While attempting to bring salt smugglers to justice, a lawman is framed by the band of smugglers and imprisoned. His daughter, Lin Jo Nan (Polly Kuan) and her little brother join a rival band of smugglers to bring down the whole operation and free their father.

Produced in order to capitalize on the success of Angela Mao’s Lady Whirlwind (1972), the unrelated Lady Whirlwind and the Rangers (originally titled The Rangers) features Polly Kuan appropriately as a one-woman wrecking crew in a rock’em, sock’em action film pitting her against legendary Japanese martial arts star Yasuaki Kurata.

Polly is Lin Jo Nan, a young woman at the end of the 19th century who discovers that her father, a police official has been framed as a salt smuggler by a real smuggler named Chiang Piao (Yasuaki Kurata) and is locked away. With a hot temper and fists to back it up, she crashes the headquarters of the smugglers responsible, but is overwhelmed and barely escapes with her feisty little brother in tow. She decides to pose as a man while dressing her brother as a girl and joins a rival group of smugglers to bring down Chang Piao and his gang. She quickly rises to the rank of foreman after a series of successful raids on Chang Piao’s shipments. In retaliation, Chang persuades one of the leading rival gang members to first poison Jo Nan and when that fails, to deliver a package containing an explosive to her boss. The latter plan works and precedes a raid on the rival gang that leaves them dead and Jo Nan’s brother taken captive. Jo Nan faces down Chang Piao and his thugs in order to save her brother and get revenge.

Raw, intense action is what dominates this film and Polly Kuan proves herself to be every bit the kung fu queen that she is. One of the few female stars of Hong Kong that could really throw down with the best of the male actors, Polly Kuan is just as talented in her expressiveness and charisma. The film doesn’t waste time in putting her into the thick of it. She regularly takes on a mob of assailants and mops the floor with them. Polly is pretty much in her prime here, midway through her career and proves to be both a strong kicker and fist exponent. But in a kung fu film, the hero is only as good as the lead villain and Polly gets a boost from Yasuaki Kurata. 1973-74 was about the peek for his output and intensity also and the two offer several brilliantly intense fights. Looking lean and mean, the Taekwondo trained Kam Kong (Master of the Flying Guillotine) backs Polly up in an odd role for him as a government officer who goes undercover, posing as a buffoon to bust Kurata’s smuggling operation.

The first and final thirds of the film are chockfull of excellent kung fu, but the middle portion sags under the weight of failed comedic situations. The camera work uses the Hong Kong version of SteadiCam (i.e. cameraman runs with camera while trying not to giggle it around) for many of the shots. The tight and slightly jerky visuals are expertly mixed in with broader static shots to perfectly compliment the style of combat used. The kung fu is all hard boxing that dominated films after Bruce Lee became popular. There are touches of Bruce in some of the scenes, but the filmmakers and cast were talented and smart enough to know better than to create a female Bruce Lee. But then, Polly naturally has a whimsical intensity about her that translates well in the choreography. Its a shame that the story devolves into corny situational comedy midway through. Polly’s identity is discovered by her main rival in the smuggling gang she has joined. Instead of exposing her, he hopes to bed her and a series of awkward scenarios play out with Yeh Hsiao I, the little brother thwarting the guy’s every advance. Her suitor becomes a fairly central character that is never allowed to develop beyond a 2-dimensional ignoramus which makes all the time the film spends on him pointless and dull. But I will say that Yeh is amusing as he runs around in pigtails, shooting thugs with slingshots and kicking them in the rear. He makes a good accomplice for Polly who displays a mischievous streak of her own onscreen.

For pure action, Lady Whirlwind and the Rangers is highly recommended. With fast and furious kung fu filling the bulk of the film and Polly’s fine performance, the mediocre center can be tolerated. Besides, this film is really just a platform for Polly Kuan, that devilish smirk of her’s, and two arms and two legs of unequivocal feminine fury!

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  • Michael the Street-Fighter

    It was Kam Kong who put on the best show in the RANGERS!! Without him the film wouldn’t have been that entertaining!
    Polly Kuan and Jacky Chan would have made a dynamic duo on screen!!!