I really wanted to love this film a bit more than I actually did. While its not terrible, the thought of having 3 great leads such as ultimate ninja Alexander Lo Rei, Yukari Oshima and Alex Fong (with the latter 2 having starred alongside each other in the incredible Iron Angels of course), Angel Of Vengeance got me excited...
Unfortunately, this 1993 action thriller proves to be more of a low-budget 80's style mess, with low production values, bizarre soundtrack, crazed action, and often seems like it is 2 different movies roughly knitted together!
Supposedly a revenge thriller about Yukari searching for her sister, who we learn has been sold to a brothel by a crazed gang boss played with glee by the great Chung Fat - the Osh joins forces with the 2 Alexander's to get her back. Running alongside that is the sub-plot about a student who is writing a thesis on 'love and lust' and decides to research this by going undercover, dressed poorly as a man, in her mothers brothel. Of course, the connection is that Yukari's sister has been sold to the very same brothel.
Angel of Vengeance will hardly go down as a classic, but may certainly be remembered for its cool fight scenes. I say cool, but I also want to say confused! They go from nicely choreographed, hand-to-hand grounded action (although where Alex Fong pulls a bow and arrow from is anyone's guess), to scenes of Chung Fat defying gravity with his 'cat-style' kung-fu, leaping and spinning through the air which looks like he just stepped out from Last Hero In China (of which he was in the same year), and forgot he was in a new production. Alongside that, his blind hench-woman, played by To Gwai Fa, who moves faster than the speed of light and looks like Yuen Tak in Dragon From Russia in her costume. While a bit bizarre for such a modern thriller, I can't help but get tickled by such madness and as I've mentioned before, its one of the reasons I fell in love with Hong Kong cinema in the first place. Sometimes though, its just done better than others...
Action director Cheung Chung Kwai hasn't been behind a lot of fight choreography, but has starred in many kung-fu classics from the early 70's, and some with Alexander Lo Rei and Sammo Hung. Angel Of Vegeance would be director Robert Lau's last film. Other works of his include the fun Visa To Hell with Dick Wei and Chin Siu Ho, and the fun Life Is A Bet (aka Triad Assassinator) with Alexander Lo Rei.
Overall: Its messy, its confused, its short on action, and has to much gratuitous rape scenes, but fans of the leads should give it a watch at least once.
