Corey Yuen's career may not have hit the heights of his contemporaries Yuen Woo Ping and Sammo Hung but when it came to female led action films, he can certainly claim to have a huge influence, being the director of the seminal “Yes Madam”. He would later rather unsuccessfully try to merge Category III with the genre in the poor “Women on the Run” and remake John Woo's “The Killer” into the Shu Qi starring “So Close”. Yet it is “She Shoots Straight” that comes the closest to matching “Yes Madam” for energy and similarity in form and in many aspects. With Eureka Entertainment releasing a remastered Blu Ray in the UK in September, it's time to go back and revisit one that possibly audiences might have missed out on.
Inspector Mina (Joyce Godenzi) is about to marry Inspector Huang Tsung-pao (Tony Leung Ka-fai) the only male in a family filled with policewomen. She struggles to be accepted by them, especially by Huang Chai-ling (Carina Lau). Despite proving her worth, matters only worsen when Huang Tsung-pao is killed by Yuen Hua (Yuen Wah) and Yuen Hing (Agnes Aurellio) when he and Mina rescue Chai-ling after she goes after the criminals. Vengeance is sought and the only way is to go beyond the law to bring his killers to justice.
While both “Yes Madam” and “She Shoots Straight” had central leads that were female, there was still an effort to boost box office by hedging bets and having cameos from male actors to balance out the rawer female stars. Sammo Hung appears in both. In the former as a comic cameo and in the latter in a more prominent part. Tony Leung Ka-fai also appears but in a role reversal, he is the doomed love interest. The other striking similarity is that the two features both give the final fight to their female stars and not allow the males to slip in to restore the status quo by taking on the main bad guy. Yes, Sammo Hung does appear for a rescue at one point but the final confrontation in “She Shoots Straight” is a contest between two women wanting to avenge their partners.
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It's an inversion of the classic notion of brotherhood, with sisterhood the prominent feature of the piece. There is often in Heroic Bloodshed the idea of blood sacrifice and redemption through violence. This is in essence what Mina has to go through to gain the respect of her new family. Blamed for the loss of the one male member, it's her revenge that brings her sisters back with her and gain their respect. It's a refreshing change to see familiar tropes given an alternative look. Particularly powerful is the sequence when the villain is finally captured and is confronted on the harbor by the police. They are completely emasculated by the presence of the family's matriarch who wants revenge for her son. The Police chief (David Lau in familiar buffoonish authority figure mode) is powerless to assert his authority. It's a curio of the sub-genre in that the women are portrayed as competent with the men usually bumbling sidekicks. Again “She Shoot's Straight” flips this around with the Superintendent's ineffectiveness not being played for broad comedy. He openly tries to make moves on Mina despite her newly married status and his actions are only for self-advancement.
As a director, Corey Yuen will always have a high standard when it comes to action chorography. Whilst Joyce Godenzi may not be the most graceful of screen fighters, her presence and physicality more than make up for it. With her husband (Sammo Hung) present behind the scenes and with Corey Yuen calling the shots, she was always going to get a good showcase. From the car\motorbike chase sequence to the hard-hitting climax she throws herself into everything with aplomb. It's just a shame that her career didn't go in the direction of “Yes Madam's” as she definitely had potential. Carina Lau certainly was one of the more versatile performers in the industry at the time, being equally excellent in a variety of genres. Like Joyce Godenzi, she was not an action star per se, but makes up in dramatic ability what she may have lacked in style. In many respects, this lack of finesse makes the action all the more effective as has a grit and tautness that others in the maligned “Girls with Guns” genre lacked. Both actresses give powerful performances that add more emotional weight to the piece.
Against them we get Yuen Wah and Agnes Aurellio, a contrasting pair of villains you will rarely see. Yuen Wah is his usual wirey bad guy. Less character ticks this time and more focused. He is always an excellent counterpart to the heroes. Agnes Aurellio is a much more interesting one though (not something usually said when Yuen Wah is the villain). She continues the inversion of the normal theme as is a very muscular physical presence. As a body builder, she is the complete opposite of Yuen Wah's slender build and makes for a dangerous foil for Mina at the climax. Like Joyce Godenzi, her career never took off, which is a pity because their final duel is one of the best shot of the genre. The lack of finesse translates into a hard hitting, brutal duel that suitably wraps up proceedings.
This dramatic context is what elevates “She Shoot's Straight” into a higher level. While “Yes Madam” in its original guise contained the standard tonal shifts so confusing to non-local audiences, here we get straight drama bolted onto the action. These actions have consequences. Tsung Pao's death is the result of his sister's impetuousness and belief that Mina is stealing their glory. It leads to one of the most powerful sequences where the two try to hide his death from their mother at her birthday reception. Tang Bik-wan excels here as the truth dawns on her and steals most of the scenes she is in. Likewise, the moments leading up to the final reel see a reconciliation of the two that closely resembles the silent bond between Sammo Hung and Meng Hoi in “Pedicab Driver”. It's these moments that add weight when the action explodes.
Also worthy of note is the treatment of Mina by the sisters. From the outset, it's set up as a closed shop with them trying to take wedding photos without her. She is instantly codified as an outsider. Yet, it is only when Chai-ling calls her a “Mongrel” during an argument that we are shown another side. The inference is that the Eurasian Mina is not good enough on racial terms too. Casual racism does crop frequently and unfortunately would be played for laughs in many a feature. Here it's thrown out there and while never addressed again outwardly, it does provide another clue as to Mina's strive for success as is having more than just being a woman against her name.
“She Shoots Straight” is simply a classic of the genre, with excellent performances, action and drama. We get a director at his peak and actors with points to prove. A recipe for a great action movie. Less stylized than most, it benefits from the rawness of its performers to create a truly memorable feature.
