Ba wong fa

I've spent so many years looking for a copy of this film on DVD but still, there's nothing. I had it on video, years ago and watched it constantly.. absolutely love this film! Love the action, the sense of humour... It's just a brilliant film! And I'd absolutely LOVE to be able to watch it again!

I had the opportunity to sit down and watch the 1988 Hong Kong action comedy "Ba Wong Fa" (aka "The Inspector Wears Skirts") for the first time here in 2023. Oddly enough, with my interest and fascination with the Hong Kong cinema, then I had actually never heard about the movie prior to getting to watch it.

Writer Kam Fu Cheng put together a fair enough script and storyline here. However, while the movie certainly was watchable, then it was also at the same time not a particularly outstanding movie. So I hadn't really been missing out on a gem in the Hong Kong cinema.

There were a few moments here and there throughout the course of the movie that brought a smile to my lips. But for a comedy, then "Ba Wong Fa" wasn't really all that funny. I wasn't brought to laughter once throughout the course of the movie.

They had a good cast ensemble in the movie, and it was definitely nice to see Sandra Kwan Yue Ng on the screen. And the movie also had Dennis Chan, Ken Lo and Fui-On Shing on the cast list, though in smaller roles. So there were some familiar faces. Oh, and the movie also had Cynthia Rothrock on the cast list, though it wasn't something I found a particular joy in, as I have never been a fan of hers.

I can check this movie off the 'watched-movies-list' now. But I doubt I will ever return to watch director Wellson Chin's movie a second time.

My rating of "Ba Wong Fa" lands on a very bland five out of ten stars.

First, I feel I should mention that I LOVE Hong Kong films. I like Hong Kong action movies, and I've found funny Hong Kong comedies. This movie mixes action and comedy together, but this mix doesn't work this time around. Pretty much all of the female characters in the movie are wimpy whiners and act in other ways that are pretty stereotypical. (Maybe Hong Kong audiences might find this funny, but I didn't.) The men are a bunch of sexist pigs for the most part. Again, this behavior may be funny to a foreign audience, but I don't think it will go well for many westerners. Another big weakness of the movie is that there is really no plot, just a bunch of vignettes stitched together with the flimsiest of excuses. On the plus side, the opening and closing parts of the movie do have some acceptable action. And while this movie may be flawed, it is certainly better than all the awful movies Cynthia Rothrock has made in the U.S.

This was a typical Hong Kong police movie with girls being trained to be super cop. It is worth watching because of Ellen Chan (known as Jean) in the movie. She acted as the most pretty and outstanding, and smart girl in the lady cadet. All the lady cadets like her and the guy cadets keep on going after her. Other cast like Sandra Ng Kwan Yue and Alex Toh were unknown at that time. This movie was the masterpiece that makes Ellen Chan one of the most popular actresses in the late 80s and early 90s. When you watch this movie, expect your jaw to drop when you see Ellen.

Following pretty much the same structure as the highly popular at the time "Lucky Stars" films, "The Inspector Wears Skirts" has action mostly in the first and last 10 minutes, and comedy, romance and a bit of drama in the middle. This causes the film to lag at times, but still, the action sequences are awesome and there ARE some legitimately funny moments as well, courtesy mostly of Sandra Ng. The cast offers a mind-boggling collection of beautiful women, but if I had to pick just one as my favorite, it would probably be the STUNNINGLY GORGEOUS Ellen Chan. However, it should be noted that the girls weren't picked just for their looks, but for their skills as well: they don't seem to be intimidated at all by any physicality required, they throw themselves into their roles with abandon and take quite a few "ouch" bumps (the action was choreographed by Jackie Chan's Stunt Team; IMDb says that Jackie also directed the film, but I'm not so sure this info is accurate). Overall, "The Inspector Wears Skirts" is uneven, but a definite must-see for Girls With Guns fans. (**1/2)