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!!
