The Avenging Quartet

The title "Avenging Quartet" is a case of false advertising: in truth, Cynthia Khan and Moon Lee dominate about 90% of the running time, Michiko Nishiwaki pops up only periodically, and Yukari Oshima's part is basically an extended cameo. All the women look stunning (IMO the show is stolen by the adorable Moon and the sexy Michiko - there is a sharp contrast between these two types of women), but the story is slow, confusing and uninteresting, and the action is sparse until the explosive climactic "battle royale" inside a burning building. The movie has its moments (including a brief confrontation between Yukari and Michiko before they team up), but in between those moments it can be hard to sit through. And as the previous reviewer noted, the Ground Zero version of this movie, retitled "Tomb Raiders", is of very poor visual quality and should be avoided. (**)

A Hong Kong action movie being renamed? This must be a first! If you're interested in getting a copy, I found it as a Black Belt Theatre release on DVD. It's now entitled, "Tomb Raiders." However, there is no tomb and there are no raiders. Who cares! Anytime you put Michiko Nishiwaki, Yukari Oshima, Moon Lee and Cynthia Khan together in the same movie, it's worth seeing. There is a second title on this DVD, "Godfather's Daughter" starring Yukari. The title changed only slightly from the original "Godfather's Daughter, Mafia Blues."

But if your idea of entertainment is watching Cynthia Khan kick the stuffing out of people, this will be 90 minutes well spent.

My rating reflects the good and bad here, in that as fighting/action movie goes, this one is pretty decent. The fight choreography is well and brutally executed by the titular quartet of acrobatic fighting divas. There is the usual mix of car chases (and wrecks), explosions, gunfire, actual fire and property destruction, all appropriately calculated to excite and terrify. And the story pulls multiple and diverse antagonists into an intrigue plot built around a search for a McGuffin painting. 6/10 so far.

The four principals acquit themselves adequately as well. Cynthia Khan was never much of an actress, nor was Yukari Oshima. But who cares? Both were great athletes and look great in their fight and stunt scenes here. Moon Lee played her usual pixie/brat role (one she eventually got so tired of that she left the business) with her usual squirrelish energy. Michiko Nishiwaki, was, as always a strong screen presence in limited screen time. Being underused seemed to define her career, which was a shame. Waise Lee is the glue that holds it all together in a complex and ambivalent role as an artist with conflicting loyalties. Overall, good work by a cast very familiar with this sort of exercise.

The English dub drags the rating down significantly, however. The Cantonese dialogue could not possibly be as bad as is represented here, nor could the original vocal performances have been as cringe inducing. I had to shut the dvd off a few times, as the dialogue was that distracting. And the plot seemed a bit overstuffed, with unnecessary and gratuitous punch-ups thrown in to pad the action in a way that caused the movie to meander. The commonest rating by viewers above is a 5/10, and that is around where my sentiments fall. A good showcase for fans of the girls-with-guns genre but a bit sloppy in execution and badly dubbed.

Police Officer, Chin, arrives in Hong Kong from the mainland in search of Hsiong, an old flame who had left China several years before and is now attempting to pass off a forgery of an old Chinese painting which is much coveted by some Japanese collectors.

With a dream ensemble here with Moon Lee, Cynthia Khan, Yukari Oshima, Michiko Nishiwaki, you would have expected a fast-paced concoction of badass action with the babes laying down the law with their brutal skills, however you don't quite get this. What you get is a bit of drama, comedic moments and some more drama. It's slow in places, and a tad confusing but it's not too bad. It's mildly entertaining especially when Moon Lee and Cynthia Khan is in shot. There's some good fights, though, and it ends with a brutal showdown.

Four great ladies in one movie together, now if that's not a good reason to spend 90 minutes on front of your TV? My fave Cynthia Luster hasn't got the biggest role of the four, but the best fight scenes (one in a training room, one in a burning house!). The painting both the Chinese and Japanese agents are looking for is passed on from player to player like a football sometimes, the director doesn't take that too seriously and is focussing his attention on the - dare I say it - character development, including an ill-fated love interest. I voted 7/10.