Yes, Madam!

A revolutionary a film for kick starting and defining the Battling Babes genre, in the same way 'Zu' was for the fantasy swordplay movies, 'Yes, Madam!' combined the best of Hong Kong action cinema with a fresh, sexy and exciting look. Rarely ever had women played such dominant roles and kicked as much butt as they do here, while still being allowed to show a coy, feminine side.

Both Yeoh and Rothrock made their action debuts in this film, and they couldn't have been picked at a better time. The action choreography in HK was entering a new, fast and brutal phase while both girls were at the peak of their physical fitness. The end result is not only the definitive femme-fatale flick, but also one of the finest actioners to leap on to the screen in the mid 80's. The final fight scene alone is more than worth the cost of the DVD and puts Hollywood to shame with its raw power and inventiveness. The best offered in the West at the time was a macho Sigourney Weaver in 'Aliens', but even she wouldn't have been able to touch these girls! Also known as 'In the line of Duty 2' following the later produced 'Royal Warriors' aka 'In the line of Duty' (1986) 'Yes, Madam!' set a new trend in the later 80's whereby attractive women such as Cynthia Khan, Moon Lee, Yukari Oshima and many more were given free reign to dish out the pain, being made to look like the greatest screen fighters ever courtesy of rigorous training from the likes of Dick Wei, Yuen Kwai and Yuen Woo Ping. Even today we are reaping the rewards as female faces, new and old, do battle on the screen in modern classics like 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'.

Entertaining cameos from Sammo Hung and Richard Ng as well as great fighting performances from the likes of Chung Fa and Dick Wei makes this a testosterone junkies dream! Ultimately lacking in great cinematography or even much of a plot, the name of the game is to excite the audience in as many ways possible, whether it's with lingering shots of a luscious, young Michelle Yeoh or an animated, head and arm cracking La Rothrock - this movie should not be missed by anyone interested in action - "Hong Kong style".

'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.

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.

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