Une flic de choc

This movie kicks serious butt. Like the majority of Hong Kong flicks, the script is rushed and uneven, the acting is secondary, and the "plot" is occasionally laughable as it lurches awkwardly from set-piece to set-piece. But none of this matters -- Yuen Biao is completely insane, and brings a vitality to his action scenes that a "big star" like Jet Li can't hope to match. The chase and demolition derby in the parking garage is alone worth the price of admission. Cynthia Rothrock holds her own, for the most part, showing energy and interest that will fade rapidly in the coming years as she "graduates" to low-budget American fare. (But check out the obvious stuntman on the railing leap!) Great goofball fun. If it's playing at a Chinese festival, see it in the theatre with a crowd of like-minded fans.

This is a great HK action flick and like most of them, it's all about the action. Essentially the whole industry in HK is more or less like the American B-movie action market, starring the likes of Dolph Lundgren, Van Damme and of course Cynthia Rothrock. The main difference though is the high level of quality in the action of the HK movies. They feature the inane plots and hokey acting of DTV American movies but my god can those guys do good action.

This film is virtually plot free but of course that isn't important. What it does have is action legend Yuen Biao (Best known as one of the three dragons, with Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung). In the 80's Biao was one of the three favourite sons of the genre. Arguably Biao was also the better fighter than Chan, but of course Chan did the most amazing stunts of the three legends. Also at the time perhaps the most popular female action star in HK was Cynthia Rothrock. She was big box office fodder and drew in the punters even before Michelle Yeoh became the number one bad ass beaatch! I have to say I like Rothrock. She is one mean lady and kicks buttock like the best of them. The high kicking carnage dished out by Cynthia, particularly in her HK movies is just hot, really darn hot! Rothrock moved away from those movies in the early 90's and had a brief slew of theatrical films in the US before dropping into the DTV market where she remains a popular draw. The problem is that American cinema doesn't spend the time and energy on the fight sequences like they do in HK. Nowadays the average Rothrock fight scene looks very conventional, while of course still remaining sexy by the sheer fact she is kicking booty. Righting Wrong of course is full to the brim of high octane and imaginative fights and the film never drags. Rothrock is superb in the action department and has some great fights, amongst others a great fight with Biao, while Biao is also superb, showcasing some amazing moves and great stunts. This is simplistic entertainment and a lesson to American movies on how it's done. ***

Despite having a thin plot, silly dubbing, disturbing brutality, and unnecessary humour, this film stands as an excellent showcase of Yuen Biao's talents. The plot deals with a lawyer becoming a vigilante while running afoul of Cynthia Rothrock. The action scenes are incredible. Yuen Biao and Cynthia Rothrock are placed in some set pieces that are among HK's finest. My favourite was Yuen Biao facing off against Melvin Wong. It's the kind of fight that makes one wonder why he wasn't as popular as Jackie Chan.

Famed martial arts choreographer Cory Yuen (THE TRANSPORTER 1 & 2, X-MEN and ROMEO MUST DIE) directed a Hong Kong film, loaded with bone-crushing stunts and masterful fight scenes with an assembled cast of martial arts masters from the East and West to cross paths.

ABOVE THE LAW (aka RIGHTING WRONGS) obtained a vigilante story with dark toned aspects that relies on police corruption and the righteous bending the law to seek their own justice. The stunning martial arts choreography by Cory Yuen kicks into high gear to help make this underrated cop-fu classic a fan favorite.

Acrobatic kung-fu genius Yuen Biao (ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA, SHANGHAI EXPRESS (aka MILLIONAIRE'S EXPRESS), THE PRODIGAL SON) plays a court prosecutor whose relentless determination to do away with an untouchable gangster (James Tien- Bruce Lee's THE BIG BOSS, FIST OF FURY) has led him to employ a series of unethical tactics. His investigation becomes complicated by the arrival of a female inspector (played by 5-Time World Karate champion and weapons expert Cynthia Rothrock).

Out of all the '80s era fight flicks I have seen Yuen Biao perform in, ABOVE THE LAW was one of his better efforts as an actor and screen fight performer. He exchanges blows with undefeated kickboxing legend Peter "Sugarfoot" Cunningham in a (POLICE STORY-style) glass-shattering fight, he also battles Cynthia Rothrock in an engagement of traditional kung-fu, acrobatic fight moves and handcuffs. He has a Jackie Chan stunt moment where he uses his speed and flexibility to dodge speeding cars.

Cory Yuen staged these sequences wonderfully and the legendary fight between Cynthia and Biao shows their similarities in timing and skill, which makes their battle an all-time favorite. Karen Shepard, who is another skilled fighter from America and an expert in the mixed art form of Wun Hop Kuen Do kung fu, faces off against Cynthia with the lethal chain whip. Actor Melvin Wong (EASTERN CONDORS and DESCENDANT OF WING CHUN- the film referred in BULLETPROOF MONK-) also gets screen time to execute some martial arts against Yuen Biao. The results of the screen fights earned the film a nomination for Best Action Choreography at the 1987 Hong Kong Film Awards.

Of course, fans already know that Cynthia Rothrock is kung-fu's queen of action and a master in various forms of combat like Tae Kwon Do, Wushu, Northern Shaolin kung-fu and Tang Soo Do. Her skills made her a celebrated icon in the sport but unfortunately, she remains highly underrated and overshadowed by the mainstream success of Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Her roles in countless American movies suffer from bad plots and choreography but her presence in Hong Kong films shine like Jackie Chan, and Jet Li does internationally. Her capabilities give her the advantage over many of today's mainstream martial art stars and it is disappointing that her films in the East do not get the proper recognition.

For a film made in the '80s, ABOVE THE LAW was a great actioner in martial arts cinema, and all the skilled experts did a great job with their performance.

I hope the overshadowing of this classic in the West will end with the new Dragon Dynasty release and capture a wider audience to gain her the type of recognition she deserves as a star.

This film was also one of Cynthia and Biao's best performances in screen combat during that era but the praise goes to Cory Yuen because of his skillful direction and casting of martial arts action figures from both worlds to pull the strings. This film will remain a classic in the cinema of martial arts and an unforgettable clashing of two legends in martial arts that deserve the proper recognition.

Her American flicks have been lackluster or worse, but under the direction of a top-notch fight choreographer (if I'm not mistaken, Biao Yuen himself was in charge) and editors who knew what they were doing, she looks wonderful. I'd nominate "RW" as having one of the two or three best chick fights that I've ever seen,

And Biao is way, way over the edge. The extended battles are fantastic (including one with a corpse used as a Jackie Chan-style prop), so I'll forgive him the dopey opening sequence.

This is GREAT HK noir! It really passes the "Joe Bob" test, if you know what I mean, and I know you do. Tranquil moments of sappiness lead directly to mayhem and nastiness. Always.