When “Naked Killer” starring Chingmy Yau came out in 1992 and became a cult favorite, producer and scripter Wong Jing followed it up with “Naked Weapon” in 2002 ten years later starring Maggie Q. Fast forward another ten years, the prolific filmmaker Wong resurfaced with another installment of his erotic girls-with-guns thriller “Naked Soldier” this time starring Jennifer Tse and Sammo Hung in the lead.
The film kicks off with Interpol Agent CK Lung (Sammo Hung) leading his men to a mansion which ends with a huge drug bust and making headlines everywhere. Next up we see him cooking Christmas dinner for his whole family but before they have a chance to eat, a group of gunmen fronted by Madame Rose (Ellen Chan) storms in and shoots at everyone. Lung fights hard with his enemies and gets shot in the chest. However, Madame Rose takes a shine to his young daughter and kidnaps her before blowing his house up.
Fifteen years later, Lung who survived the ordeal, together with Agent Sam Wong (Andy On) and Agent Pete (Timmy Hung Tien Ming) are still trying to solve the case. Meanwhile, drug lords are being slaughtered regularly by Madame Rose's sexy lady assassins, the doing of one crime lord called Power (Anthony Wong), the most influential kingpin of them all. Incidentally, one of the assassins, Phoenix (Jennifer Tse Ting Ting) turns out to be Agent Lung's long lost kidnapped daughter and his further probing into the case eventually makes him their next target. Consequently, this all comes to a final showdown at the luxurious hideout of Madame Rose.
By this time, Hong Kong filmmakers were keen to get a slice of the huge mainland Chinese film market; therefore in order to please their strict censorship laws, all the sleazy elements and nakedness from the last two films made their return in this production. Nonetheless, director Mak is not shy with his action sequences and with the help of action choreographer Corey Yuen Kwai, the fights are relentless, fast and highly inventive and Yuen definitely designed them to fit the actors.
No stranger to action films, though a bit more grounded, the still nimble Sammo Hung is right at home here as Agent Lung, with his combat with the ladies in a confined apartment where he uses household items as weapons is a delight to see. Model Jennifer Tse Ting Ting, actor Nicholas Tse's young sister, plays the brainwashed lady assassin Phoenix, but unfortunately she lacks the screen presence of Maggie Q and Chingmy Yau from the previous films, as her acting is rather wooden. In any case, together with Ivy (Lena Lin) and Selina (Ankie Beilke), they are the trio of sexy but deadly assassins raised by Madame Rose (Ellen Chan). Elsewhere, sporting a ridiculously hilarious haircut, Philip Ng plays Black Dragon, a colleague of Phoenix who is secretly in love with her.
Interestingly, Sammo Hung's son Timmy Hung Tien Ming turns up in an undemanding role as Agent Pete and a sidekick of Agent Sam Wong (Andy On). Behaving like a lost puppy and lusting for Phoenix after they lock eyes, On's character has very little to do otherwise and is unremarkable. On the other hand, dressed like a pimp, veteran Anthony Wong seems to have the most fun playing the ultimate evil drug lord “Power” and we even get to see him throw a few punches and picking on Agent Lung. Also worth mentioning are his two colorful and highly skilled henchmen, Honey (Ian Powers) and Tiger (Jiang Lu Xia).
Viewers who expect some hot naked ladies and sleaze to grace this installment from Wong Jing will be let down by their nonexistence but the creative and fluid fight sequences should satisfy those looking for mindless hyper action. On the plus side, the over-the-top villains with a strange fashion sense are totally outrageous, sporting wild hairdos and flamboyant outfits and besides there is a fair share of unintended humor and silliness for all to enjoy.
