88 Films US Blu-ray Synopsis: When a deadly raid on a Vietnamese gang goes wrong, the Huang family - an elite class of police officers - is shattered by tragedy. United by grief after the murder of son Tsung Pao, his once-divided sisters and widowed wife Mina join forces to unleash a relentless high-impact quest for justice. (92 Mins)

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Eureka Video UK Blu-ray Synopsis: Joyce Godenzi stars in this violent action classic about a newly wed police officer who battles a Vietnamese gang whilst also trying to impress her new in-laws! Inspector Mina is a career-focused officer who has just married her supervisor (Tony Leung Ka-fai), who himself comes from a family of dedicated police officers. Her new sisters-in-law (including Carina Lau – Ashes Of Time, Days Of Being Wild) are a little jealous that Mina outranks them, but when a gang of violent Vietnamese criminals (led by the always excellent Yuen Wah – Eastern Condors, Kung Fu Hustle) target the family, the sisters unite into a lethal force of vengeance. Also starring Sammo Hung and directed by Corey Yuen (Yes Madam!), She Shoots Straight is another slice of top-tier Hong Kong action, newly restored in 2K and making its debut on Blu-ray! (92 Mins)

 

Universe HK DVD Synopsis: The Huangs family is a family of police, old Huang and his sons and daughters are all brave police officers. The son Tsung-Pao's wife is also a senior policewoman Mina. But the sisters don't like Mina. They make sure she does not have a good time while Mina suffers in silence. A raid on a Vietnamese gang was ordered, but sister Ling commits a serious mistake and the whole operation falls. The gangsters strike back, they kill Tsung-Pao and blow up his coffin. That unites the distaff Huangs. They go into action to shoot down the lawless. (90 Mins)

 

Views: Although she is disliked by most members of the Huang family, Inspector Mina marries Tsung Pao, the beloved son of the police family. Unfortunately they have their honeymoon cut short when Mina is put on an important mission to stop the kidnapping of a princess; a mission that gains her a little more respect from her new sisters after she is awarded a medal for her work. As time passes, Mina and Tsung Pao set up their home and try for a baby, enjoying life together as husband and wife. Meanwhile, a gang of Vietnamese weapons dealers have been causing trouble, that soon sees Mina and the Huang sisters put on the case when the criminals rob a Hong Kong bank. With tension in the air, one of the sisters royally screws up that forces the Vietnamese to retaliate and sees brother Huang – husband to Mina – brutally murdered. Now, Mina and her sisters must put all their differences aside as they set out on a mission of vengeance, to bring down the killers before they lose any other Huang family members!

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I love this movie! In fact, I'd say that She Shoots Straight is one of my favourite Corey Yuen Kwai films (as a director) and most definitely up there as one of the best in the femme-fatale, or girls-with-guns, sub-genre in Hong Kong cinema. The film is produced by the great Sammo Hung who also has somewhat of an extended cameo throughout as the Super Intendant of the police force. I thought it was quite funny how it opened with him and Sandra Ng leaving the church, made to look like it was their wedding until they step aside to reveal the real bride and groom. Throughout the movie, Sammo would pop up now and again although often for comedic purposes or to put someone in their place. Saying that, we do get to revel in a few short bursts of action from the big man during the big finale on the ship – but fans shouldn't get their hopes up for anything more. This was a pretty busy time for Sammo, as always, having just come off big productions such as Dragons Forever, Painted Faces, and Pedicab Driver, with this production coming in towards the end of 1989 – falling in with his other films such as Seven Warriors, Eight Taels Of Gold, The Fortune Code, Shanghai Shanghai, Encounters Of The Spooky Kind 2, and many more including License To Steal; another fantastic movie that saw him produce and cameo in a similar fashion. Of course, to many fans of She Shoots Straight, this film isn't about Sammo Hung – it's all about his wonderful wife, Joyce Mina Godenzi. Like many people here in the west, I first caught Joyce as the Cambodian guerilla leader in Sammo's incredible action-classic, Eastern Condors. This would have been her legitimate 'first' action role, and she blew me away with what she delivered. From there, Sammo would go on to produce (and star alongside) the films from the rest of her short-lived career such as Paper Marriage, Spooky Spooky, The Raid, Slickers Vs Killers, and the aforementioned License To Steal. After marrying Sammo soon after, Mina retired from the industry in 1991 as Mrs. Hung and would only return for a brief non-action cameo in Jackie Chan's Mr. Nice Guy as an audience member in the live cooking show. Of course, this was directed by Sammo himself, who appeared in his own hilarious cameo as an enraged cyclist. Although her five-year career only gave her 11 credits (not including the aforementioned cameo in Jackie's film), it's only fair to say that Joyce Godenzi most certainly left one hell of an impression. And with that, I believe that her role here as Inspector Mina Kao, is most definitely one of her finest moments – if not her best performance to date – that calls for some top action, intense physicality, and some raw emotion; all of which she manages to pull off with ease. Equally, it's worth noting just how amazing Carina Lau is as Inspector Huang Chia Ling; the feisty sister-in-law who loves to give Joyce a hard time. Since making her debut in the Jackie Chan produced Naughty Boys just four years before, the beautiful Ms. Lau racked up 15 titles before She Shoots Straight (twice as many as her co-star) including roles in Rich & Famous, Tragic Hero, Profiles Of Pleasure, City Warriors, Return Of The Lucky Stars, and Jackie Chan's amazing Project A 2 – which is the film I would have first caught her in. While she is still going strong today, her role here as one of the Inspector Huang's is highly memorable and, much like Godenzi, allows her to show off both her action and acting skills to the max, highly impressing in both departments.

