Michelle Yeoh was an overnight sensation in Hong Kong action films. She became a headliner with Yes, Madam! After taking a few years off when she married a studio head, she returned to team up with Jackie Chan in Super Cop. Her profile grew with Heroic Trio. She was able to make the jump from Hong Kong to Hollywood with the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. She dominated the screen in Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She’s been a few Star Trek shows including Star Trek: Discovery. Yeoh even won the Oscar for Everything Everywhere All At Once for battling Jamie Lee Curtis and alternate realities. Royal Warriors was her second leading role in a film. She plays a formidable cop who refuses to give into a group of terrorists.
Madam Michelle Yip (Yeoh listed as Michelle Khan in the credits) is on a holiday in Japan. While taking pictures of dancing rockabilly kids at a street festival, she gets drawn into a violent scene. She puts an end to it. This doesn’t put an end to all the unexpected crime action in her life. On her flight back to Hong Kong, a man being transported by the police attempts to escape with terrorists posing as passengers. What they didn’t count on was Yip, Michael Wong (Tiger Cage 3) and ex-cop Henry Sanada (John Wick: Chapter 4) being on the flight. The trio become heroes as they stop the hostage release in dramatic fashion during the flight. What three don’t expect is more terrorists coming after them for a dose of revenge.
Director David Chung (Dynamite Fighters) packs the screen with explosions and destruction. They tear up the airplane and a nightclub with a mix of bullets and punches. The finale involves a remote mining site that gets covered in flames and hot lead. This is what you want when you crave an evening of ’80s Hong Kong cop action.
Michelle Yeoh wasn’t trained in martial arts. She spent her teen years studying at the Royal Academy of Dance in London. Her dance background does help her considerably during the flight sequences since there’s a fluidity to her movement. You can believe she could knockout a guy with a roundhouse kick. You can also accept that she has the dexterity to avoid a chainsaw. There’s chainsaw fighting in the movie. It’s that great of a film.
While Royal Warriors is listed as In The Line of Duty I, this wasn’t originally true in Hong Kong. The series element was tacked on by D&B Films for different markets to tie these two films together with a group of movies starring Cynthia Khan (no relations to Michelle Khan). This was a smart move so all the VHS tapes could be displayed together at your cool rental store (perhaps Dave’s Videorama in Carrboro, NC). Adding to the confusion of the new title is the fact that Royal Warriors wasn’t the first movie released in the series. This was the second film starring Michelle Yeoh as a Police Inspector although she’s not the same character as in Yes, Madam! But the first film was given the title In The Line of Duty II. Since there’s no real carry over between the films; it doesn’t matter which one you see first. What matter is that you sit back and enjoy the raw mayhem that is Royal Warriors.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The 1080p image from a 2K transfer brings out the shards of glass. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 2.0 Cantonese Mono Theatrical mix. There is also a 2.0 Cantonese Alternate Mix, 2.0 Classic English Dub and 5.1 New English Dub. The movie is subtitled in English.
Audio Commentary by Hong Kong Film Expert Frank Djeng has him explain that Yes, Madam was made before Royal Warriors. The films aren’t really connected except in the sense that the feature Yeoh as a police detective.
Missing Aeroplane Inserts (0:29) shows a plane that looks like was made from a kit. Not being in the film helped.
Cantonese Trailer (4:38) has Michelle Yeoh immediately showing off her fighting skills.
English Trailer (3:49) opens with a car bomb going off. The focus is on the cops risking their lives.
English In the Line of Duty Titles (2:57) has them start with the series title.
88 Films Present Royal Warriors (Special Edition). Directed by David Chung. Screenplay by Kan-Cheung Tsang. Starring Michelle Yeoh, Henry Sanada, Michael Wong, Ying Bai, Paul Chun, Shiu-Hung Hui & Fung Woo. Running Time: 96 minutes Rating: Unrated. Release Date: June 11, 2024.
