Young, athletic girls are abducted and trained in a secret Southeast Asian camp to become lethal assassins. Charlene (Maggie Q) is one of three to survive the training. On assignment, she rediscovers her humanity after reuniting with her mother (Cheng Pei-pei) and falling in love with a CIA agent (Daniel Wu) sent to bring her in.

A paper thin plot, softcore sex, and ultra-hyped action is what Wong Jing’s latest film, Naked Weapon is all about. What was originally thought to be the film to outdo Naked Killer (1992), a violent erotic thriller and cult favorite in the West, turns out to be even more shallow and devoid of logic.

The film’s premise is flawed from the beginning. Hundreds of young girls from around the world are being abducted and sent to a training camp. They are chosen for their athletic ability and undergo rigorous training over the course of six years in martial arts, survival, computers, and of course, cosmetics. Light-hearted hilarity ensues when the queen assassin Madam M, played by Almen Wong of Her Name is Cat (1998) fame begins a selection process by having the girls first kill male attackers, then each other. A final step involves a cage match with three girls being chosen as worthy assassins. A rather tasteless rape of the three follows and the next time you see them, they are assassinating various politicians and crime bosses by using their sexy bodies to seduce their prey. The hero out of the trio is Charlene, played by a luscious Maggie Q. During an assassination, Charlene sees her mother and is tracked by CIA agent Jack Chen (Daniel Wu), who has been following the case of abducted girls for six years.

From here the plot begins dropping holes and loose ends at an accelerated pace. Charlene and Jack get it on and poor Chen Pei Pei not only endures being in a lousy movie, but gets a knife in her gut courtesy of the third assassin played by Jewel Lee, and for no good reason. Also for no good reason, Charlene is given the opportunity to quit her life of killing in exchange for one more hit, as if the time and money spent to train her by a ruthless criminal turned old softy no longer mattered. She and Kat are lured into a trap by their target who turns out to be a maniac yakuza leader out to avenge his boss’s death at their hands. Kat is captured and Charlene returns to face the villain in a final, overblown martial arts duel.

This is yet another failed attempt by Hong Kong movie mogul Wong Jing to write and produce a film designed to entertain you with the basest film conventions. He’s actually written some decent films over his long career, such as The Prodigal Son and The Kung Fu Cult Master. Yet, he’s basically admitted himself to being bereft of any artistic integrity when it comes to pleasing his audience and it shows in the majority of his work.

Technically, the film looks great. Veteran director and action choreographer Ching Siu Tung knows his craft well and the scenes and action are framed brilliantly, even though the only fighting cast member with extensive martial arts experience is Daniel Wu. The combat is very flashy and constantly borders on the supernatural, but this is forgivable given the current state of action films in Hong Kong and Hollywood where excess is the order of the day.

What cannot be forgiven is the ridiculous story or the pitiful acting by Maggie Q and Daniel Wu. I’ve seen more convincing performances from sock puppets. Both of these stars are actually from the U.S. and speak English in the film. Wu looks like he has the chops to be a credible action star, but he’s given little to work with here. A former model, Maggie Q is reminiscent of Rebecca Romijn-Stamos in that they are both pleasant on the eyes, but completely lacking charisma. To give them a break, it is doubtful that anyone could have excelled in this brainless project. Cheng Pei Pei tries her best and only makes one wish she could be cast in more worthy projects befitting both her status and abilities.

Naked Weapon doesn’t work on any level. As an erotic thriller, the film is too derivative and laughable to be stimulating in any way. Plus, its less bawdy than the marketing suggests with a lesbian relationship only hinted at and selective editing in place. As a drama depicting a girl’s attempt to reclaim her humanity and supposedly enduring a brutal six-year ordeal, the film completely flops with a plot full of holes that actually evaporates before the film even ends. The viewer is given the impression that the CIA are going to hunt down Madam M, but she just disappears while the CIA agent goes on his own hunt for Maggie Q. Finally, the only decent element is the fighting. As an actioner, the film does offer a few well-staged scenes with creative moves and editing that might appeal to fans of The Matrix or The One. Unfortunately, this action hardly fits the film and without a better story to back it up, it has all the impact of a modern automobile commercial. This is a waste of time and talent.

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