ANGEL TERMINATORS is another butt-kicking girls-with-guns thriller from Hong Kong, a little more slapdash and lower budgeted than some, although not without merit. The storyline involves a couple of cops, played by Sharon Yeung and Kara Hui, who find themselves up against a ruthless drug lord who has just returned to Hong Kong after a spell abroad. Hui is always great value in her movies but she spends most of the film missing here, while the mid section suffers a little from being over melodramatic in the depiction of Kenneth Tsang's relationship with old frame Carrie Ng (stuck in a thankless, much-abused supporting role). Taking your mind off the familiarity of the storyline is a wealth of fight action, with copious shoot-outs, car chases and explosions all over the place, including one heck of a climax. The choreography is far from perfect, but the sheer overload of bloodshed and mayhem counts for a lot. Watch out for Dick Wei as a last-act henchman alongside the always-impressive Michiko Nishiwaki doing what she does best.
4 Reviews
B grade movie with A grade Action + Acting
Genkinchan15 June 2022
To start this off although it was 30 years movie but still the action scene were all properly choreographed the action remains not only watchable but enjoyable
The story line is cheesy but it was so surreal where the heroin was forced to take drugs and the gambling addiction by the cop... everything the story line does was fine to earth.....
Secondly the acting was top notch by Kenneth Tsang, Shum wei even all the small supporting gave a great performance
It really worth the watch.. the paving of the movie might be slow but the action pack will keep you entertain.
The story line is cheesy but it was so surreal where the heroin was forced to take drugs and the gambling addiction by the cop... everything the story line does was fine to earth.....
Secondly the acting was top notch by Kenneth Tsang, Shum wei even all the small supporting gave a great performance
It really worth the watch.. the paving of the movie might be slow but the action pack will keep you entertain.
Average movie in the girls with guns genre
chrichtonsworld16 May 2007
The title sounds promising doesn't it? If you were expecting something like Iron Angels this movie just falls short.
The focus seems to be more on drama than on the action. In this genre this just doesn't work. We don't want to see these women humiliated or drugged.We want them to kick ass! There are too many scenes that are just too much. Kenneth Tsang playing the bad guy shows emotion when one of his friends get killed. In the other scene he urinates on the woman he said he loved. Very disgusting scene and very unnecessary. The main character gets captured, tortured and drugged. She manages to look like some junkie who has been an addict for years. (She only has been put on the drugs for one week or so! I mean I get it that you want to emphasize the dramatic effects of drug use but seriously don't go over the top please.) Obviously the director wanted to shock us only at what cost? It put me off this film. Besides the mood in a genre like this shouldn't be this dark. Although I wouldn't mind that much if the action scenes were good. Apart from some decent scenes the action is not mind blowing. To be fair it is just average. The only reason we tolerate any kind of plot and story telling in the genre if it serves the action and not the other way around. It would distract too much.
My advice: watch it one time and then forget about it!
The focus seems to be more on drama than on the action. In this genre this just doesn't work. We don't want to see these women humiliated or drugged.We want them to kick ass! There are too many scenes that are just too much. Kenneth Tsang playing the bad guy shows emotion when one of his friends get killed. In the other scene he urinates on the woman he said he loved. Very disgusting scene and very unnecessary. The main character gets captured, tortured and drugged. She manages to look like some junkie who has been an addict for years. (She only has been put on the drugs for one week or so! I mean I get it that you want to emphasize the dramatic effects of drug use but seriously don't go over the top please.) Obviously the director wanted to shock us only at what cost? It put me off this film. Besides the mood in a genre like this shouldn't be this dark. Although I wouldn't mind that much if the action scenes were good. Apart from some decent scenes the action is not mind blowing. To be fair it is just average. The only reason we tolerate any kind of plot and story telling in the genre if it serves the action and not the other way around. It would distract too much.
My advice: watch it one time and then forget about it!
Mental Hong Kong Action That Entertains!!
Movie-Misfit26 March 2020
Action packed, violent and stunt filled, this early 90's martial arts thriller is a prime example of the femme-fatal films coming out of Hong Kong around this time, inspired by the success of the fantastic Angels/Iron Angels series!
Packed with a great cast on both sides of the law, Angel Terminators features a menacing role from the great Kenneth Tsang, aided by a host of ass-kicking tough guys such as Alan Chui and the wonderful Nipponese nutcracker, Michiko Nishiwaki from My Lucky Stars. Of course, it would only be fair that a team of baddies such as this would have an equally kick-ass team on the side of good, to stop them...
