Hong Kong Women Action Heroes - A Top Five List

May 24th, 2007 in Actors, Dvd, Top 5 List

Because of the tremendous response to Richard’s posting about Women Action Heroes, I am offering this list of films for consideration. While Hollywood has not been very consistent about female action roles, Hong Kong has a tradition of actresses in action films for over forty years. Some of the stars and films may already be familiar to some Screenhead readers. This list is presented as proof that there is no lack of women action heroes or worthwhile films, but that sometimes film fans need to look beyond Hollywood.

1. Naked Weapon (2002). How disappointed I was that Maggie Q essentially stood around in Mission Impossible III. When you see Naked Weapon, you’ll know she could easily kick Tom Cruise. The film is about a group of young women trained to be assassins. Playing mentor to these young women is Cheng Pei-pei, one of the great female martial arts stars.

2. Come Drink With Me (1966). This is the fllm that established the twenty year old Cheng as an action star in Hong Kong. This is a film to see if you enjoy sword-fighting, with Cheng taking on all challengers. The director, King Hu, inspired many of the current Chinese language filmmakers. The mature Cheng co-starred in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a film that owes much to the pioneering work of King Hu.

3. The Heroic Trio (1993). Three female superheroes save the world from, among other things, killer babies! This film by Johnny To stars Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung and Anita Mui. If possible, see the Hong Kong issued DVD as the Miramax issued version is cut and dubbed.

4. New Dragon Gate Inn (1992). It is almost impossible to recommend just one film starring Brigitte Lin. For close to twenty years, Lin was one of the top Hong Kong action stars, most famous for her work with Tsui Hark. This is a remake of a King Hu film, with Lin as the swordfighting owner of an inn located in the middle of the desert. Maggie Cheung co-stars as a warrior disguised as a young man, while Donnie Yen portrays an evil priest.

5. So Close (2002). The easiest way to describe this film is to imagine Die Hard with a female cast. Famed action choreographer Corey Yuen directed this film about cops and criminals, starring Shu Qi. Lots of guns and kicking. Once you’ve seen this film, you’ll never think of The Carpenter’s song “Close to You” in the same way.

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