The Inspector Wears Skirts
II
Director: Wellson Chin
Year: 1989
Rating: 6.0
Much of the same
cast comes back in this follow up to the 1988 Golden Harvest film that sort
of set the standard for girls with guns action/comedy. Both films are directed
by Wellson Chin (he directed the recent Era of the Vampires) and produced
by Jackie Chan and have much else in common. There is a little bit in these
films for everyone – female bonding, goofy comedy, a little sex appeal and
some decently choreographed action and a bit of choreographed dancing! For
those though that prefer their action straight and unadulterated, these films
may be rough going at times – the second one in particular.
While the first had the presence of Cynthia Rothrock to give it a real shot
of adrenaline from time to time, this one really doesn’t get to the action
until the very end. There are a few intermittent punch em ups that can’t be
taken very seriously, but much of the running time is filled with the comic
shenanigans of Sandra Ng and Billy Lau – not always an easy pill to swallow.
Even the final action set piece against a group of terrorists feels a bit
more slapdash than the action in the first film. There are compensating pluses
though that come in the form of Amy Yip. The Yipster is incorrectly credited
with being in the first installment of this series (four films) in some places,
but this is one of her very first – if not her first – major role in which
her voluptuous figure takes center stage.
Gone from the female squad are Ann Bridgewater and Ellen Chan, but returning
are Sandra Ng, Kara Hui Ying Hung, Regina Kent and Sibelle Hu as the stern
Madam Hu. Throw in Suki Kwan as well into the group of veterans. Some new
recruits show up – Amy, May Lo and Angile Leung – and immediately a rivalry
is sparked between the new and the old – feces in the bed, practical jokes
and one good roustabout in the cafeteria that leaves a few bruises and some
bloody noses. In the end of course they have to come together not only to
beat the bad guys, but also to compete against the Flying Tiger Squad.
The Flying Tiger Squad are the male recruits training in the same facility
– headed by Stanley Fung and populated by the likes of Billy Lau, Mars and
Ken Lo. Sandra is still chasing romantically after Billy and still being rejected
like an old newspaper. Billy remains his lecherous self and is at one point
caught peeping into the girl’s shower and gets his humiliating comeuppance.
In many ways the film is really a weaker carbon copy of the first – even
having a martial arts match between the men and the women – but while the
first film had a terrific display from Kara this one focuses on comedy and
the main event is between Billy and Sandra. In fact for some odd reason Kara
is given very little to do during the action scenes – odd because she is
really the only legitimate action actor among the females.
Melvin Wong shows up as a top policeman to check on the skills of the women
and becomes interested in Sibelle – much to the annoyance of Stanley who has
kept his adoration of her to himself. All of these rivalries are soon forgotten
though when a major terrorist – the Golden Haired Lion - breaks away from
the police and hides up in some rough terrain with a large group of his followers.
Finally, after somewhat slogging through all the comedy the viewer is given
some solid action as the men and women team up to go in and get them. Both
Bill Tung and Rickey Hui have cameos in the film.