Thankfully, they come in the shape of the fantastic Sharon Yeung Pan Pan and amazing Kara Hui Ying Hung (who actually only appears for the opening fight scenes then returns for the last half hour). This is really all about Pan Pan as a hard-boiled cop determined to take down Tsang and his men.
While they may have been a dime-a-dozen in the late 80's/early 90's, Angel Terminators is just one of many low budget martial arts action films that showcased some of the finest stunt work and fight choreography of Hong Kong cinema at that time. And although the nations A-list action stars were winning at the box-office and gaining a global audience, I'm sure they knew exactly what kind of competition they had on their home turf. Yes, they may not have been as polished as the latest Jackie Chan or Chow Yun Fat release, but they definitely entertained just as much!
For example, there is a fight well before the half-way mark that most action films would only dream of having as their final action piece. This is all thanks to veteran actor and fight choreographer, Jacky Chen Shao Lung (Of Cooks And Kung Fu, The Loot, and Fearless Dragons)...
The great Carrie Ng steers clear of the action, playing the victim to Tsang's madness, with things turning dark for her, including getting urinated on by Kenneth Tsang. Lets not be mistaken here - violence is one of the main ingredients in this film. You will see some crazy stuff in this 90 minute window between the action and the drama! The climactic end fights between Yeung Pan Pan, Kara Hui and the villains (including Brit-kicker Mark Houghton, Nishiwaki, and the fantastic Dick Wei), are just brilliant and another of the films highlights as is its closing scene.
Because it was only actor, Wai Lit's second film as director, Angel Terminators may come across as low budget, disjointed and misogynistic at times, but it is one of the best girls-with-guns flicks to come out of Hong Kong highlighting a host of incredibly painful, and well executed stunts, nicely choreographed action, and a great example of why I love Hong Kong cinema!
Overall: Insane and amazing at the same time, Angel Terminators is a fantastic martial arts action film that never tires!!
Packed with a great cast on both sides of the law, Angel Terminators features a menacing role from the great Kenneth Tsang, aided by a host of ass-kicking tough guys such as Alan Chui and the wonderful Nipponese nutcracker, Michiko Nishiwaki from My Lucky Stars. Of course, it would only be fair that a team of baddies such as this would have an equally kick-ass team on the side of good, to stop them...
Thankfully, they come in the shape of the fantastic Sharon Yeung Pan Pan and amazing Kara Hui Ying Hung (who actually only appears for the opening fight scenes then returns for the last half hour). This is really all about Pan Pan as a hard-boiled cop determined to take down Tsang and his men.
While they may have been a dime-a-dozen in the late 80's/early 90's, Angel Terminators is just one of many low budget martial arts action films that showcased some of the finest stunt work and fight choreography of Hong Kong cinema at that time. And although the nations A-list action stars were winning at the box-office and gaining a global audience, I'm sure they knew exactly what kind of competition they had on their home turf. Yes, they may not have been as polished as the latest Jackie Chan or Chow Yun Fat release, but they definitely entertained just as much!
For example, there is a fight well before the half-way mark that most action films would only dream of having as their final action piece. This is all thanks to veteran actor and fight choreographer, Jacky Chen Shao Lung (Of Cooks And Kung Fu, The Loot, and Fearless Dragons)...
The great Carrie Ng steers clear of the action, playing the victim to Tsang's madness, with things turning dark for her, including getting urinated on by Kenneth Tsang. Lets not be mistaken here - violence is one of the main ingredients in this film. You will see some crazy stuff in this 90 minute window between the action and the drama! The climactic end fights between Yeung Pan Pan, Kara Hui and the villains (including Brit-kicker Mark Houghton, Nishiwaki, and the fantastic Dick Wei), are just brilliant and another of the films highlights as is its closing scene.
Because it was only actor, Wai Lit's second film as director, Angel Terminators may come across as low budget, disjointed and misogynistic at times, but it is one of the best girls-with-guns flicks to come out of Hong Kong highlighting a host of incredibly painful, and well executed stunts, nicely choreographed action, and a great example of why I love Hong Kong cinema!
Overall: Insane and amazing at the same time, Angel Terminators is a fantastic martial arts action film that never tires!!
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