(Philippines 1995) 

Original Title: No Hoi Wai Lung 怒海威龙 (aka) Ferocious City

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Directed by Yuen Bun, Alan Chui Produced by Chung Wai Shing, Lam Wai Action by Alan Chui, Lee Chi Kit Starring: Yuen Biao, Cynthia Khan, Waise Lee, Alex Man, Yuen Wah, Billy Chow, Peter Chan, Alan Chui, Monsour Del Rosario, Shum Wai, Tam Suk Mui, David Lam Wai Reviewing: YouTube Release Genres: Action / Martial Arts / Comedy

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Rating - 3.5 / 5

Synopsis: A Chinese cop and Hong Kong cop go undercover in the Philippines to bring down the feared leader of a criminal organisation. (90 Mins)

 

Views: Often mocked as the low-budget rip-off of Jackie Chan's Police Story 3: Super Cop (1992) with its similar story and action scenes, as well as its God-awful title, Tough Beauty & The Sloppy Slop may be a little rough around the edges but it still has plenty to enjoy! The film opens in the Philippines with Officer Wan (Alex Man) leading a police team into action to bring down a couple of known drug dealers. While it's a fun opening scene and offers a pretty cool introduction to Man's character, I was shocked to see him getting killed off soon after while enjoying a celebratory dinner. The film quickly shifts to China where we meet super lady cop Yiang (Cynthia Khan), who is leading her team on a similar mission – albeit with a bit more excitement and action. Drug dealers Yuen Wah and Peter Chan are interrupted by the female fury who shoots, kicks, and punches her way into taking down the baddies with a finishing move that sends Wah crashing down through some bamboo scaffolding in a painful (but impressive) looking stunt. Praised by her bosses, Khan is given a new mission that puts her undercover in a Filipino women's prison where she must get close to the wife of feared gangster, Wai (Waise Lee) who is behind a major counterfeiting scheme. Although she is backed by a Filipino cop called Sandos (Monsour Del Rosario) who is trying to bring Waise down from the outside, the pair also benefit from the support of Hong Kong super-cop Li Chin Tang (Yuen Biao), who is undercover as Yiang's lover. Between them both, Yiang and Li help Wai's wife return home where her husband offers to hire the young lovers to work for him. Of course, the pair agree and soon find themselves in a host of trouble when they are sent out to rescue criminals and commit crimes in order to gain Wai's trust. But one such mission pushes Li too far when he is ordered to assassinate his friend Sandos – catching the attention of Wai's big boss, which makes Wai himself jealous. A quick business deal with an old criminal almost blows Li's secret, and soon the undercover cop finds himself under the watchful eye of Wai once again who secretly arranges the execution of his new employees. Surviving the hit, Li and Yiang continue onto the big bosses compound where they try to take down every criminal in sight no matter what, resulting in an explosive showdown between the Philippines biggest gangsters and the heroic cops!

 

I can't help but feel that Tough Beauty & The Sloppy Slop is somewhat underrated for what it has to offer, and I can't help but feel that something was lost in translation when it came to the English version of the title – perhaps meant to be Tough Beauty & The Sloppy Cop which would make more sense (if any). Personally, I think if the film had a bit of a clean-up and was released on Blu-ray under a far more superior title altogether, then this Yuen Biao and Cynthia Khan adventure would gain a whole new audience and actually be taken a little more seriously. Although it was made a few years after Jackie Chan's far superior Police Story 3: Super Cop (1992), it's quite obvious that this cheap Filipino-Hong Kong co-production was cobbled together just to cash in on the success of Chan's third chapter. From the tone of the film to some major plot points – and even certain set pieces – there's no denying that the producers of Tough Beauty & The Sloppy Slop were clearly inspired by the '92 hit film, although it was probably done on a quarter of the budget and in half the time but it reminded me of certain Hong Kong productions from the late 1980s with its exciting action sequences and rough-around-the-edges story telling. The film was produced by Chung Wai Shing and David Lam Wai, with the latter also providing a cameo as the chief of police. Having really only started in the industry in the early 90s, Chung Wai Shing worked as a planner and producer on films such as Live & Die In Hong Kong (1991), Ghost Gambler (1991), Sexual Devil (1991), Gambler Vs Gambler (1992) and Moon Lee's Beauty Investigator (1993). Chung also produced Sammo Hung's Painted Skin (1993) which would see Alan Chui handle the action – something he would return to do here as well as co-direct and make a cameo. As a producer, Chung's project before this would be the fun Moon Lee and Yukari Oshima flick, A Serious Shock! Yes Madam! (1993) which would also see him work with Cynthia Khan for the first time. Interestingly enough, Chung would go on to produce Yuen Biao's underrated action-thriller The Hunted Hunter (1997) a couple of years after working with him here, and finish his career with Leopard Hunting (1998) starring Jade Leung, Yukari Oshima, and Yuen Wah. Tough Beauty & The Sloppy Slop was directed by Yuen Bun and the aforementioned Alan Chui Chung San, and while Bun had made a name for himself as an actor and action-choreographer over the years, he had only just made his directorial debut a couple of years previous with Once Upon A Time In China 4 (1993) – a chapter of Tsui Hark's saga that proved to be a little weaker than its predecessors. And while Alan Chui followed a very similar path, this would prove to be his directorial debut followed-up with Bloody Secret (2000) years later. He is joined in the action department by Sammo Hung's younger brother Lee Chi Kit, a recognisable face from many of his brothers titles and action-director of films such as Vampire Vs Vampire (1989), Magic Cop (1990), A Kid From Tibet (1992), Ip Man (2008), and more – some of which he also worked on as the assistant director. While I'm sure that Yuen Bun also had a hand in the choreography, the 3 of them manage to produce enough exciting martial arts action, shoot-outs and explosive action to save Tough Beauty & The Sloppy Slop from getting written-off as just another worthless production.

