From Angel to Martial Angels
“I bet it’s the foreign girl.” (“Operation
Pink Squad”)
The relatively brief popularity of female-centered
action films spanned approximately six years, with the majority of the
best produced between 1987 and 1993. The demand for screen talent
attracted a number of female martial artists and bodybuilders from Pacific
Rim countries, including Japan (Yukari Oshima, Nadeki Fujimi, Michiko Nishiwaki),
Australia (Kim Maree Penn) and the Philippines (Agnes Aurelio) as well
as the United States (Cynthia Rothrock, Karen Shepherd) or Europe (Saskia
Van Rijswijk). Other than Cynthia Rothrock, most of these non-Chinese
performers were initially cast as villains – potentially exploiting the
legacy of national rivalries. As several acquired recognition and
popularity with repeated casting they would also be offered action parts
as police officers. These roles provided a ready context for display
of their physical prowess, while dubbing overcame language difficulties.
Although Agnes Aurelio would only appear in three
films and Nadeki Fujimi in approximately ten, their athleticism and screen
presence contributed strong supporting action performances in prominent
titles such as “She Shoots Straight” (1990), “License to Steal” (1990)
and “The Big Score” (1990) (Aurelio), and “Killer Angels” (1989), “Mission
of Condor” (1991), “Crystal Hunt” (1991) and “Cheetah on Fire” (1992) (Fujimi).
Additionally, Fujimi was cast at the action lead in “Pink Panther” (1993),
“Wonderful Killer” (1993) and “Rock on Fire” (1994). Michiko Nishiwaki
would have more than 20 parts, eventually having leading roles in films
such as “The Real Me” (1991), “Raiders of Loesing Treasure” (1992), “Passionate
Killing in the Dream” (1992) and “Whore and Policewoman” (1993).
British newcomer Sophia Crawford would gain a presence in numerous action
films comparable to her compatriot Mark Houghton – portraying either a
villain in numerous fight cameos or appearing in minor supporting roles.
Action films also offered prominent screen careers
to several former Malaysian, Hong Kong or Taiwanese dancers (Michelle Yeoh,
Moon Lee, Cynthia Khan) and models or beauty contestants (Jade Leung, Joyce
Mina Godenzi, Chingmy Yau). The film careers of most would have run
their course by the early 1990s, but a few would continue to remain active
in the Asian film industry. Yau (“Naked Killer,” 1992; “Deadly Dream
Woman,” 1992; “Raped by an Angel,” 1993; “High Risk,” 1995), in particular
would appear in more than 40 roles during the 1990s – many produced by
Wong Jing – although only a small number would be in contemporary action.
Action films presented opportunities for established performers, as well.
Shaw Brothers veteran Kara Hui (“The Inspector Wears Skirts I – IV,” 1988
– 1992) continued to appear in supporting roles in numerous action films
throughout the period (e.g., “Pretty Woman at War,” 1988; “Burning Ambition,”
1989; “The Vengeance,” 1991; “Bloody Revenge,” 1992; “The Vengeance of
Six Dragon,” 1992; “On Parole,” 1993; “A Story in Beijing City,” 1993;“Crazy
Mission,” 1999) – amassing a career filmography of approximately 90 parts
– while martial artist Sharon Yeung closed out her film career with a number
of contemporary actioners (“Angel Enforcers,” 1989; “Princess Madam,” 1989;
“Angel Terminators,” 1990; “Way of the Lady Boxers,” 1992).
