Naked Weapon

It's a sad day when Hong Kong action films are copying stuff made in other countries. The people who created the action film genre should know better...

This film screams of rip-off. From La Femme Nikita, Battle Royale, and Leon, scenes, elements, and even exact dialogue were stolen. From training women to be sexy assassins (Nikita) to having them fight it out to see who survives and becomes the "chosen one" (Battle Royale), to the cheesy sledge hammer to the wall only to make a hole large enough for one of us to fit scene (Leon).

And over/bad acting. I guess that's what happens when you get Asian models to play lead roles. Maggie Q is hot, no doubt, but she and everyone else in the cast could use an acting lesson or two. And the director might want to brush up on his English. Bad dialogue and delivery suck in any language... even if its your second or third. Not even the sneezes in the back of the truck were believable. I've seen better acting in a hardcore porn movie. Jenna Jameson's got more skills even when getting drilled by 2 dudes at once.

Truly disappointing.

Charlene (Maggie Q) is a young girl who finds herself imprisoned and trained to be an assassin, along with a group of other girls including Katt (An Ya) and the psychotic Jing (Jewel Lee). Six years later, these three girls are the only ones left alive to pass the grade, and are sent out into the outside world to become assassins, working under the control of the sinister Madame M.

What follows is a pretty much non-stop fight scene, big explosions, blood and death. It's totally cool in a way that western films try so hard but fail to be (mentioning no Ballistics). It doesn't even matter that a lot of the fighting is weak and/or doubled, the lead girls – for all their inexperience – look and move great. There's lots of wirework and plenty of camera trickery, but it gets away with it by being far more fun than it has any right to be. I loved it, and if you like girls with guns, looking cool and shooting people in slow motion, you will too.

Madame M, kidnaps forty pre-teen girls to train them as the world's most deadly assassins. But as adult's the highly sought after killers main goal is to eliminate the person who scarred them.

Director Tony Ching offers a mix of compelling elements. While the film presents great action setups and an intriguing concept, it also includes some hard-to-watch abuse scenes that may unsettle viewers.

The performances by Maggie Q, Anya Wu, and Daniel Wu add a little depth, enhancing the overall rushed production. Maggie Q stands out, showcasing her talent in action sequences and dramatic scenes.

Despite its flaws, Ching delivers an engaging high concept. It's not just sexy, naked killers, with its blend of intense action, suspenseful moments, and strong performances makes it a worthwhile watch for those seeking a mix of adrenaline and drama.

What can I say about this movie. It was recommended to me by a friend with a warning: don't take it seriously. And he was right. This is a very entertaining movie if you can get past some very serious flaws, like an extremely bad script and some lousy acting.

What was good about the film: The soundtrack was very good and supported the movie well. The overall story was rather good and interesting. The women were beautiful and sexy. The fight scenes were superb - a little over the top, but still nicely done. Besides, the concept "hot women using their bodies as weapons" is really cool.

What was bad about the film: The acting leaves a lot to be desired in many occasions. The script was lousy, sometimes even stupid. The love story was badly portrayed and it was a bit out of place.

To sum it up: This movie is not Oscar material, you won't be thinking about it afterwards and it's not going to be in your list of all time favourites. Still, it's an action packed, highly entertaining film that will provide for a pleasant evening. I give it 7 out of 10.

That pretty much sums up my experience with "Naked Weapon." This film is, for the most part, a fun amalgamation of "Battle Royale," modern day Hong Kong action, and Crown International-Roger Corman Chicks-with-guns B-movie super-trash Drive-in insanity. But there is a particularly despicable scene depicting gang-rape about a third of the way through that pushes the movie over the edge into the "unwatchable garbage" arena. It's like something out of a bad, misogynistic Seventies porn flick--and I have the distinct feeling that the Americanized version I saw was softened from it's original form. It's a real shame--cos I like goofy trash. I just don't like rape.