 

At this stage of his career, Yuen Biao's light was starting to flicker with films such as Circus Kids (1994), Don't Give A Damn (1995), Hero Of Swallow (1996), and Dragon In Shaolin (1996) (made either side of this) failing to move him onto the same success as that of his brother, Jackie Chan. Thankfully though, the loveable super-kicker proves to be one of the more exciting things about Tough Beauty & The Sloppy Slop as he delivers some impressive moves throughout, and seems to be having a great time playing the undercover lover to Cynthia Khan's stern mainland cop. Similarly, the mid-90s would prove to be a bit of stumbling block for the popular actress with titles such as Yes Madam (1995), Angel On Fire (1995), Ultimate Revenge (1995), and others being so cheaply produced it would seem that the majority of Ms Khan's works were just slipping away into obscurity. Of course, for both stars, Tough Beauty & The Sloppy Slop would be one such title. It's fair to say that Cynthia would be the main lead of the film and gets the most screen time out of the two - although the pair share some great chemistry when on-screen together that only makes me wish that we had gotten to see more of their team-up in this or other movies. Regardless, the pair are supported by a pretty decent cast which includes Filipino star Monsour Del Rosario, who also starred in a host of Philip Ko flicks including Ultracop 2000 (1992), Lethal Panther 2 (1993), Guardian Angel (1994), and Techno Warriors (1997). I actually quite enjoyed him here as action-cop Sandos (possibly mistranslated from Santos), and felt that he had the moves and looks of Alex Fong – star of Iron Angels (1987), Guns Of Dragon (1993), and Storm Riders (1998) to name but a few. Police Story 3: Super Cop (1992) co-star and all-round film legend, Yuen Wah, delivers a memorable supporting role as a drug dealer from the mainland, getting to trade moves with Cynthia before offering up a painful looking stunt that has him crashing down to the ground through a bunch of bamboo scaffolding, and Peter Chan cameos as the another dealer who is shot in the back by Wah. Alex Man tricks his fans into thinking that he is actually the leading star before he meets his maker, in what would be his only film role in a 4 year gap from1993 to 1997. And the ever popular Waise Lee, whose career moved fast since his debut in John Woo's epic gangster flick A Better Tomorrow (1986), stars as the main baddie of the piece. This would be 1 of 5 films Lee would star in that year, one of which was Angel On Fire (1995) alongside Cynthia Khan; a co-star he had shared the screen with many times over the years in films such as Forbidden Arsenal (1991), Zen Of Sword (1992), Pink Bomb (1993), Avenging Quartet (1993), 13 Cold Blooded Eagles (1993), and more. But even he isn't the biggest threat to our heroes as a couple of bigger gangsters quickly put an end to his rule, one of which is played by Shum Wai in a fun cameo that harks back to his appearance in Police Story 3: Super Cop (1992), and the other by one of Hong Kong cinema's greatest bad guys – the wonderful Billy Chow. While the majority of his presence and martial skills are saved for the final battle, the hard-as-nails kick-boxer makes quite the impression once again. The grand finale is perhaps one of the biggest 'homages' to Chan's aforementioned film, taking the Thai jungle setting of Chaibat's village and shifting it to the Philippines with Billy Chow channelling Kenneth Tsang's menacing characteristics which prove to be a great challenge for Biao and Khan. Of course, it does allow for some wonderful martial arts-action which will keep true fans of all stars very happy.

 

While Tough Beauty & The Sloppy Slop may be flawed in many ways and carry a discouraging title that would drive many potential viewers away, it still delivers enough entertainment (intentional or not) to warrant a watch. And while the fights themselves are certainly not the greatest from the vast catalogue of Yuen Biao, Cynthia Khan, and Billy Chow films, the majority of them are still pretty good fun and often enough to keep you watching. Although the film has practically vanished from any and all good DVD suppliers listings, Tough Beauty & The Sloppy Slop is worth checking out if you are ever lucky enough to come across it!

 

Overall: Cheaply produced and flawed in many ways, Tough Beauty & The Sloppy Slop still has enough worth while moments to warrant it a watch!