The Inspector Wears Skirts became a smash hit when it was released in Hong Kong in 1988. Moviegoers embraced how Inspector Wu (My Lucky Stars‘ Sibelle Hu) turned a pack of misfit female cops and unprepared recruits into an elite police squad. The Inspector Wears Skirts was a great date film since a guy would get his fill of action that involved Jackie Chan’s Stunt Crew. His date enjoyed a story of a women making it in a man’s profession. There’s plenty of comic moments instead of a grim heroic bloodshed epic. Quite a few dates didn’t end when the lights came up in the movie theater. This potent blend demanded a sequel and the next year audiences lined up for The Inspector Wears Skirts 2.
Inspector Wu’s Banshee’s Squad (or SKIRTS as it’s called in the subtitles) is still active and being honored. However Wu has been demoted as Amy (Ghost Busting‘s Sandra Ng) takes over as the leader. Why the shift? Because the squad is now going to focus on their feminine qualities instead of force to solves cases. They will seduce and Amy will show them how. Inspector Wu is humiliated in front of the squad. When one member of the Tiger Squad acts fresh to Amy, she goes to extreme measures to correct him that includes a bazooka. But this major change of mission direction turns out to be a dream and Amy’s late for work. Inspector Wu is still in charge and cracks the whip on Amy. While the first movie is about the men in Tiger Squad acting superior and sexist to the women of the Banshees, there’s a new tension here. Four new recruits show up to be trained as Banshees including Susanna (The Blue Jean Monster‘s Amy Yip). There’s quite a bit of hazing by the established women in the unit to the newbies. The best is when the busty Susanna is warned that the bullet proof vest will give you flat chested. She attempts a few solutions to protect her favorite assets from being lost on the job. There’s also a romantic tension since Inspector Kan (My Lucky Stars‘ Stanley Sui-Fan Fung) has a crush on Wu, but his superior Mr. Lo (Yes, Madam!‘s Melvin Wong) also has an interest in her. Her birthday party turns into a dance off between these two senior members of the Royal Hong Kong Police. Later things get physical when they face off during a sparring session between the units. Will this complication distract Wu from getting her squad trained to perform under pressure of a real mission?
Most of the film’s action in the first 2/3rds takes place on the training grounds of the police academy. There are quite a few daring stunts on the obstacle course and a target exercise. The last part of the film has both units going to a remote location to deal with a crew of terrorists in a booby-trapped jungle. The focus of this film is more on the relationships between the characters and not their guns. How are the new recruits going to handle the already established women? What happens when they have a chance to take them on in a training exercise? Will they bond or destroy each other? This is a light comedy so these scenes aren’t as vicious as they could be. Nobody gets emotionally and physically ripped apart although there is a sparring scene where a Banshee member gets tossed around the gym by a Tiger. We get a sense that the only thing worse than being a woman in the Banshees is to be the new girl in their training program.
Sibelle Hu does a fine job playing Inspector Wu as someone who wants her program to succeed. While the main action doesn’t take place until the final act, Sandra Ng and Amy Yip’s comical moments make the film entertaining even on the obstacle course. The Inspector Wears Skirts 2 is fun and physical.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The transfer is a brand new 2K Restoration from the original camera negative. The transfer lets you see the action cleanly and ’80s fashions and hair in the big dance scene. The Audio is 2.0 DTS-HD MA Cantonese. There’s also an English dub 2.0 DTS-HD MA soundtrack. The English subtitles are new and differs a bit from the dub dialogue.
Audio commentary with Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng. He’s knowledgeable about the film, cast, crew and the cultural context. He lets us know what the real Chinese title is. He points out the film was right behind John Woo’s The Killer at the year-end box office. There was a bit of blowback since Jackie Chan was featured on the poster (he was producer) and Hong Kong audiences were expecting him in a cameo. It’s always a delight to rewatch the film while listening to Djeng because he gives you a deeper appreciation of what’s happening on the screen.
Stuntman Mars Discusses The Inspector Wears Skirts 2 (6:45) has him get into how Jackie Chan came up with the concept. Mars is part of Jackie Chan’s Stunt Team and was given a speaking role in the films as part of the male police force. He gets into how they’d figure out a few different ways to choreograph a scene so director Wellson Chin could pick one to film. He also points out how there were a few injuries on the set with stunts gone wrong. He did enjoy the dance scene. I met Mars when he was acting as Jackie Chan’s security during a book signing. He’s big.
An Interview with Stunt Man Go Shut Fung (Anthony Carpio) (28:06) has him explain how he’s a third generation Jackie Chan stuntman and joined in 1985. He first worked with Wellson Chin on Naughty Boys and had an acting role. He says The Inspector Wears Skirts is more like a Police Academy influenced film. He gets into atmosphere while making the film and his co-stars.
Leading the Top Squad (12:33) talks with Director Wellson Chin. He describes how the first film was a big hit and they had six months to make the sequel to get a prized release slot during Chinese New Years. He points out there’s less action scenes since the cast were also working on other movies at the time. He gets into why Jackie Chan didn’t produce the third installment. He dealt with the budget shrinking a bit with each of the three sequels. The third and fourth installments are scheduled to be released by 88 films later this year.
Hong Kong Trailer (3:38) lets us know the all-female elite force is back and are still having trouble getting respect from their male counterparts.
Stills Gallery (3:39) has posters, press photos, lobby cards and a photo of Jackie Chan.
Mini Poster has the original release posters and the new art. This is suitable for framing.
88 Films present The Inspector Wears Skirts 2. Directed by Wellson Chin. Screenplay by Lee Man-Choi & Abe Kwong. Starring Sibelle Hu, Sandra Kwan Yue Ng, Billy Lau, Regina Kent, Anthony Carpio, Kara Wai, Stanley Sui-Fan Fung, Amy Yip, Anglie Leung, Melvin Wong, May Mei-Mei Lo, Joanna Chan, Tat-Kwong Chan, Wah Cheung & Mars. Running Time: 96 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: March 26, 2024.
