeoh’s inspector in this film has a different name, and seems to be an altogether different character, making it more of a companion piece than a sequel per se. While Yes, Madam! saw her Hong Kong detective teaming up with a Scotland Yard inspector played by Cynthia Rothrock, Royal Warriors sees her teaming up with a Japanese cop played by iconic actor Hiroyuki Sanada: a double-act which will absolutely get the attention of both Hong Kong cinema and Japanese cinema fans, and which will surely make a lot of people curious about this film now that it is available on its own.
THE FILM:
Royal Warriors begins with Yeoh’s Hong Kong inspector coming home from a vacation in Japan. When terrorists hijack the plane to try and free a Chinese extremist being extradited to Hong Kong, she joins forces with two other law enforcement officers on the flight – Sanada’s Japanese cop and a Chinese air marshal played by Michael Wong – to stop the hijacking, in an absolutely fantastic opening sequence of tense fighting in close quarters. But there are more members of the terrorist cell, and they make a vow to avenge their fallen comrades by killing all three cops. Yeoh, Sanada, and Wong soon find themselves in a tense cat-and-mouse game of violence, which takes them outside the law and also pits them against Yeoh’s police chief (Kenneth Tsang).
This is a very different kind of film from Yes, Madam!. While Yes, Madam! is very much an action/comedy, with a focus on breathtaking martial arts stuntwork combined with freewheeling comedic antics, Royal Warriors is not a comedy at all, and is in fact a quite dark film, and a much more serious and tense thriller. It makes it clear pretty early that the stakes are high, and that this isn’t about everybody going after some macguffin, but quite literally about the bad guys setting out to murder our heroes. Rather than the large ensemble of good guys, bad guys, and chaotic idiots that Yes, Madam! gave us, Royal Warriors has a much smaller cast, and focuses in on the tense game of cat and mouse between our three isolated protagonists and a couple of very cunning killers. It makes for a very effective and suspenseful thriller which stands on its own very well, and when viewed as a loose sequel to Yes, Madam! feels extremely unexpected.
Since it is more of a tense thriller than a typical action film, Royal Warriors gives Michelle Yeoh much more of a chance to demonstrate her range as a serious dramatic actress, in addition to an incredible martial arts and stunt performer. She is very very good in this film. Hiroyuki Sanada is likewise excellent, as a brooding, tough cop who is perfectly willing to go outside the law when desperate situations call for it. Michael Wong brings a bit of levity as the cocky air marshal who desperately wants Yeoh to go out with him, although his character and performance can be a bit much. Together they make a very strong core ensemble for the film.
While the film is best characterized as a cat and mouse thriller, it absolutely delivers on the action as well, with hard-hitting action scenes that are uniformly excellent. The film has much more violent gunplay than Yes, Madam!, in keeping with its much darker tone, with a massacre sequence that would feel right at home in a John Woo film. And its martial arts sequences are great: very intense and kinetic, often making very strong use of cramped spaces like the interiors of planes or ships, or tight hallways in buildings. The fight choreography in this film is done by Mang Hoi, who was in Yes, Madam! as an actor, and he does outstanding work here.
This is a great-looking film in general: not only excellently choreographed, but beautifully shot. The central action sequence in a night club is especially beautiful, making wonderful use of the building’s angular geometry and neon lights. While director David Chung didn’t direct that many films, he is a very prolific cinematographer, having shot such great films as Once Upon a Time in China, God of Gamblers, and An Autumn’s Tale. His cinematographer’s eye contributes massively to what a strong and striking film this is. And interestingly, his second unit director is none other than a young Johnnie To, who would go on to be a great director in his own right, and who would later direct Michelle Yeoh in the cult-favorite superhero film The Heroic Trio.
Overall I think this is a stronger film than Yes, Madam!. It is definitely more even, since it remains a tense, effective thriller throughout, and doesn’t have that awkward slump in the middle which its predecessor did. However, Yes, Madam! arguably has higher highs, and a better final confrontation. They have very different tones, though, with Yes, Madam! being best described as fun, and Royal Warriors dark and intense. The contrast, though, means they work very well together as companion films: Royal Warriors never feels repetitive of its predecessor, and how different they are means that each one offers things the other does not. They would make a great double-feature of contrasting films that are nonetheless both Michelle Yeoh vehicles powered by excellent action. So while they may not be narratively related, and while they are quite different films, it does feel appropriate that they are spiritual sequels of sorts.
THE 88 FILMS BLU-RAY:
Unfortunately, while Royal Warriors is just as good a film as Yes, Madam!, 88 Films’ blu-ray is not up to the same standard as a whole package. Everything that is on the disc is still excellent, so the disc is by no means bad, it is just far less feature-rich than its predecessor. The film itself looks fantastic: once again it is presented here in a new 2k restoration by Fortune Star, and it is just as beautiful and pristine as their restoration of Yes, Madam!. Once again, fine detail is excellent, colors and contrast are rich and look great, and the whole thing has a nicely filmic look and no noticeable issues; I am thrilled with the presentation. Once again we have several audio options: the theatrical Cantonese mono mix, the home video Cantonese mono mix, the original English dub (mono as well), and a new English dub recorded in 5.1 surround.
It is in the extras department that this disc falls short of
its predecessor. In terms of video extras, all we have is a short compilation
of alternate cuts of moments from the airplane sequence (some versions inserted
stock shots of the outside of a plane, which weren’t present in whichever
source was used for the 2k restoration), the alternate English-language opening
credits featuring the In The Line of Duty title, and a couple trailers. No
interviews this time, which is a real shame, after Yes, Madam! featured a
couple new interviews as well as an archival one with Yeoh. It is particularly
strange since the Yes, Madam! disc had a new interview with Mang Hoi on
it, and he also was the fight choreographer for this film; I can’t help but
wonder why they didn’t interview him about his role on this movie at the same
time, to kill two birds with one stone.
The only extra saving the disc from being barebones is an audio commentary by
Hong Kong film expert Frank Djeng. But at least this is a very good extra, as
his commentaries always are. He always provides a ton of information and
context that is very good for learning more about a film and its creators, and
gaining a deeper appreciation of it. His tracks are always worth a listen, and
I am always happy to see one included.
It is a shame that there are not more extras on this special edition of Royal Warriors. But even so, I would still rank this disc as a must-buy if you don’t have the full In The Line of Duty box set and you are a fan of Hong Kong action/thrillers. The film is very very good, and is presented here in an excellent 2k restoration with a great commentary. While I wish there were more extras celebrating the film, that is more than enough to make it worth the recommendation.
- Christopher S. Jordan
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