From Aesthetic Violence
to an Aesthetic of Violence
“I want to [do] action” (Yukari Oshima,
in English)
Female performers have featured prominently
throughout the history of modern HK action cinema. Numerous high
quality martial arts films with female action stars were made during the
1960s and 1970s, many of which remain genre classics. At least a
dozen female action actors achieved prominence during this time, predominantly
in costumed, period roles. Some achieved international recognition.
The Shanghai ballerina Cheng Pei-pei starred in 1960s Shaw Brothers martial
arts productions, while a Chinese Opera player from Taiwan – Angela Mao
Ying – appeared in comparable productions for rival Golden Harvest during
the 1970s. Kara Hui Ying-hung – still actively appearing in action
films – made her name in several Shaw Brothers period action films during
the late 1970s. All three would star in action films with contemporary
themes (e.g., “Virgin Commandos,” 1980; “Stoner,” 1980; “My Young Auntie,”
1981). These films, and similar productions from the same period
(e.g., “Golden Queens Commando,” 1984; “Pink Force Commando,” 1984) may
be viewed as transitional – retaining many of the conventions of cinematography
and character of the 1970s martial arts films but introducing more contemporary
action. After the popularity of kung fu films had largely run its
course – to be supplanted by triad plots – New Wave directors such as Tsui
Hark (“Dangerous Encounter – 1st Kind,” 1980) or Patrick Tam Kar-min (“Nomad,”
1982) experimented with intense, personal dramas set in contemporary urban
society. Some of these films offered increasingly unconventional
female action roles, such as the villains played by Lin Ching-chi in “Dangerous
Encounters,” Ying Hsia in “Girl with a Gun” (1984) or Pauline Wong Siu-fung
in “Night Caller” (1985).
Two of the few female action performers to provide
real continuity between the traditions of costumed, stylized martial arts
and contemporary action cinema were Sharon Yeung Pan-pan and Kara Hui Ying-hung.
Yeung had trained in the Chinese Opera tradition since childhood and appeared
in martial arts roles during the late 1970s and 1980s. She also made
several excellent contemporary action films before retiring from film in
the mid 1990s. Hui – who is still working – had received intensive
training in martial arts at the Shaw Brothers studio and appeared in many
classics such as the successful action comedy “My Young Auntie” (1981).
She would subsequently display her martial and athletic abilities in Golden
Harvest’s “Naughty Boys” (1986). Produced by Jackie Chan, this film
appears to have served as a prototype for the “Inspector Wears Skirts”
films (1988 – 1992). This influential series of action comedies produced
by Golden Harvest and Jackie Chan represented a prominent trend in female
action films, but blunted the subversive edge of female action with comedy
and reaffirmation of traditional personal and power relations. Action
comedy also provided the background for the prolific Sandra Ng Kwan-yu
who would provide comic relief both in “The Inspector Wears Skirts” as
well as comparable action comedies (e.g., “Operation Pink Squad,” 1988).
Ng would also star in one of the best serious police action films, “Thunder
Cops II” (1989).
The surge in popularity of more realistically
combative female action films during the mid-1980s may be attributed in
large measure to the physical performance skills of four women – American
martial artist Cynthia Rothrock, former Miss Malaysia and ballerina turned
actor Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng, Japanese martial artist and stunt player
Tsumura Yukari (Yukari Oshima) and the ballet-trained Hong Kong actor Moon
Lee Choi-fung. Yeoh and Lee initially lacked previous martial arts
training but had appeared in non-action film roles. They would quickly
adapt their physical flexibility and talents to the demands of fight choreography
and within a decade would both be among the highest-grossing female actors
in the industry. Two distinct strands of action productions would
evolve. The first, launched with Yeoh and Rothrock, involved the
relatively consistent support of major production companies – especially
D&B – for fairly traditional police action plots. The second,
substantially identified with Lee and Oshima, tended to involve lower budgets
and independent productions, but more varied action themes.
