In the early 1980’s, a subgenre of film was born in Hong Kong dubbed, “Girls with Guns.” They were most prevalent during the time period between 1985 and 1994. You can most certainly include the likes of films like Yes, Madam directed by Corey Yuen and starring Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock which, while still B-movies, was top of the line filmmaking. I’m referring more to the B-movie versions, like Naked Killer, Fighting Madam, and Black Cat. They starred actresses like Moon Lee, Chingmy Yau, and Jade Leung. The films were a bit more exploitative in nature and wouldn’t fly today. Revived in the early 2000’s, they reached their pinnacle with So Close, a brilliant piece of action with a stellar cast (Shu Qi, Zhao Wei, and Karen Mok). The subgenre’s second revival didn’t last very long and, in 2019, a third revival has begun, which brings us to The Fatal Raid.
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Twenty years ago, a special police unit launched an all-out assault against a ruthless crime syndicate, leaving behind a mess of blood, bodies, and bullets. During the present, Madam Jade Fong (Jade Leung), one of the participants in the raid back then, is now the leader of her own unit. Haunted by memories of her past, she tries to move on by partaking with her squad on a new mission that will take her back to that fateful night. What the team confronts in that place is far more deadly than what Madam Fong had confronted before.
Back in 1996, I took a trip out to California. On my way from San Diego to Los Angeles, I found a theater in Alhambra called The Garfield. It was a theater that strictly showed Chinese films. I didn’t care what was playing, I wanted to just take in the experience. You paid one price, which I believe was $5, and were treated to a double feature. The first film was Legendary Couple starring Simon Yam and Chingmy Yau, but it was the second film that really made an impression on me, Fox Hunter with Jade Leung. While still a “Girls with Guns” movie, it was far more intelligent than its predecessors and Jade really stepped up her game as an actress and gave a fantastic performance. Going in to The Fatal Raid, I was hoping it would be more like that film and less like her debut Black Cat. While The Fatal Raid has quite a bit going for it, overall it feels a bit messy.
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The performances are terrific and the action is exciting, yet the film fumbles when it comes to the story. So where does this leave me with my opinion of the film? To be honest, I’m a little torn. Although it’s often problematic, I still found myself intrigued enough to enjoy many aspects.
First off, the cast is solid. Along with the terrific performance by Jade, Patrick Tam, Min-Chen Lin, Jeana Ho, Michael Tong, and Kristy Yeung bring their all to the picture. The action though is absolutely on point. From the opening action scene to the finale, the film is scattered with impressive shootouts and hand-to-hand scuffles that are all extremely brutal. Director Jacky Lee knows how to deliver in that respect. Heightened by the hard rock soundtrack, the hyper-speed with which the action flows elevates the film above the weak and convoluted story.
Though problematic, The Fatal Raid doesn’t skimp on what’s most important — action — and it delivers in spades.
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