Sexy and Dangerous

 
Reviewed by YTSL

Before anything else, I feel compelled to point out that although the movie which is being reviewed does have a Category III rating and is produced by Wong Jing (whose other productions include "Naked Killer", "Raped by a an Angel" and "A Chinese Torture Chamber"), it is much less exploitative than one might think from its English title.  As in quite a few other cases, the film's Chinese title -- "Wise Girls Challenge the Hood" -- is more illuminating.  However, this is not to say that there are no SEXY AND DANGEROUS women to be found in this "Young and Dangerous" offshoot whose top-billed performer is Loletta Lee!


Lee plays Marble, the capable arcade games-loving leader of a gang of tough females, whose newest recruit is a cropped-haired and snake-tattooed female motorbiker named Van (sensitively portrayed by the chameleon-like Karen Mok).  For a while, I was worried that this movie would involve not much more than sexy yet girlish competitive jostling and posturing livened only by the rather amusing teasing and taking advantage of a loser rascal" named George (played by Francis Ng who, IMHO, pretty much steals this show with an amazing performance).  Fortunately, the film does become more interesting and takes a turn for the better with the introduction of a menacing female character named -- I kid you not -- Aids (who Marble first encounters in a prison shower-room), the revelation of a relationship between Marble and a lion-maned Triad leader called Brother One (Michael Tong), and the adding into the mix of a rival Triad leader known as Lurcher (played by an actor who looks to me like a cross between Jordan Chan and Lau Ching Wan!).
 

This 1996 production obviously falls squarely into the "triad" genre of Hong Kong movies.  Beyond that, I'm not quite sure how to categorize SEXY AND DANGEROUS since it somewhat schizophrenically inserts some quite entertaining comedy situations plus intriguing commentaries on love and loyalty between "bad" "boys" and "girls" as well as impressively-filmed action into an alternately glamorous, playful and dark depiction of (the eventful lives, societal bonds and individual rivalries of) underworld characters.  At the very least though, I can vouch for its having plenty of interesting plot twists and dramatic complications as well as some definitely more than run-of-the-mill violent scenes (which nevertheless don't feature as much spurting of blood as I have become somewhat used to!).
 

Though SEXY AND DANGEROUS definitely has its moments (and tremendous performances by Ng and Mok, and a more than acceptable one by Lee), it is too uneven a work to compete with and be comparable to such as "Portland Street Blues" (the bona fide "Young and Dangerous" spin-off which centers on a female triad boss essayed by Sandra Ng).  Still, while one does wish that its makers had lavished more time (and effort) on it than the reputed three weeks that was actually spent in the rush to capitalize on the success of "Young and Dangerous", the bottom line is that this movie is a respectable and entertaining enough effort worth considering renting and watching.
 

My rating for the film:  7.0