Recently, we have scene the return of the “Girls with Guns” sub-genre to the Jade Screen with several female led action movies emerging with various degrees of success, with former action heroines slipping back into their former roles after years away. After Kara Hui returned to action prominence in “Mrs K” in 2016, we now have the resurrection of Jade Leung in Jacky Lee's “The Fatal Raid”.
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A police operation in Macau involving Inspector Tan Ka Ming (Patrick Tam) and Madam Fong (Jade Leung) goes tragically wrong, resulting in the deaths of most of their teams and several civilians. The operation is deleted from police records and the survivors are left to deal with the traumas. Twenty years later, they return to Macau as part of a guard detail. After an attack on the Chief inspector, they remain along with two junior policewomen Alma (Jeana Ho) and Zi Han Minchen) to investigate, supported by two local Macau policewomen Sheila (Hidy Hu) and Tong Yu (Jadie Lin). As they do, ghosts from the past prove to be equally dangerous in the present and guilt may endanger them further.
Bookended by two visceral shootouts, “The Fatal Raid” showcases both the best and worst of Hong Kong action cinema. The action is very choreographed, with the two shoot outs being the highlights of the set pieces. The martial arts on display is more MMA based and so in keeping with modern trends, and add more realism than would have been found in the glory days of the late eighties and early nineties. Clearly shot and well edited, they are effective in drawing you in and as an emotional conclusion, while a surprise revelation adds a bit of depth.
Jade Leung makes an impressive return, carrying the dramatic element along with Patrick Lam as their characters deal with the fall out of the doomed operation. She is sadly marginalised, though, in the final reel as the younger ladies step up and take centre stage.
Whilst this finale is impressive, the structure of the film leaves it rather flawed. We've not really been given much characterization, other than brief character traits. So there is little emotional investment in them and Alma's besotted Macau policeman is a caricature that is as dated as it it is ill served, while the comic interludes are completely out of place. The plot twist at the end comes out of nowhere and more characterization would have made it more effective, as it just feels a bit of a let down, although for those Hong Kong movie fans with longer memories the result is a call back to an earlier female led action movie. The other result is that the middle section drags, after an explosive start, with the drama not really resonating as it should.
Casual sexism still abounds and even though these ladies are portrayed as serious ass-kicking police officers, the choice to show them stripping down in slow motion is again misjudged. The interplay between Jeana Ho's straight laced Alma and Minchen's fiery Zi Han deserves more screen time as there is a promising chemistry. Hidy Hu and Jadie Lin have even less to do as the remainder of the quartet, a problem that sadly does hurt the movie overall.
Ignore the structural and narrative flaws and we are left with a very solid action movie. It's great to see Jade Leung back and to see potential in some of the younger cast. Whilst it won't win any awards, it's a reminder that Hong Kong cinema can still produce decent action, it's just a shame that it's let down by the narrative. If Jacky Lee gets a decent script to work with, then the next feature could be very good indeed. Not a classic but if you can forgive it's weaknesses, then switch off brain and enjoy.
