cityonfire.com | Royal Warriors

	Royal Warriors "Finally, Michael Wong has found someone who shares his level of dramatic skill and knack for passionate performances: his pet goldfish." - Numskull Royal Warriors (1986) AKA: In the Line of Duty, Police Assassins Literally: Royal Warriors Director: David Chung Chi-Man Producer: Dickson Poon Dik-Sun Writer: Tsang Kan-Cheung Action Director: Mang Hoi Cast: Michelle Khan/Yeoh (Yeung Chi-King), Henry Sanada, Michael Wong Man-Tak, Pak Ying, Michael Chan Wai-Man, Lin Wei, Kam Hing-Yin Running Time: 85 min. Plot: When a Hong Kong policewoman (Yeoh), a Japanese Interpol agent (Sanada) and an air security officer (Wong) botch a plane hijacking attempt by a militia fanatic, his veteran friends vow revenge. In order to stop the terrorist attacks and also to save their own lives, the three heroes must team up once again to fight their gun-totting adversaries. Reviews NUMSKULL'S REVIEW: Michelle Yeoh, with short hair, fights a bunch of people. Henry Sanada, with a big stuffed bunny rabbit, fights a bunch of people. Michael Wong, with a persistent hard-on for Michelle, makes a total ass of himself. Oh well, I guess two out of three isn't bad. All in all this is a pretty good flat-out action flick, but there are some parts that could use some spit polish. "Magic" is an insufficient explanation for loaded guns bypassing airport security. Michael Wong's tireless efforts to win Michelle's heart (or at least get her in the sack) take up too much time. And worst of all, the villains' motivations go beyond far-fetched and into the realm of sheer absurdity. It seems four guys who served in Vietnam became good friends and swore to never let anyone split them up. Many years later, one of them commits a murder for some reason (don't ask), and his buddies use their vow as a license to snatch him from the law's hands and blow away anyone, cop or civilian, who crosses their path. Or is related to someone they tried to blow away before but couldn't. Or just happens to be standing around doing nothing. Don't you wish YOU had friends like that? Michelle is fun to watch as usual, and Henry Sanada is good too. Alas, the villains are less notable, with the last survivor having some unbearably cheesy diabolical laughter (dubbed so it's not his fault, but cheesy nonetheless). And he's a liar to boot; in one scene he tells Michael: "You're a terrible actor." (Michael Wong, a terrible actor? No way!) Speaking of Mikey, Royal Warriors has one of his most memorable scenes to date. It's an intense, heart-to-heart dialogue with a very, very special co-star. Finally, Michael Wong has found someone who shares his level of dramatic skill and knack for passionate performances: his pet goldfish. A round of applause (clap either your hands or your fins) for Mr. Wong and his aquatic friend if you please, ladies and gentlemen...thank you. The fights and action scenes in this movie are pretty good...just good enough so that they seem too short, unfortunately. But at least they're spaced well. Michelle's tool shed duel, which is excellent at conveying a sense of frantic desperation, tops things off very nicely. The body count here is pretty high so don't watch this movie with the young 'uns, and avoid it if you have a low threshold for violence. Me, I like it. Death and blood and hate and more death. Yeah, baby. Almost any HK film fan should get a kick out of this. NUMSKULL'S RATING: 7/10 PERKELE'S REVIEW: "Royal Warriors" is a good example of the average 1980's actioner. It's not as low-budget as most of the other shit from D&B films (not to mention that era's American action movies) but lacks the big-budget appeal of, for example, "Mr. Vampire" [1985], "A Better Tomorrow" [1986] or "Prodigal Son" [1982]. The cast is OK. Michelle Yeoh is great as the main heroine (when she fights, that is) and Henry Sanada has always been my personal favorite but Michael Wong is as irritating as usual [I found his only tolerable performance being the one in "Legacy of Rage"]. The action isn't bad, but there's way too little martial arts and too much of shooting. The shoot-outs aren't much better than in your average American production [just higher body-count] and the fighting is brutal (they use lots of weapons like hammers, sticks, chainsaws and such) but disappointing. Even the sound effects come sometimes a while after the actual contact, and some hits don't cause a sound at all. Oh, and I think it's good to warn about a thing: this movie is ALMOST as pessimistic and violent as "Righting Wrongs". Great amounts of innocent people are slaughtered [as well as a few main characters] or tortured [OK, there's only one torture scene]. So if you're looking for some light-hearted entertainment to cheer you up, skip this one. So the movie isn't A-class, but it delivers. And wellÉ just to mock this one down a little bit more, and because I like cheesy movies, I have to list a few of the film's best stupidities: 1) The hi-jacking of the airplane. How in the name of Jesus Christ [our Savior] these guys managed to smuggle some heavy weaponry and a hand grenade on the flight??? Does the HK have no airport security at all? And there's a criminal escort on the plane! Should there be then somewhat HEAVY security? Hell, they searched my luggage and me pretty damn carefully just on the usual flight to Iceland. Also, everybody's shooting and fighting and even using explosives INSIDE of an airplane! The only consequence is a little shaking when a window is smashed [and a hilarious shot of one guy's head hanging outside of the window]. 2) The scene of the main baddie watching news and finally shooting the TV when Michelle announces that she's going to kill him. This corny and amusing act of violence is also present in Blackie Ko's "Curry and Pepper". 3) The bad guys kill over 20 innocent people and only thing the police does is that it tells Michelle to stay of the case and locks up Henry Sanada in the Japanese ambassador's office. 4) The armored assault van prototype is the comedic highlight of the film. Stolen from the set of some cheap "Mad Max" rip-off this downright ridiculous vehicle even bursts on fire like it's made from paper [and it looks like it probably is]! And how the fuck did Michelle get his hands on this? I mean she even resigned from the police forcesÉ And you thought 70's chop sockies' plots were full of people revenging each otherÉ Well then check this out: there is four war veterans, who have vowed to live together and die together. First one of them has become a criminal so this other dude has to rescue him [by hi-jacking a plane]. Unfortunately to them on the plain are also HK cop Michelle (Michelle Yeoh), Japanese ex-agent Mr. Mutamoto [whatever] (Henry Sanada) and air security Michael Wong (Michael Wong). When this trio kills the hi-jackers, the two other veterans MUST take revenge ["Remember our vow, brother!"]. Their revenging is somewhat successful [I won't spoil it for you] so the remaining good guys MUST take revenge ["I must kill him! I must!"]. And that's exactly what happens. PERKELE'S RATING: 3/10 MIGHTY PEKING MAN'S REVIEW: The Good: Well what do ya know. Finally, a Hong Kong movie with perfect pacing! From start to finish, it kept me satisfied with all the unbelievable, hard-hitting martial-arts action, as well as a couple car chases and shoot-out scenes (which were REALLY well done, especially for the time!). Definitely one of Michelle Yeoh's finest moments on screen. Japanese action-star Henry Sanada also shows what his feet and fists are made of, along with a soft-side to his well-played character. A young Michael Wong gives a memorable performance as a down to earth guy who falls fast for Michelle Yeoh. The Bad: During the finale climax, Michelle Yeoh's character borrows a prototype "armored vehicle" for her mission. Wait until you see what this thing looks like...in one word: cheezy. They should of left it out, it's completely laughable! Bottom Line: RW is a near-perfect Hong Kong flick with guts! For any of you HK-fans, shame on you if you haven't seen this! MIGHTY PEKING MAN'S RATING: 9/10

