"Yes", because Angela Mao is indeed a doll, and pretty deadly in this one. "No", because there are too many side characters taking away the focus from Angela - don't get me wrong, they all can fight, but in a movie called "Deadly China Doll" you expect the female lead to be the one central figure. The plot is muddled, the DVD transfer is poor, the editing is often bad, but the fighting is generally pretty good (though the characters' jumping around as if they had springs on their shoes can get tiresome) and constitutes the only reason to see this movie. Angela has 3 fight scenes in total: her most ferocious expressions and moves come at the 10-minute climax, but my favorite is her first, where she goes against a guy at least twice her size. (**)
3 Reviews
Old school Kung Fu movie
ebiros26 December 2012
This is an early Angela Mao flick that might be the first that wasn't made by Golden Harvest. The quality of this movie is several notches below that of ones made by Golden Harvest. First it's obviously made in the old school Hong Kong movie style. Not the more modern style of Golden Harvest that has stylish characters and beautiful cinematography. The characters in the story has no class as is usually was with characters in the '70s kung fu action movies.
There is one significant thing here though. This is the first movie that shows Angela Mao with her signature long pony tail ! She's also starting to develop her signature kung fu action style. I'm wondering if the fight director of this movie had any influence on her. She's also dressed in the familiar Chinese worker's clothing that we see her wearing in her future movies.
Looking at this movie, one thing is obvious. Raymond Chow, and Golden Harvest had significant influence on the future direction of Hong Kong cinema. He obviously "got it" about how to modernize Hong Kong movie making style. This is an old school Hong Kong movie. Compare it to the likes of "Angry River", and the "Eight Invincibles" that also features Angela Mao, and you'll see what a leap Golden Harvest's movies were at the time.
There is one significant thing here though. This is the first movie that shows Angela Mao with her signature long pony tail ! She's also starting to develop her signature kung fu action style. I'm wondering if the fight director of this movie had any influence on her. She's also dressed in the familiar Chinese worker's clothing that we see her wearing in her future movies.
Looking at this movie, one thing is obvious. Raymond Chow, and Golden Harvest had significant influence on the future direction of Hong Kong cinema. He obviously "got it" about how to modernize Hong Kong movie making style. This is an old school Hong Kong movie. Compare it to the likes of "Angry River", and the "Eight Invincibles" that also features Angela Mao, and you'll see what a leap Golden Harvest's movies were at the time.
Enjoyable chopsocky opus
Woodyanders20 May 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Charming stranger Pai Chen (a solid and engaging performance by the handsome Carter Wong) arrives in a small town to settle an old score with nefarious local hoodlum Scarface Wu Hsu (essayed with deliciously wicked élan by James Nam), who runs an opium smuggling operation. Hsu is planning a drug deal with a rival crime boss that Chen decides to thwart. Feisty young lass Hei Lu (lovely and petite Angela Mao in sturdy two-fisted form) helps Chen out. Writer/director Feng Huang relates the simple, but effective and engrossing story at a snappy pace, maintains a tough gritty tone throughout, and stages the fierce and dynamic martial arts confrontations with considerable aplomb. Mao stands out as a fluid, graceful, and overall formidable fighter; the sequence in which she beats up a gross fat slob rates as a definite exciting highlight. Wong likewise impresses with his precise skills and agility. Best of all, the bad guys are quite slimy and hateful. A nifty kung-fu outing.
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