Magnificent Warriors (1987)

During World War II, a Chinese pilot (Michelle Yeoh) teams up with a spy (Derek Yee) and a conman (Richard Ng) in order to rescue the governor of Kaal where the occupying Japanese plan to build a chemical weapons factory.

Hong Kong films are well-known for having the world’s finest fight choreography, but they rarely impress us with scale or grandeur, descriptions generally reserved for Hollywood epics like Spartacus or Raiders of the Lost Ark. But this latter offering from Steven Spielberg just happens to have provided some inspiration for Magnificent Warriors. This rare offering from HK is a sprawling adventure set in a desolate Western Asian local during World War II, mixing martial arts with an airplane dog fight, explosions, a large-scale siege battle, and of course, a bull whip. A repetitive soundtrack, misfired humor, and limited creativity apart from the hand-to-hand combat weighs down an otherwise enjoyable Michelle Yeoh feature with some of the most fierce screen fighting seen throughout her career.

Yeoh plays the film’s ‘Indiana Jones’ character, a tomboyish Chinese patriot whom her father (Guk Fung) sends to rescue the loyal governor of the walled city of Kaal where the Japanese plan to build a poison gas factory. Her character is initially well-established as a scrapper who is more than capable of mixing it up with the men after a gun-running deal goes sour and she’s forced to lay into a village of thieves with her bull whip. Next up, she hops in her bi-plane and heads to Kaal, but is waylaid by a Mitsubishi AM6 Zero. Actually, it’s a T-6 Texan trainer from the same era. But let’s not get technical. Historic air battles are rare and difficult enough to pull off in Hollywood that seeing one done reasonably well in a Hong Kong film is a treat. Yeoh barely reaches her destination and hooks up with her contact, a spy codenamed Sky Number One (Derek Yee). No thanks is due to a likable conman played by character actor Richard Ng who eats the messenger bird and keeps a signal watch meant for Yee. The three eventually nab the governor and his girlfriend (Cindy Lau). But attempts to assassinate the Japanese general in charge of the occupation forces and refuel the plane for their getaway fall apart. Faced with execution, the heroes rebound after the people of Kaal rebel and brace for an epic battle as the Japanese return in greater numbers.

This film perfectly highlights the typical strengths and weaknesses of Hong Kong filmmaking. The fight scenes are spectacular, but everything else is done with varying degrees of success that ultimately fails to match comparable Hollywood fare. The good news is that this is first and foremost an action vehicle for Michelle Yeoh. She’s featured prominently throughout the film and fights like a madwoman. Its truly a sight to be seen as she thrashes thugs with a bull whip, shreds a bridge with a machine gun, power kicks fighters into objects several feet away, or jousts with an angry mob on motorcycle with a flaming pole in hand! David Chung’s direction captures it all with flair through slow motion editing, power angles, and long takes that capture a full range of motion from Yeoh that few male actors today could do. Though action director Stephen Tung Wai has voiced his opinion that the female lead in this film should have exemplified flexibility over power, its this intense strength conveyed through impact in Yeoh’s combat that defined her style and personality on screen throughout her career. There’s nothing like watching a beautiful 5′4″ woman cause so much destruction!

Other fighting highlights include none other than superkicker Hwang Jang-lee as a Japanese officer who squares off against Yeoh and Cindy Lau. Maybe its the dynamic camerawork, but his legwork looks just as fierce and powerful as it did a decade earlier when he began his film career. Derek Yee, Lo Meng, and Fung Hak-on all contribute to a lesser degree, but a relatively unknown Cindy Lau stands out on a couple of occasions, especially during a crowded barroom brawl with several brawny thugs.

The rest of the film isn’t all bad. The cinematography is good and the locations used are great. The large, walled-city of Kaal makes for a perfect climatic battle as Japanese soldiers scale the walls and fight through the interior settlements. Though set during WWII during a bleak period in China’s history, the emphasis is on adventuring and comedy actor Richard Ng is thrown into the mix to bring levity to the proceedings. The result is uneven with a few gags falling too close to the nonsense that belongs in his other films, Mr. Boo Meets Pom Pom. The character development, dialogue, and acting by just about everyone aren’t very good either. A scene where Yeoh, Ng, and Yee discuss each other’s past while moments away from execution trips up the whole tension that should be building. It also makes for a late and painfully simple method of building rapport among our heroes. As far as the non-martial arts action scenes go, all the makings for great action are present, but the scenes are pulled off with less creativity and polish than possible. An example is the lack of bullets striking Yeoh’s bi-plane. We know they hit after her plane starts smoking, but the scene where they make impact is missing. Call it nitpicking if you like, but the result of leaving this simple shot out is that the air battle remains less immediate to the viewer.

Through all of the gripes, the film is still recommended. The powerful fight scenes, Michelle Yeoh’s presence, and the unusual situation of Japanese soldiers fighting Chinese patriots in a remote city on a relatively large scale makes Magnificent Warriors an enjoyable adventure film.