Hong fen sha shou

PINK PANTHER (the English title of this Taiwanese film, even though it has nothing to do with the Inspector Clouseau movie series) is a hard-hitting, action-packed drama about a vengeful gang of female bikers who travel the streets of Hong Kong, dishing out justice to the various misogynistic men who beat, abuse, or rape women.

It's a cheap and cheerful affair, in which the plot always comes second to the type of exemplary martial arts action scenes commonly found in Hong Kong cinema of this era. Certainly based on the dialogue alone, PINK PANTHER would garner a very low rating, as there are a couple of excruciating moments here in which the actors are forced to stand around and speak insipid dialogue.

What a relief, then, that the action works so very well. There's a stand-out motorbike/car chase around the halfway mark which sees lead actress Fujimi Nadeki doing all of her own stunts, many of which really wow you. There are also some large-scale kung fu bouts as the girls take on various sadistic criminals and the like, and the choreography is strong. PINK PANTHER is poorly-plotted and no classic, but the solid action makes it a far more entertaining viewing experience than it has any right to be.

This is a hard film to rate: by "normal" film-making standards it would be lucky to get a 4 out of 10, as it is cheaply made and poorly plotted. But the action parts are worth about an 8. There are basically two extended fight sequences, one in the middle and one at the end, with several women taking on a bunch of gangsters. This is the real deal: these women are rock-hard, genuine fighters. There is also a risky stunt performed by Fujimi Nakeki (holding on to the roof of a speeding car), and some shooting & explosions. Nadeki was the only name I was familiar with before seeing this film, but for me the show was stolen by Gai Fa To, as her second-in-command: this woman really looked as if she could kill you in a fight. I also liked the outfits of the female "vigilante squad": sleeveless jean tops and matching jean shorts, leaving their (often toned) arms and legs open for admiration. My VHS version had pretty crummy subtitles; then again, there were no subtitles during the parts that mattered, if you get my meaning. (**1/2)

The movie isn't that bad. Its just a film with a cheesy storyline that evolves around some thugs who beat & rape women and in comes the gang of ladies led by the eldest sister (played by Fujimi Nadeki) will do everything they can to stop this. Even if it involves breaking the law from causing chaos to the criminals. The cops in the film aren't doing anything enough with the violence towards women and even turn a blind eye on some cases which is why the female gang exists.

Some of the fighting is quite good especially from Fujimi Nadeki who looks nice in this. The camera in some parts is really bad and it just puts Fujimi Nadeki down as being a second rate B grade actor. After all she hasn't made any box office smash hits in HK like Moon Lee, Cynthia Khan or Michelle Yeoh.