Royal Warriors

"Finally, Michael Wong has found someone who shares his level of dramatic skill and knack for passionate performances: his pet goldfish."

- Numskull

Royal Warriors (1986)

AKA: In the Line of Duty, Police Assassins

Literally: Royal Warriors

Director: David Chung Chi-Man

Producer: Dickson Poon Dik-Sun

Writer: Tsang Kan-Cheung

Action Director: Mang Hoi

Cast: Michelle Khan/Yeoh (Yeung Chi-King), Henry Sanada, Michael Wong Man-Tak, Pak Ying, Michael Chan Wai-Man, Lin Wei, Kam Hing-Yin

Running Time: 85 min.

Plot: When a Hong Kong policewoman (Yeoh), a Japanese Interpol agent (Sanada) and an air security officer (Wong) botch a plane hijacking attempt by a militia fanatic, his veteran friends vow revenge. In order to stop the terrorist attacks and also to save their own lives, the three heroes must team up once again to fight their gun-totting adversaries.

Reviews

NUMSKULL'S REVIEW: Michelle Yeoh, with short hair, fights a bunch of people. Henry Sanada, with a big stuffed bunny rabbit, fights a bunch of people. Michael Wong, with a persistent hard-on for Michelle, makes a total ass of himself. Oh well, I guess two out of three isn't bad.

All in all this is a pretty good flat-out action flick, but there are some parts that could use some spit polish. "Magic" is an insufficient explanation for loaded guns bypassing airport security. Michael Wong's tireless efforts to win Michelle's heart (or at least get her in the sack) take up too much time. And worst of all, the villains' motivations go beyond far-fetched and into the realm of sheer absurdity. It seems four guys who served in Vietnam became good friends and swore to never let anyone split them up. Many years later, one of them commits a murder for some reason (don't ask), and his buddies use their vow as a license to snatch him from the law's hands and blow away anyone, cop or civilian, who crosses their path. Or is related to someone they tried to blow away before but couldn't. Or just happens to be standing around doing nothing. Don't you wish YOU had friends like that?

Michelle is fun to watch as usual, and Henry Sanada is good too. Alas, the villains are less notable, with the last survivor having some unbearably cheesy diabolical laughter (dubbed so it's not his fault, but cheesy nonetheless). And he's a liar to boot; in one scene he tells Michael: "You're a terrible actor." (Michael Wong, a terrible actor? No way!)

