Yes, Madam!

'Yes, Madam! (1985)' is a little disappointing because it's billed as a Michelle Yeoh/ Cynthia Rothrock action movie, but most of its runtime is dedicated to three bumbling thieves. It doesn't help that only about fifteen minutes of it is actually comprised of action, which makes the movie far less energetic and exciting than it could - and should - have been. That's not to imply that the set-pieces aren't spectacular when they do occur, just that they're far less frequent than they ought to be. To be fair, that's not necessarily true; with a more compelling story, the frequency of the fights wouldn't be an issue. It's just that most of the narrative isn't exactly compelling, and the occasional burst of enjoyable action isn't enough to raise the overall quality of the picture beyond that of its least kinetic moments. Still, it's not like the flick is ever unenjoyable, rather that it's only ever so enjoyable. Its unremarkably decency is, if nothing else, entirely consistent. It has a handful of funny moments, some entertaining ass-kicking and two absolute stars at its centre. It's a shame that Yeoh and Rothrock don't get more to do, particularly on the physical side of things, because they're really great when they do get time to shine. The finale, in particular, is fantastic. As is often the case with these kinds of movies, the most bonkers stuff is saved for the third act and it's glorious. There's an amazing moment where Yeoh leaps onto a balcony and does something I don't think I've ever seen before (and can't quite describe). Rothrock is really good at kicking people in all manner of ways, rapidly roundhousing her foes and making us smile in the process. The duo really are great at kicking butt and taking names and it's a blast whenever they're allowed to do it. It's a real shame that isn't all that often. The feature as a whole is good, but not great. Its story is somewhat repetitive, its side characters aren't all that compelling and its music is downright distracting (it sometimes uses music ripped straight from 'Halloween (1978)' of all things!). However, its infrequent action is superb, its comedy is often successful and its colourful aesthetic is enjoyable. It's a mixed bag, for sure, but it emerges as an entertaining action flick with a couple of stand-out set-pieces and two underused but electric actors at its centre.

So here it is -- Yes, Madam -- Michelle Yeoh's first starring role, back in 1985. I'd been wanting to see this one for a few years. I was a bit worried because the DVD appeared to be a bootleg once it arrived, but it worked fine, so I won't complain. But wow, Yeoh was so amazing in the film. She had won the title of Miss Malaysia just a couple years earlier, for damn good reason, but she took her start in the action genre seriously and trained hard for a few months before shooting began. Sammo Hung himself was the producer (and has a cameo, along with half the industry), and he was looking for two female leads, to make something different from the typical male buddy-cop films. For a co-star they got Cynthia Rothrock, who was making her start in the genre as well. Though she was the real deal as far as martial arts skill. I was interested in the film more for Yeoh but Rothrock certainly held her own. Well, with the action, not the acting, ha ha.

Now then, the average American audience might not think much of the movie. It's full of the kind of very odd and stupid HK humor that I've gotten used to. But Yeoh shines in every moment she's on screen, and the action scenes are incredible. In particular the final fights near the end of the film had me as excited as being at a Bulls game. I couldn't believe some of the stuff they were pulling off. My heart goes out to those stunt men!! The actual final minute of the film caught me off guard, though it was realistic. But damn... that ten minutes or so of fighting was among the best I've ever seen.

Moments of slapstick comedy are nothing but expected when Sammmo Hung makes an appearance, however it may be a touch overdone here in this sub-genre defining "femme-fatale" flick. Two female officers of the law present themselves as hard-hitting women which should be shown absolute respect, but another group of protagonists weighs them down and the overall result is more comedic than dramatic. There simply wasn't enough Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock on-screen to provide sufficient character development, but even at a basic level it works to support the crime investigation story (which is also very simple). A reel of film ends up being passed around Hong Kong as a triad corporation tries to obtain and destroy it in order to avoid the legal consequences attached. Meanwhile, a group of idiotic underdogs inadvertently become mixed up with the triad affair, as well as our two female hero cops Yeoh and Rothrock. The adventure is goofy yet fun, and the finale will take your breath away in terms of martial arts prowess. This is an iconic movie of both Hong Kong action cinema and the femme- fatale sub genre, and if your mildly interested in either you'll have a great time with this one. - 7/10

Hong Kong Cinema has to be the best to happen to action film history. Well, I'll say Asian Cinema has had a tremendous impact period. Hollywood just can't stop duplicating their style (Matrix for example). Hong Kong action films in the 80's should be given a lot of praise because of what has been accomplished. I'm very happy to say that I'm a martial arts FANATIC!!!

Yes Madam! (A.K.A. Police Assassins) kicked A**!!! I loved the way Michelle and Cynthia connected with each other. I have a lot of respect for those 2 ladies along with Cynthia Khan (another female heroine). The last fight says enough, it doesn't need to be explained. When I saw this movie for the first time, I rewinded that same scene at least 12 times to get that rush again. This is the type of action that action films are missing today. There are too many digital effects and wire work in today's line of work. I wish Hong Kong action films would repeat this formula again along with other movies.

About the content of the movie: Well, the movie is kind of on and off with action scenes. At times, I think the movie didn't know whether to be serious or be comedic. The scene with Sammo Hung, David Chiang, and Richard Ng should've been omitted. I liked the fact that Tsui Hark was in this movie. This is the only movie where I've seen him acting. He did a good job though. He interaction between aspirin and strepsil was funny enough. The first 5 minutes of the movie was off da hook!! Michelle shows off her bad a** cop skills. Cynthia shows off some moves at the airport. And then..... THE FINAL SCENE!!!! To tell the truth, I bought the movie because of the final scene. Those 2 ladies were so graceful with the fight scenes at the end. I enjoyed every punch and kick.

Its amazing how Michelle's dancing skills helped so much with her martial arts training. IMPRESSIVE!!!

My Overall Judegement: 3.5/4 stars

Everything with Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock was great, but they were relegated to secondary roles with the movie instead having the bumbling criminals as the focus. It makes for an uneven movie that really shines in some parts, but drags in others.