In the Line of Duty 3 & 4

Within the martial arts genre, women have never been thought of as second rate.  Michelle Yeoh’s recent Oscar win might be an outlier (hopefully not the last) here in the States, but in Hong Kong she was part of a wave of female stars who kicked butt even harder than the boys.  The In the Line of Duty series, which began with two films starring Yeoh then swapped her out for Cynthia Khan, are amped-up examples of the golden age of Hong Kong filmmaking…and proof that it doesn’t take a Y chromosome to take down the bad guys! 

With In the Line of Duty 3 (1988) Cynthia Khan gets a great skirt-ripping introduction, transforming from an overachieving meter maid into leading the investigation into the theft of millions in stolen jewelry.  Paired up with another Japanese partner (Hiroshi Fujioka) who has a personal debt to pay, Khan gets slightly overshadowed by the bad guys in this one.  Or maybe it’s just that the opening scene is tough to top!


Either way, things get back on track with Yeun Woo-ping behind the camera for In the Line of Duty 4 (1989), which pairs Khan with Donnie Yen and Simon Yuen Yat-Choh to resolve a CIA money-laundering conspiracy any which way they can.  The fight choreography here is tremendous, with creative staging and terrific stunt work.  The guns are mostly kept holstered, making this one more of a pure martial arts film.  The rooftop death match on top of a moving van is truly inspired action filmmaking. 

 

Previously released in a limited-edition box set, 88 Films has now put these out individually as part of the 88 Asia Collection.  Each includes 2K restorations, audio commentaries and interviews to go along with reversible artwork on each title.  If you missed these the first time around, here’s your second chance!

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