The Michelle Yeoh back catalogue continues to be restored in another of Eureka’s exhaustive film restorations of the Hong Kong action genre. Continuing a loosely connected series of films, In The Line Of Duty, Royal Warriors has Yeoh’s CID officer foil a terrorist hijacking of an airplane with the help of a Japanese Interpol agent – played by action veteran Hiroyuki Sanada – and security guard Michael Wong (Beast Cops).
Sanada, like Yeoh, has gone on to have a Hollywood career – most recently appearing in Bullet Train, but also lending gravitas and occasional fighting skills in the likes of Sunshine, Army Of The Dead and Mortal Kombat. Following their heroic exploits, in Royal Warriors, the trio soon find themselves the targets of a vengeful team of Vietnam veterans and much action ensues. From the superbly choreographed, if naturally occasionally slo-moed, hand-to-hand action of people being kicked in the head, to bonkers shootouts in nightclubs and visceral car chases, these are all CGI-free stunts. The action is raw, the plot silly and the style utterly 1980s.
There’s a mass of extras on the Blu-ray release, too, although unfortunately free of new insights from Yeoh and Sanada about this time when Hong Kong-led action cinema, subsequently adopted by Western producers, was making a global impact. Kinetically violent and hilariously dubbed (this release does offer the original Cantonese soundtrack, thankfully), Royal Warriors is another solid action film for the athletic Yeoh and the team of brave actors and stuntmen around her.
Dir: David Chung (18, 96 mins)
Royal Warriors is available now via Eureka Entertainment
words KEIRON SELF
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