Iron Angels

In the mid '80s quality of Hong Kong movies started to skyrocket, and many above B movie were produced such as this one. This movie is bit of a crossover between the old school and the new direction Hong Kong cinema was starting to take.

Hideki Saijo who's a Japanese singer, and Yukari Oshima who's a Japanese karate champion stars with other Hong Kong luminaries.

I like the HK movies from this era, because it has opulence that gets more intense for the next 10 years. Actresses are beautiful, modern looking, and they can move.

I'm not a fan of HK cinema anymore, but I wouldn't mind dating any one of the actresses from this era especially Chow Wai Man.

But anyways, I think you get the drift. HK movies from this era are treat to watch. This one wouldn't disappoint either, it's a great action flick from British ruled Hong Kong.

This was one of the first movies I ever saw women playing a major role in a modern day action movie! At the time not realizing that this genre was called "Girls with guns" or femme fatale"! Since then I have seen many and just have to say that I love this genre! The women in "Iron Angels" are beautiful but very dangerous! The plot is simple but effective! A special unit ("Angels") is hired to stop a drug syndicate from killing agents who are responsible for destroying opium fields 30 million dollars worth! You get to see the team in action! (For people thinking about Charlie's Angels! It is nothing like that! These men and women are very clever and capable!) The main characters are very likable! Most of them are convincing as martial artists! "Moon Lee" who is not a martial artist shows some moves that let you believe that she is trained! The bad guy in this movie is a very bad woman (Yukari Oshima)! Very attractive,very dangerous and a real martial artist! And it shows! Her kicks are lethal! As with a lot of movies from this genre it is very difficult to get a copy of "Iron Angels" This movie deserves to be seen because it is one of the best in this genre! An overlooked gem!

i'd have given this movie a higher rating, but i prefer subtitles to dubbing. that said, the action scenes were aces and the subplots were, as usual for HK flicks, cringe-inducing enough that you were ecstatic when they got back to the martial arts. a neat trick with concrete stands out.

also, i found myself mooning for moon lee - don't want to mess with that angel. the set-up did seem like a take-off on that old fave charlie's angels, but with a co-ed cast. it was nice to see that the women could handle themselves as well or better than the men.

Very exciting, high octane actioner with a fair dose of blood and guts. But somewhat of a disjointed mess with scenes following each other seemingly at random. For example, the angels sitt at a table in a nightclub, cuts to one of the angles inline for the bathroom as a random guy comes out, cuts to a male angel working out in a gym, cuts to a random police officer walking down a corridor in a police station... as the action intensifies the continuity does improve somewhat and boy does it turn the dial to eleven towards the end. Moon and Yukari shines throughout with the final fight being one of the most epic battles of Hong Kong cinema.

This is a stunning, epic action film with choreography and direction that is as close to perfection as anything I've ever seen.

It is a hard, mean, brutal work that also features some of the best girl-on-girl fighting ever burned to celluloid.

It's hard to know where to start praising it. Everything works. The basic plot line is a little CHARLIE'S ANGELS-like, but don't be fooled into thinking there's anything frivolous within these film cans.

The opening gun battle in Burma's Golden Triangle sets the grim, nihilistic tone. As heroin poppies burn, we are whisked to Hong Kong where our "angels" and the chief villain, Oshima Yukari, are introduced.

Directors Raymond Leung and Teresa Woo captain this project with great assuredness, style and a freshness in the staging that is staggering. The camera moves, cutting and choreography are of the highest order, as is the terrific synth score and the sharp sound design.

Oshima, a sexy, vicious villain, demonstrates a penchant for torture that contrasts with the more girlish, soft personalities of the "angels". One angel, Moon Lee, is absolutely amazing in her demanding role, coming across as both sexy and totally insane.

More noteworthy scenes: an ultra-violent fight between two "friends" in a parking garage; a raid on a country hideout; Oshima's final duel with an able male opponent.

In the Eighties they spent big bucks on material like this. What a golden age it was.