At some point in their careers a number of female
dramatic actors also appeared in action films. Some, such as Sibelle
Hu (“The Mighty Gambler,” 1992), would entirely cross over into martial
arts actioners, risking typecasting in the process of dozens of supporting
roles alongside virtually all the prominent female action actors of the
day (e.g., with Sandra Ng in “Fire Phoenix,” 1990, Carrie Ng in “Crystal
Hunt,” 1991, Saskia Van Rijswijk in “Fatal Mission,” 1991, Sharon Yeung
in “Way of the Lady Boxers,” 1992, Moon Lee in “Angel’s Project,” 1993,
to mention but a few). A range of other actors, such as Brigitte
Lin Ching-hsia (“Lady In Black,” 1987), Rosamund Kwan Chi-lam (“Vengeance
Is Mine,” 1988), Pauline Wong Siu-fung (“Her Vengeance,” 1988), Pat Ha
Man-chik (“On the Run,” 1988), Anita Mui Yim-fong (“A Better Tomorrow III,”
1989), Elizabeth Lee Mei-fung (“Widow Warriors,” 1990), would each appear
in some action dramas. Most did not personally practice martial arts
– relying instead on traditional film techniques. Their appearance
in quite diverse film genres may have assured screen longevity, and avoided
the potential career pitfall of Cat. III that would confront the action
actors.
Some – most prominently Carrie Ng Kar-lai – would
hone their acting talents during the transition from actioners to Cat.
III. Ng (“The First Time Is the Last Time,” 1989; “Fire Phoenix,”
1990; “Hard to Die,” 1990; “Sex and Zen,” 1991; “Ladies Killer,” 1991;
“Crystal Hunt,” 1991; “Cheetah on Fire,” 1992; “Naked Killer,” 1992; “Remains
of a Woman” 1993; “Passion Unbounded,” 1995; “The Armed Policewoman,” 1995;
“Evil Instinct,” 1996; “X-Cop Girls,” 2001) would appear in more than 40
films of various genres – mostly in supporting roles – but earning the
prestigious Taiwanese Golden Horse award for Best Actress for her performance
in “Remains of a Woman.” A few other actors would appear in more
recent action dramas (e.g., Maggie Siu Mei-kei “Sting of the Scorpion,”
1992; “Murders Made to Order,” 1993; Carol Cheng Yu-ling, “Once a Black
Sheep,” 1992; Michelle Lee Kar-yan aka Michelle Reis, “The Other Side of
the Sea,” 1994; Valerie Chow Kar-ling, “The Armed Policewoman,” 1995; Jacqueline
Wu Chien-lien, “Beyond Hypothermia,” 1996 or Sandra Ng Kwan-yu, “Portland
Street Blues,” 1998) – a film genre that had progressively dwindled to
a trickle by the end of the decade. A scant few female action actors
– among them Kara Hui, Yukari Oshima, and Cynthia Khan continued to make
essentially unchanged action films across two decades – longer in the case
of Kara Hui. Although the popularity of contemporary action in general
substantially declined during the late 1990s, the Wong Jing film studio
and other independent production companies continued to make such films.
Now, after a brief hiatus, the HK film industry
may have rediscovered the action genre. Several fine recent productions
suggest an emerging trend toward cinematically lush, well scripted and
scored dramas that emphasize moments of intensity, ambiguity and irony
over more conventional character trajectories. Films such as “Jiang
Hu: The Triad Zone” (2000), “The Killer of the Lonely Heart” (2000),
“Skyline Cruisers” (2000) and “Martial Angels” (2001) seem distinctively
postmodern. New female performers such as Josie Ho (“The Legend of
a Professional,” 2000) or Shu Qi and Kelly Lin (e.g., “Martial Angels,”
2001) capture an aesthetic of estrangement – while Sandra Ng’s experience
and depth of characterization have also featured prominently. Complemented
by good effects, these recent titles are once more both technically and
artistically impressive – rekindling some of the essential excitement that
has distinguished HK cinema at its best. The only proviso appears
to be that there are no obvious successors for the relatively small number
of female performers whose physical talents (in martial arts or gymnastics)
originally contributed so prominently to these genre films. Also,
many recent female action roles have been only supporting ones (e.g., “Purple
Storm,” 1999; “Cold War,” 2000; “A War Named Desire,” 2000; “X-Cop Girls,”
2000), comic parody (e.g., “Cop Shop Babes,” 2001) or as cameos within
films with Cat. III themes (e.g., “Raped by an Angel 5: The Final
Judgment,” 2000). Even Clarence Ford’s “Martial Angels” (2001), that
explicitly set out to recapture familiar GWG territory with updated cinematography
and effects, stumbles due to indifferent action choreography in the final
third.