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The rest of the 'good guys' are played by a stellar cast which includes the wonderful Tony Leung Ka Fai as the only male inspector of the Huang family. Although he had gotten his start in the industry a few years earlier than Godenzi and Lau, Leung had made a similar amount of movies as the latter before starring here in She Shoots Straight, with memorable roles in films such as Lady In Black, Prison On Fire, Gunmen, and A Better Tomorrow 3. Making his debut as Emperor Xian Feng in Burning Of Imperial Palace and Reign Behind A Curtain in 1983, Tony Leung Ka Fai has went onto become one of Hong Kong cinemas most treasured actors and is still going strong today with 135 film credits behind him – many of which are well worth checking out. Here, as Inspector Huang, Ka Fai does a great job as the husband of Joyce whose relationship is tested by his twisted sisters. I've always loved Tony's demise in this film, brought on during a brutal attack by the Vietnamese gang that sees them use traps, bombs, and bullets that leaves him looking like a pin cushion while his sister and wife watch in distress from below. Even in death, the man gets no peace as the very same gang manage to blow-up his coffin during his funeral; which is pretty insane when you think about it. His other sisters, and fellow police-women like their siblings, are played by the wonderful Sandra Ng – the award wining starlet who has been entertaining audiences since her debut in Sammo Hung's Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars back in 1985 – along with Angie Leung; one of the police interrogators in Jackie Chan's Police Story 2 as well as playing Jacky Cheung's girlfriend in (Ninja) Vampire Buster, and Sarah Lee – sister to Loletta Lee, and probably more known for her role as Queenie in Dragon From Russia, as well as her roles in School On Fire, The Iceman Cometh, and Fight Back To School 2. Each actress gets to show their worth when it comes to the action scenes, although without ever outshining both leading ladies, respectively. The Huang family is overseen by their mother, played beautifully by the wonderful Tang Pik Wan – an actress who gained an incredible 285 film credits to her name since making her debut in 1950, with her role here in She Shoots Straight proving to be one of her last with her unfortunate passing in 1991. But if there was ever one woman to top that, offering a filmography of almost 500 titles – and someone who is still acting today at 90 years of age – that lady is the incredible Helena Law Lan. Making up to 30 movies a month at one time in her career, I have always enjoyed seeing her on-screen with her role in Wilson Yip's Bullets Over Summer being one of my many favourites. Here, in She Shoots Straight, Helena does another fine job playing the highly respected maid to the Huang family. There's also a blink-and-you'll-miss-her cameo by Amy Yip – although it's possible that she quickly had to pull out due to her schedule; but we'll never really know.

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One of the other bonuses with this production, is the cast of villains Sammo and Corey have in place, starting with a host of western regulars including Mark Houghton, Jeff Falcon, Bruce Fontaine, and Ken Goodman who briefly star as a gang of kidnappers led by the characteristic Michael Dinga. While others such as Jackie Chan Stunt Team member Wan Fat, Sammo Hung Stunt Team member Chung Fat, and martial-arts actors Siu Tak Foo, Cheung Wing Cheung, Kwan Kwok Chung, and Lam Kai Wing help fill out the gang of Vietnamese criminals, the big baddies of the piece are in the hands of Yuen Wah and Agnes Aurelio – a brother and sister team who take no prisoners. As always, Wah delivers yet another fantastic performance oozing a nastiness that punches, shoots, and bombs anyone who gets in his way. Of course, Yuen Wah has been working alongside his big brother since they starred together in their film debut as child actors, Big & Little Wong Tin Bar, back in 1962. Over the years that followed, Wah would go on to share the screen with him in many smash hit films including Enter The Dragon, The Hand Of Death, Heart Of The Dragon, Mr. Vampire, Eastern Condors, Dragons Forever, and so more. Filipino body-builder, Agnes Aurelio, makes her action-film debut and impresses with her physicality, toughness, and intimidating performance – taking part in a show-stopping grand finale against Ms. Godenzi. The pair would have a rematch later that year in Licence To Steal, with Agnes also starring alongside Danny Lee and Wong Jing in The Big Score at some point between both Sammo Hung productions. While her career would be short lived, with a role in Sherman Chow's All For The Gamblers ending her time in the Hong Kong film industry the following year, Aurelio is credited with a brief role in Oliver Stone's JFK and Heaven & Earth, which would seemingly be her final credits.