Speaking of Mikey, Royal Warriors has one of his most memorable scenes to date. It's an intense, heart-to-heart dialogue with a very, very special co-star. Finally, Michael Wong has found someone who shares his level of dramatic skill and knack for passionate performances: his pet goldfish. A round of applause (clap either your hands or your fins) for Mr. Wong and his aquatic friend if you please, ladies and gentlemen...thank you.

The fights and action scenes in this movie are pretty good...just good enough so that they seem too short, unfortunately. But at least they're spaced well. Michelle's tool shed duel, which is excellent at conveying a sense of frantic desperation, tops things off very nicely.

The body count here is pretty high so don't watch this movie with the young 'uns, and avoid it if you have a low threshold for violence. Me, I like it. Death and blood and hate and more death. Yeah, baby. Almost any HK film fan should get a kick out of this.

NUMSKULL'S RATING: 7/10

PERKELE'S REVIEW: "Royal Warriors" is a good example of the average 1980's actioner. It's not as low-budget as most of the other shit from D&B films (not to mention that era's American action movies) but lacks the big-budget appeal of, for example, "Mr. Vampire" [1985], "A Better Tomorrow" [1986] or "Prodigal Son" [1982]. The cast is OK. Michelle Yeoh is great as the main heroine (when she fights, that is) and Henry Sanada has always been my personal favorite but Michael Wong is as irritating as usual [I found his only tolerable performance being the one in "Legacy of Rage"]. The action isn't bad, but there's way too little martial arts and too much of shooting. The shoot-outs aren't much better than in your average American production [just higher body-count] and the fighting is brutal (they use lots of weapons like hammers, sticks, chainsaws and such) but disappointing. Even the sound effects come sometimes a while after the actual contact, and some hits don't cause a sound at all. Oh, and I think it's good to warn about a thing: this movie is ALMOST as pessimistic and violent as "Righting Wrongs". Great amounts of innocent people are slaughtered [as well as a few main characters] or tortured [OK, there's only one torture scene]. So if you're looking for some light-hearted entertainment to cheer you up, skip this one.

So the movie isn't A-class, but it delivers. And wellÉ just to mock this one down a little bit more, and because I like cheesy movies, I have to list a few of the film's best stupidities:

1) The hi-jacking of the airplane. How in the name of Jesus Christ [our Savior] these guys managed to smuggle some heavy weaponry and a hand grenade on the flight??? Does the HK have no airport security at all? And there's a criminal escort on the plane! Should there be then somewhat HEAVY security? Hell, they searched my luggage and me pretty damn carefully just on the usual flight to Iceland. Also, everybody's shooting and fighting and even using explosives INSIDE of an airplane! The only consequence is a little shaking when a window is smashed [and a hilarious shot of one guy's head hanging outside of the window].

2) The scene of the main baddie watching news and finally shooting the TV when Michelle announces that she's going to kill him. This corny and amusing act of violence is also present in Blackie Ko's "Curry and Pepper".

3) The bad guys kill over 20 innocent people and only thing the police does is that it tells Michelle to stay of the case and locks up Henry Sanada in the Japanese ambassador's office.

4) The armored assault van prototype is the comedic highlight of the film. Stolen from the set of some cheap "Mad Max" rip-off this downright ridiculous vehicle even bursts on fire like it's made from paper [and it looks like it probably is]! And how the fuck did Michelle get his hands on this? I mean she even resigned from the police forcesÉ

And you thought 70's chop sockies' plots were full of people revenging each otherÉ Well then check this out: there is four war veterans, who have vowed to live together and die together. First one of them has become a criminal so this other dude has to rescue him [by hi-jacking a plane]. Unfortunately to them on the plain are also HK cop Michelle (Michelle Yeoh), Japanese ex-agent Mr. Mutamoto [whatever] (Henry Sanada) and air security Michael Wong (Michael Wong). When this trio kills the hi-jackers, the two other veterans MUST take revenge ["Remember our vow, brother!"]. Their revenging is somewhat successful [I won't spoil it for you] so the remaining good guys MUST take revenge ["I must kill him! I must!"]. And that's exactly what happens.

PERKELE'S RATING: 3/10

MIGHTY PEKING MAN'S REVIEW:

The Good: Well what do ya know. Finally, a Hong Kong movie with perfect pacing! From start to finish, it kept me satisfied with all the unbelievable, hard-hitting martial-arts action, as well as a couple car chases and shoot-out scenes (which were REALLY well done, especially for the time!). Definitely one of Michelle Yeoh's finest moments on screen. Japanese action-star Henry Sanada also shows what his feet and fists are made of, along with a soft-side to his well-played character. A young Michael Wong gives a memorable performance as a down to earth guy who falls fast for Michelle Yeoh.

The Bad: During the finale climax, Michelle Yeoh's character borrows a prototype "armored vehicle" for her mission. Wait until you see what this thing looks like...in one word: cheezy. They should of left it out, it's completely laughable!

Bottom Line: RW is a near-perfect Hong Kong flick with guts! For any of you HK-fans, shame on you if you haven't seen this!

MIGHTY PEKING MAN'S RATING: 9/10