In 1985, reportedly at the suggestion of Sammo
Hung, D&B Films’ Dickson Poon teamed Yeoh and Rothrock in the police
drama “Yes, Madam.” Yeoh’s hard training and rehearsal paid off and
her performance alongside the proven wushu skills of Rothrock set a new
standard for women’s participation in contemporary martial arts action
dramas. True to formula, D&B would follow up by casting Yeoh
in a reprise of this role in “Royal Warriors” (1986), another excellent
showcase for Yeoh’s agility and dedication (she reportedly dislocated a
shoulder during filming – one of several serious injuries in her film career)
as well as acting ability. By this point formula elements included
submissive male police colleagues and rejected romantic overtures.
Following Yeoh’s marriage to Dickson Poon, D&B
found a replacement in the Taiwanese former jazz dancer and actor Yang
Li-ching (“Split of the Spirit,” 1987). Renamed Cynthia Khan from
elements of Rothrock’s and Yeoh’s screen names, she would go on to star
in the successful “In The Line of Duty” series (1988 – 1990), buttressed
by an impressive array of martial artists and action actors in supporting
roles. She would also place among the top-grossing female actors
in the HK industry. Khan continued to appear in action films for
D&B (“Tiger Cage 2,” 1990; “Forbidden Arsenal,” 1991; “Sea Wolves,”
1991) as well as for other production companies (“Queen’s High,”
1991; “A Serious Shock! Yes Madam!” 1992; “The Avenging Quartet,” 1993;
“Madam City Hunter,” 1993; “Pink Bomb,” 1993; “Yes Madam 5,” 1996).
Rothrock, too, made a number of other appearances in HK action films, including
“The Inspector Wears Skirts” (1988) and “City Cops” (1989) as well as the
outstanding martial arts actioner “Righting Wrongs” (1986) starring Yuen
Biao and “The Blonde Fury” aka “Lady Reporter” (1989) for Golden Harvest.
D&B adhered to this successful formula, subsequently
casting former model Jade Leung Ching in the successful “Black Cat” (1991)
in which Leung’s lack of martial arts skills was compensated by excellent
choreography and action direction. The predictable sequel “Black
Cat 2: Assassination of President Yeltsin” (1992) was not a success,
however. Mandarin Films would try to package Jade Leung as an action
star in “Satin Steel” (1994), shot in Singapore and Indonesia. Leung
continued to appear in a number of other dramatic and action roles (“Enemy
Shadow,” 1995; “Fox Hunter,” 1995; “Spider Woman,” 1995; “Velvet
Gloves,” 1996; “Killing Me Hardly,” 1997; “The Peeping Tom,” 1997; “Leopard
Hunting,” 1998).
The other principal force behind D&B films,
Sammo Hung Kam-po, would also attempt to forge an action persona for a
newcomer. Former Miss Hong Kong Joyce Mina Godenzi reportedly had
no martial arts background until training with tae kwan do instructor Dick
Wei for her film roles. With the support of expert fight choreography
and constructive editing, Godenzi was able to look convincing in a number
of Sammo Hung action pictures produced by Golden Harvest (“Eastern Condors,”
1987; “She Shoots Straight,” 1990; “License To Steal,” 1990; “Slickers
vs. Killers,” 1991) as well as appearing in Tsui Hark’s “The Raid” (1991).
Of these, her best role was probably as a police officer, very much in
the ITLOD mold, in “She Shoots Straight.”
“I’m a stunt woman too! Can
you believe that?” (Elaine Lui, in English)
While D&B films groomed attractive newcomers
with intensive training, then surrounded them with proficient action actors
or martial artists in relatively lavish yet formulaic productions that
defined the female police action sub-genre, other directors introduced
riskier elements. Stanley Tong Kwai-lai, who had been action director
for “Angel II,” directed the innovative action film “Stone Age Warriors”
(1991) that eked out its meager budget with exotic location shooting in
New Guinea and literally plunging its star Elaine Lui Siu-ling into challenging
stunts and extended action sequences. Tong, a personal friend of
Michelle Yeoh, would likewise direct her comeback in the superior stunt
work of “Police Story III: Supercop” (1992) that brought Yeoh to
the attention of Jackie Chan’s worldwide audience. Stylistic similarities
between the graphically violent gunfights forming the principal action
set pieces in “Supercop” and “Angel II” reflect the prominent influence
of Tong’s action choreography. The action staging in “Supercop” and
sequel “Project S” (1993) confirmed Yeoh as a major star. She would
subsequently appear in the action film “Wonder Seven“ (1994) as well as
a range of other parts.
