In the Line of Duty 4 (1989) Wong gaa si ze IV - Zik gik zing jan (original title)

Director:

Woo-ping Yuen

Writers:

Chi-Sing Cheung (writer)
Kwong Kim Yip (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

21 July 1989 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Crime

Plot:

Two detectives who are up to their necks in trouble and in each other's face, as they try to shut down...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Punctuation In Title | Fourth Part | Fist Fight | Brawl

Cast

Cynthia Khan	...	Madam Rachel Yeung Lai-Ching
Donnie Yen	...	Captain Donnie Yan
Michael Wong	...	Captain Michael Wong
Yat Chor Yuen	...	Luk Wan-Ting
Kai Chi Liu	...	Ming
Chiao Chiao	...	Luk's Mother
Gei Shun Wai	...	HK Police officer
Shun-Yee Yuen	...	Drug dealer
Blaine Lamoureux	...	Officer Peter Woods (as Blaine Camoureux)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stephan Berwick	...	Fighter in blue T-shirt (as Stephen Berwick)
Ho Chi-Moon	...	Restaurant guest
Wing Cho	...	Loan Shark's Man 1 / CIA Agent
Farid Dordar	...	Thug at pier
Tom Hyland
Jim James	...	Officer John
Yiu Man Kee	...	Loan Shark's Man 2
Farlie Ruth Kordica	...	Blonde female fighter
Jing-hung Kwok	...	Loan Shark's thug in Seattle
Eddie Maher	...	Loan Shark in Seattle
Kwok-kin Ng	...	Policeman
David Petersen
Ray Pichette	...	Violent policeman (as Ray Pachette)
John Salvitti	...	Fighter in alley
Paul Wong	...	Killer at hospital
Michael Woods	...	Black fighter on rooftop / Motorbike
Tin Hung Yee	...	Loan Shark's Thug in Seattle

Directed by
Woo-ping Yuen

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Chi-Sing Cheung		writer
Wing-Fai Wong		writer
Kwong Kim Yip		writer

Produced by
Norman Chan	....	executive producer
Stephen Shin	....	producer
Shan Tam	....	line producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Siu-Lam Tang
Richard Yuen

Cinematography by
Au Kam Hung
Koon-wah Ma

Art Direction by
Chi-Ngai Lee

Costume Design by
Ho Deng-Ngo

Makeup Department
Shiu Kin On	....	makeup artist
Michael Porter	....	hair stylist: Vancouver
Wong Tim-Fook	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Sunny Cheng	....	production manager
Yat Tao Wan	....	production manager
Louis Wong	....	production manager
Chun Man Yuen	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hester Yip Shui-Fong	....	assistant director
Wing-Fai Wong	....	assistant director

Art Department
Chan Fong-Daai	....	props
Les Ford	....	scenic artist: Vancouver

Special Effects by
Darya Douglas-Andres	....	special effects crew
Gary Paller	....	special effects: Vancouver, Gary Paller Special Effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Wing Cho	....	action choreographer
Paul Wong	....	action choreographer
Shun-Yee Yuen	....	action choreographer
Woo-ping Yuen	....	action director
Lam Yuk-Yim	....	car stunts
Donnie Yen	....	action choreographer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Wing Lun Chow	....	gaffer
Chuck Fey	....	assistant cameraman: second unit, Vancouver (as Chuck Feg)
Kevin Hall	....	gaffer: Vancouver
Kevin Hall	....	second unit cameraman: Vancouver
Bruce Murray	....	grip: Vancouver
Andrew Pereszlenyi	....	grip: Vancouver
Kerry Urbanski	....	still photographer: Vancouver
David Chow Wing-Kwong	....	gaffer

Other crew
Chuan-Tsan Chang	....	script supervisor
Cecil Drummond-Hay	....	armourer: Vancouver (as Cecil Drummond)
Ogden Gavanski	....	production coordinator: Vancouver
Ohan Korlikian	....	production assistant: Vancouver
Tim McGeer	....	production assistant: Vancouver (as Tim Mcgeer)
Heidi Newell	....	production assistant: Vancouver
Michael Parker	....	assistant production coordinator: Vancouver
Dickson Poon	....	presenter
Bill Roxborough	....	assistant production coordinator: Vancouver

Production Companies

• D & B Films Co. Ltd.

Distributors

• D & B Films Co. Ltd. (1989) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
• Joy Sales Film and Video Distributors (2008) (Hong Kong) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Gary Paller Special Effects (special effects: Vancouver)

Other Companies

• Tom Bongalis  weapons provided by: Vancouver

Also Known As:

"Wong gaa si ze IV - Zik gik zing jan" - Hong Kong (original title)
"Witness" - International (English title) (alternative title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Portugal:M/16 | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

D & B Films Co. Ltd.

Goofs:

Continuity: Luk and Officer Yeung are handcuffed to each other in Luk's mother's home, but when they are outside, only Luk is handcuffed.

Quotes:

Donny:[Luk is in the hospital after being shot at by an assassin] Did you tell his mother?
Madam Yeung:[shakes her head] I didn't want to upset her.
Donny:She's got a right to know what's going on. She gets upset, that's not our problem. You know what, Madam? You're too emotional. He's in here because of you. You made a bad decision. I think you're in the wrong line of work.
Madam Yeung:[skeptically] Could be and you see yourself as a hot shot. I think you're too impulsive though.
[nods to Luk]
Madam Yeung:He's only under suspicion. You didn't have to go and beat him up like that...he didn't do any harm, so you're as responsible as I am. I think you're in the wrong line too.
Donny:Look lady, it's not my job to decide who's guilty. My job is to bring in the suspect.
Madam Yeung:Mine too, but I try to do it with sensitivity. Everyone's innocent until proven guilty, so why couldn't you give him that chance to be innocent? If a guy has a reasonable request, I grant it to him. How come you're so heartless?
Donny:Now you're just taking cheap shots at me.
Madam Yeung:You're paranoid. I just don't wanna work with a machine.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Follows In the Line of Duty (1986)

Hong Kong action, par excellence.

It's non-stop fight action all the way in director Yuen Woo-ping's amazing martial arts classic 'In The Line Of Duty'.

Sporting a great line in blouson jackets (leather AND tassled suede) and tight snow-washed jeans, feisty female fight star Cynthia Khan, aided by high-kicker Donnie Yen, battles nasty gangsters and corrupt cops in this prime slice of 80s kung fu cinema.

OK, the story might not be anything special—a witness to a crime is hunted by both the police and the gangsters—but with blistering chop-socky and dangerous stunts from the opening frames to the end credits, those who enjoy Hong Kong mayhem will be in heaven when they watch this.

Using virtually none of his trademark wire-work (that, in my opinion, ruins many of his films), Woo-ping presents the viewer with a roller-coaster ride of top action set-pieces and amazing acrobatic mêlées that show off his stars' skills to great effect. Khan is easy on the eye, but deadly in a fight, and gives her all in several brutal battles, one of which sees her performing an amazing routine with a couple of spanners standing in for a pair of nunchakus, and another which has her fighting atop a moving ambulance. Yen is also on fine form, performing more than his fair share of life-threatening action, but his best moment is undoubtedly the final rooftop punch-up with the massive Michael Woods—David and Goliath, kung fu style!

Throw in some great motorcycle-fu, loads of energetic gun fights, a sword fight or two, and good support from both Yat Chor Yuen (as the unlucky witness Luk) and Michael Wong (as a traitorous CIA agent), and the result is a hugely enjoyable masterpiece of the genre.