Une flic de choc

I just got that new Dragon Dynasty version of the film, though I'd never seen it before last night. Haven't watched any of the extras yet, though from what I've read here this is the "downbeat" Cantonese cut of the film. I must admit I'm disappointed in the film, though can still justify a decent score. I really liked Yuen Biao as well as the lead villain. I just realized that Bad Egg was played by the director, haha. The film had some big laughs, perhaps occasionally unintentional, but also some great action.

There were a lot of problems with the editing and stunt-work though. I know they make these movies fast and for not much money, but this one seemed cut together more carelessly than most. Also, despite how talented all the stunt people and the leads are in the film's action scenes, there were way too many moments where I saw wires or could clearly see the faces of stunt-doubles. Especially for Rothrock. Sometimes they'd put makeup on the guy. And one of the doubles for her looked like Biao himself. I know you can never be perfect with such things, but it was just much more obvious than in many other films of the genre that I've seen.

On sort of a side note, you ever notice the ramp effect with vehicles in action movies? The most common example would be of a speedboat hitting the low end of another boat and rocketing through the air. You occasionally see this with cars too. Here in Above the Law a.k.a. Righting Wrongs, you see it with a car chasing down Yuen Biao going off of a parked car. Of course the car is in front of a railing up high on a multi-level parking garage. And I don't know my models but it's probably a Mitsubishi since they made it into EVERY Hong Kong action movie in the 80s. But the parked car wasn't particularly low to the ground. The moving car didn't hit any objects to lift it's front end up. It just jumps the other like a ramp. I don't know if this is really a complaint. It was odd, but hysterical.

If we're talking recommendations and I have to exclude anything with Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, or Jet Li, I'd recommend any of the first four In the Line of Duty movies over this. But it's still a decent action movie and any fan of Yuen Biao in particular really needs to see it.

This Corey Yuen Kuei-directed actioner stars Yuen Biao as a gifted young prosecution lawyer. Disillusioned with a system that allows crime lords to buy their way out of trouble, Yuen becomes a vigilante and starts to hunt down the bad guys. On his trail is tough Gweilo cop Cynthia Rothrock, determined that nobody should take the law into their own hands.

The plot for this movie is fairly formulaic, but it remains one of the best HK action films of the 80s. The reasons for this are some strong performances from the leads (Yuen has often been unfairly dismissed as a poor relation of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, while Rothrock must have been sick of playing the same part over and over) and some electric action sequences. The most memorable scenes are; an attempt on Yuen's life by black American karate expert Peter "Sugarfoot" Cunningham; a bout between Cynthia Rothrock and her fellow US Forms champion Karen Shepherd; the inevitable showdown between Yuen and Rothrock; and the final confrontation between Yuen, Rothrock and the mysterious villain.

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. ***

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.

I loved this movie! Yuen Biao, who attended Chinese Opera school with Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, totally rules this movie! He has incredible martial arts skills and uses them to the max in this action-packed movie. Yeah, sure the plot and acting leave a bit to be desired, but for us martial arts fans we've come to accept the sub-standard acting in lieu of the awesome action sequences. Cynthia Rothrock adds an extra dimension to the film with her excellent fighting abilities. She is certainly able to keep up with Yuen's antics and from what I've heard, she really enjoyed making this film, (one of her earliest). I definitely encourage people to see this one for the action alone. Rating 8.5/10