Another influence can be traced to the success
of the American television series “Charlie’s Angels” (1976 – 1982) that
reportedly inspired the film “Deadly Angels” (1977). Its sequel,
“Angel” (1987) written and produced by Teresa Woo San, became a surprise
hit, launching a sub-genre sometimes termed “Girls With Guns” (GWG).
“Angel” incorporated a number of formulaic triad movie elements, but featured
Elaine Lui and Moon Lee as female crime fighters who would expend unlimited
amounts of ammunition in frenzied shootouts. Large doses of mayhem
and well choreographed – albeit exaggerated – martial arts sequences carried
the team through two sequels, “Angel II” (1988) and “Angel III” (1989),
although Lui would not appear in the third installment. However,
the status of “Angel” (1987) as an HK action classic was due in large measure
to a powerful performance by Yukari Oshima. Possessing a unique combination
of legitimate martial arts background, stunt training and prior action
acting experience (“Funny Family,” 1986; “A Book of Heroes,” 1986; “Millionaires’
Express,” 1986), she stole the scenes she was in.
Oshima would go on to defy the odds against non-Chinese
actors in the HK industry by appearing in several dozen more HK action
movies which, when added to her Taiwanese and Philippine roles, would ultimately
result in a filmography of more than 60 action parts. Two triad and
police action classics directed by Frankie Chan, “Burning Ambition” (1989)
and “The Outlaw Brothers” (1990) feature some of the best fight sequences
of contemporary HK action films. Additionally, the sheer number of
Oshima’s action roles represents a sizeable industry contribution.
Moon Lee and Elaine Lui would also each appear in a string of action films,
Lee starring in “Devil Hunters” (1989), “Killer Angels” (1989), “Princess
Madam” (1989), “The Nocturnal Demon” (1990), “Angel Force” (1990), “Mission
of Condor” (1991) and “Secret Police” (1992), as well as D&B’s “Fatal
Termination” (1990) and Golden Harvest’s “Bury Me High” (1991), while Lui
(“The Innocent Interloper,” 1986) would appear in another D& B actioner
“Live Hard” (1989) as well as “Bullet for Hire” (1991), “Rich Man” (1992)
and “The Red-Wolf” (1995) in supporting roles. However, her best
part was in “Stone Age Warriors” in which she occupies center screen as
an engaging yet combative Japanese heroine. Lee’s typecasting as
an action hero would almost get her killed when explosives were prematurely
detonated during the finale of “Devil Hunters.” The status of these
performers was earned at the expense of real physical risk.
Both Lee and Lui would again cross paths with
Oshima. Lui would fight with her in “Spiritually A Cop” (1991), but
it was the screen partnership between Lee and Oshima in approximately a
dozen productions that became virtually synonymous with female urban action
films of the early 1990s. The director most clearly identified with
the GWG sub-genre (e.g., “Devil Hunters”), Wong Chun-yeung, skirted the
emerging Cat. III but edged his stars toward flirtation with subtextual
symbolism as well as graphic depictions of primal emotions – trauma, anger,
suffering – that added a psychological dimension to movies such as “That’s
Money” (1990), “Dreaming The Reality” (1991) and “Angel Terminators
II” (1993) with the support of experienced actors such as Kara Hui Ying-hung
and Sibelle Hu Hui-chung. Even lesser productions like “Story of
the Gun” (1991) and “Mission of Justice” (1992) included some elements
that added complexity to the typically flat characterization of action
roles. The associated symbolism represents something more than mere
formula. By allowing his physically competent and self-assured performers
to parade their skills, Wong also re-discovered the athletic sensuality
inherent in martial arts.
