Synopsis: This is the legend of Ha and how she became the queen of the underworld. Starting her adult life as an abused prostitute, Ha puts her all into building up a night-life empire and becoming a one of the most powerful woman of her time. But it doesn't come without its challenges!

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Views: With the amount of bare flesh and stunning women on show in Queen Of The Underworld, I was quite surprised that Wong Jing didn't want to direct this himself – although that's not to say he missed out on anything as writer and producer. Casting Amy Yip as Helena Wong Ha was an interesting choice, but considering the Cat. 3 rating and overall tone of the film, it was probably a good move considering her huge popularity around this time. The film spans a number of decades as it tells the story of Ha who moves from being a waitress in restaurant to one of Hong Kong's most sought-after prostitutes. Abused by the men in her life (including her cheating cop husband), Ha steps up her game and makes a point of standing up for herself, quickly turning the tables and becoming a woman to be feared. As she grows her night-life empire, Ha must stand up against many challenges including that from triad gangs, cops, and her past!

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The beautiful Amy Yip takes on a role that many think was a bit too much for her but personally, I thought it was nice to see her try something a little more challenging than what she was usually getting around this time. 1991 was a crazy busy year for her starring in no less than 10 movies – many of which were pretty big including To Be Number One, Robotrix, Magnificent Scoundrels, and the infamous Sex & Zen. In Queen Of The Underworld (as with a lot of her major roles) the main focus on Yip is her big knockers but equally, it seems to be about how much abuse the poor woman can take. The amount of shock moments in this film that made my mouth hang open, was crazy – including one scene where her husband kicks their child in the face and sends her smashing off a door handle, while a beaten and tied-up Yip watches him screw another woman. While her acting career soon ended with her final role in Raymond Lui Shing Gung's Underground Judgement, Amy Yip managed to rack up close to 40 films over 7 years – most of which are worth a watch. I'm also a huge fan of Wong Jing, regardless of the tripe he dishes out to make a quick buck and more than often enjoy his crazy blend of humour even when its laced throughout his more serious productions. Queen Of The Underworld is no exception, entertaining with perhaps a little more comedy than it really should have which more than likely confuses its western audience as it flits from violent and serious dramatics to some silly comedy that is often based around sex. Personally, I don't mind. I've been watching Hong Kong cinema for well over 30 years now and its just what I expect...

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After seeing many other critics reviews on Queen Of The Underworld, it's clear that many of them agree that two Wong's don't make a right. Of course, I am referring to that of Wong Jing as writer and producer, and Sherman Wong Jing Wa as the director. Having started his acting career in the Shaw Brothers movie Murderer Pursues in 1981, Sherman Wong went onto star in many Wong Jing films including the awesome Magic Crystal, The Romancing Star, Crazy Companies, Casino Raiders, My Neighbours Are Phantoms, and Crocodile Hunter – many of which he worked as an assistant director or choreographer. Sherman became a director in his own right in 1989 when he directed the second sequel of the Wong Jing trilogy, The Romancing Star with Andy Lau. Queen Of The Underworld would only be his 3rd feature as director, which could probably explain why there isn't any particular style or excitement about his overall execution, and especially with the big jumps in time. This, in turn, leaves this uneven biopic a little generic for the most part – although it's certainly not boring by any means.

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But if there's one thing Wong Jing can do, it's pull together a great cast and Queen Of The Underworld wins in that department. Apart from Amy Yip, the great (and very missed) Shing Fui On plays Brother Cheung – her closest friend and protector who is secretly in love with Ha. As always, it's great to see Shing in a different light from his stereotypical gangster role, and the role of Brother Cheung was no doubt refreshing for him. Blacky Ko stars as Ha's first husband – a cop who treats her with cruelty and ends up getting his dick cut off due to his actions. The late Ng Man Tat appears as Brother Zai, a triad gang boss who takes Ha under his wing when things get rough, and it was nice to see the great Ray Lui cameo as the legendary Cripple Ho – his character from To be Number One (a film made the same year in which Any Yip starred as another character altogether). Popular Hong Kong actor Paul Chun, brother to Shaw Brothers stars David Chaing and Derek Yee, stars as Tung – another gang boss who gets involved in Ha's life and Patrick Hon stars as Handsome Chiu, a massive pain in the ass who continues to annoy Ha over the years. The lovely Pauline Chan makes her début as a hooker who wants to work for Ha, and completely strips down to entertain audiences in a role that very quickly landed her many Cat. 3 titles like Escape From The Brothel, Erotic Ghost Story 3, Girls From China, and many more. Of course, we can't forget about her fun role in Chow Sing Chi's hilarious From Beijing With Love, where she stars as an assassin in a flame-throwing bra. Gigi Lai stars as Ha's unfortunate daughter who suffers a gang rape and rough upbringing, pushing her to the brink of suicide after her ordeal. Lai's breakthrough role came alongside Andy Lau in the brilliant Dragon In Jail movie, and after roles in The Queen Of Gamble, Kung Fu Cult Master, and To Live And Die In Tsimshatsui, went on to play a prominent role in the popular Young & Dangerous series before falling into a host of titles that really don't get talked about today. Many other recognisable and popular faces fill out the rest of the cast both in supporting roles or cameos, such as Dennis Chan, Ho Pak Wong, Jeffrey Lam, Louis Roth, Cheung Yiu Fai, and more.

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While Queen Of The Underworld may be far from perfect, and probably due a remake after all these years it definitely has its moments and entertains in that early 90s way that Hong Kong cinema does so well. Sure there are lots of silly and expected Wong Jing moments throughout, but it wouldn't be a Wong Jing movie if it didn't – and it would be wrong of me to say I didn't enjoy it...

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Overall: Not as dramatic a biopic as one would think, but Queen Of The Underworld entertains and has enough going on so you won't get bored!