Iron Angels - Les Anges de fer

IRON ANGELS is Hong Kong's answer to CHARLIE'S ANGELS, as a pair of fighting women go up against a sinister drug smuggling organisation in a bid to take down the kingpin in charge - who just happens to be a woman. The film is chock full of outstanding action sequences in the form of car chases, shoot-outs and of course martial arts bouts, and it's fair to say that this is top stuff. Certainly there's rarely a dull moment here amid all the death, violence, and suspense.

The delectable Moon Lee wins all of the attention as the lovely-looking crime fighter who turns out to be a deadly combatant in the fight stakes too. She needs to be: the villain of the piece is none other than Yukari Oshima, who invests her role with a real deadliness. Support comes from the welcome likes of David Chiang and in particular Hwang Jang Lee, who gets something more developed than the usual stock bad guy role, which I was very happy with. Inevitably the story is dominated by kick-ass fight choreography and a wowzer powerhouse fight climax that has to be seen to be believed.

Yeung's poppy fields are torched by a law enforcement task force, she retaliates by ordering police officials assassinated. The Angels break into Yeung's corporate offices, eventually tracing her headquarters. After Alex Fong's character is captured and held by Yeung, the Angels mount an assault to rescue him. A complex sub-plot involving an armored car bullion robbery eventually leads the Angels to a final showdown with Yeung and her men.

This film tends to get some respect, and though it has some explosive action, much of the plot is taken up by a lot of buildup, characters appearing, talking and some spying - to be honest, it was just about watchable for the first 45 mins before going up a gear, where some of the finest fights and stunts are performed. This is quite violent film, containing some sadistic scenes of torture, courtesy of Cynthia Luster. She steals every scene she is in. She's so nasty that you just can't wait until Moon Lee and co. Give her a good send-off. Not as good as the sequel, but it's ok with an intense last thirty minutes.

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.

The plot and acting may be campy, but the action is on a higher level just below that of John Woo. The few action scenes really surprised me, and the fight choreography with both martial arts and gun play turned out to be above average. The ending is some of the best when it comes to female martial arts action, it's brutal yet believable, and for its age keeps you on the edge of your seat. For example, most female action heroes don't bleed from the face when kicked or punched, but here they do, and this adds further tension towards the protagonists' plight. To watch I would first be a fan of Asian action movies from this period, as some moments are so cheesy you'll roll your eyes. Comedy, drama, and action don't blend appropriately at times, but once again this is only expected for a Hong Kong feature of the late 80's. With a mild tolerance for cheese and martial arts, you'll no doubt love this one. Moon Lee, Elaine Lui, and Yakuri Oshima perform with deadly swiftness! - 8/10

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.