 

While I absolutely love Joyce in this, and always in action, I can't help but feel just how much more exciting and recognised the film may have been had her role been given to Cynthia Rothrock – perhaps as a follow-up film to the amazing Righting Wrongs which was also directed by Corey Yuen Kwai only a few years prior; a film in itself that I always imagined was the continuing story of Rothrock's character from Yes Madam! Regardless, Joyce Godenzi does an incredible job and absolutely makes it her own, offering an often emotional performance that just might not have been in Ms. Rothrock's range and delivers on the hard martial-arts action. Directed by Corey Yuen Kwai, Sammo Hung, Mang Hoi, and Yuen Tak, the first big action scene is set around the kidnapping of a middle-eastern princess at a fashion show. It's a scene that screams The Inspector Wears Skirts (a number of chapters) which is interesting in itself, as this film is sometimes known as the third chapter of that series in some territories – which, of course, it is not although possibly started off as such. When a gang of western thugs attempt the crime, Godenzi and the Huang sisters spring into action delivering a wild display of gun-play and stunts that, ultimately, wastes the talents of its western cast but gives Joyce a wonderful action-showcase that sees her clinging to the roof of a car, and driving through explosions on a motorbike which looks super cool. Yuen Wah and his Vietnamese brothers also get a fun intro that highlights his brutality as a gang boss, but also sees him execute an incredible high-falling stunt that sees him bounce off rooftops to the ground below and continue with a gunfight. Wah also brings on the next action action scene that sees him and his gang, accompanied by Agnes, attack a nightclub where the family of cops are waiting undercover. This was brilliantly done and mostly delivered in a deep-red filter, due to the night-vision glasses the gang are wearing. It's the first real clash between the Huang family and Vietnamese, and sees some pretty intense stunt-work mixed with brutal shoot-outs. One of my favourite scenes is when Carina goes alone to take down the gang, although is soon joined by Joyce and Tony that results in the aforementioned gruesome death of Leung, and some intense fight-action from all involved. The final 30 minute begins with the bombing of Tony's coffin at his funeral, Mina losing their child, and an epic finale where Joyce Godenzi and Carina Lau take on the Vietnamese on a ship, while both look cool as fuck – as does Agnes Aurelio! It's an epic showdown that proves to be one of the best from the Hong Kong femme-fatale, girls-with-guns genre that gives everyone involved the chance to show off some incredible moves in-between shoot-outs and more impressive stunts – and also sees cameos from director Corey Yuen Kwai and the awesome Chung Fat. The finale is split in two, with the second part shifting to a quarry that sees a powerful one-on-one fight between Joyce and Agnes. This is as brutally impressive than any Michelle Yeoh, Moon Lee, or Yukari Oshima film has given us, and is definitely a worthy closure to this brilliant femme-fatale classic.

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Written by the prolific Barry Wong and Yuen Kai Chi, She Shoots Straight is one of the few films from this genre, and of this era, that avoids taking its comedic moments to a mo lei tau (nonsense) level which I really appreciated. Unlike many similar Hong Kong films, the writers focused more on the drama and family dynamics of the Huang's that got pretty intense at times, and allowed the actors involved to deliver much stronger performances for the most part. It was certainly a much more serious affair than the Inspector Wears Skirts and Yes Madam movies, as well as many other genre favourites. The film also benefits from some gorgeous cinematography – highlighted even more-so in this 2K restored Blu-ray release from 88 Films & Eureka Video – captured by Tom Lau Moon Tong and Jimmy Leung; both of whom have captured a host of Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Corey Yuen Kwai movies among many others. This is aided by a great score from Lowell Lo – star of films such as Rosa, Magnificent Warriors, and Pedicab Driver. As mentioned before, I think this is one of Corey Yuen's finest moments as a director and definitely one of his more solid projects, with less emphasis on comedy much like his films Righting Wrongs and Women On The Run, and I never tire of watching it. I just hope that, someday soon, we get to see the wonderful License To Steal on a similar Blu-ray release that will allow fans to enjoy an equally entertaining film, and the brilliant rematch between Joyce Godenzi and Agnes Aurelio!

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Overall: Brilliantly directed by Corey Yuen Kwai, She Shoots Straight is one of the better girls-with-guns movies that delivers on performance, cast, and fantastic action scenes!

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88 Films Blu-ray Extras: 2K Restoration, Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng, Interview with Screenwriter Yuen Kai Chi, English Opening & Closing Credits, Trailer & Image Gallery

 

Eureka Video Blu-ray Extras: 2K Restoration, Audio Commentary with Mike Leeder & Arne Venema, Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng, Filmmaker Valerie Soe on She Shoots Straight, Shooting Locations, English Opening & Closing Credits, Trailers

 

Universe DVD Extras: Trailers, Star Bio's

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Watch my unboxing for the Eureka Video release HERE

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Watch my video retrospective for this film HERE