Zhang men ren

"The Lady Is The Boss" is kind of a transitional film between the old-school and the contemporary kung fu flicks. The basic theme is tradition, represented by the strict, discipline-demanding martial arts teacher Liu Chia Liang, versus change, represented by the American-raised, headstrong new boss of the school Kara Hui. To the film's credit, neither side is portrayed as entirely good or entirely bad; they both have their pluses and minuses. Like it often happens in this genre, the script is weak and can barely even fill the 90-minute running time. But the comedy is sometimes amusing and the action is often creative (disco dancing, bicycles, photo camera flashes, weights, etc. are used as fighting weapons; they may not all be so practical, but they've rarely - if ever - been used on the screen before). Kara Hui proves once again that she is one of the very best female action stars, and also looks pretty sexy. Everyone in the cast does his or her job well, but that guy who performs the "mad monkey" style at the end (Hsiao Hou, I think) is utterly spectacular! A mostly satisfying film. (**1/2)