Director: Corey Yuen
Screenplay: James Clouse, Barry Wong
Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Rothrock, John Sham, Hoi Mang, Hark Tsui, James Tien, Dick Wei, Fat Chung
Country: Hong Kong
Running Time: 94 min (theatrical)
Year: 1985
BBFC Certificate: 18
Yes, Madam! is somewhat of a landmark film. It is widely considered the start of the ‘girls with guns’ trend in Hong Kong cinema in the late 80s and early 90s, which saw women get top billing in a number of action movies (though there had been female stars in numerous period martial arts films before this). Yes, Madam also predates Police Story (by a couple of weeks) in giving Hong Kong action a contemporary setting. Previously most martial arts movies were set in the past but there was a tide change following Jackie Chan’s classic blockbuster.
Like a number of Hong Kong films of the era, Yes, Madam went by various names in different territories. Its monikers were particularly confusing, as it was sometimes dubbed In the Line of Duty II, despite being the first film in that series, as well as going by either Police Assassins or Police Assassins II! It’s also been known as The Super Cops or Ultra Force II. It was all too confusing for me as I thought I hadn’t seen the film before, until I started watching Eureka’s new Blu-ray of Yes, Madam and realised I had it on DVD as Police Assassins.
I’m always more than happy to rewatch classic Hong Kong action in newly polished transfers though, so I ventured on and my thoughts follow.
In Yes, Madam, a mysterious westerner named Richard Nornen (Michael Harry) enters a hotel to make a deal with an equally suspicious man (Dick Wei) who turns out to be an assassin sent to kill Nornen. He succeeds, but a low-level pair of thieves, Strepsil (John Sham) and Aspirin (Hoi Mang), sneak into the room shortly after the killing and, not knowing that the man is dead, rob him blind whilst the assassin hides in the shadows.
Unfortunately, Strepsil and Aspirin stole more than they bargained for, as they snatch a valuable piece of microfilm that the assassin was there for. This makes them a target for the killer, whose boss is Mr Tin (James Tien). They also soon become prime suspects for the murder of Mr Nornen, as they’re seen leaving the hotel room.
Inspector Ng (Michelle Yeoh), who was a friend (or possibly lover) of Nornen, is put in charge of the case but, due to the importance and international nature of it, she’s assigned a Scottish partner, Carrie Morris (Cynthia Rothrock). The pair don’t initially get on, with Morris’ tough, no-nonsense techniques getting in the way of Ng’s usual line of investigation.
As the police and Mr Tin’s goons attempt to find the culprits and get their hands on the microfilm, Strepsil and Aspirin go to their good friend Panadol (Hark Tsui) for help and to sell Nornen’s passport which, unbeknownst to them, hides the microfilm.
This rather complex tale of course leads to an action-packed conclusion.
Tonally, Yes, Madam is a bit of a mishmash, with some pretty shocking moments and splashes of brutal violence mixed with goofy comedy. Reportedly, the comic scenes were largely added on after the original cut turned out tougher and more serious than the execs at D&B Films (Sammo Hung and Dickson Poon Dik Sang) expected. Worried it would be a harder sell, Sammo and Poon asked Yuen to add some comedy. A bunch of their director and action choreographer friends (including Sammo himself and the great Tsui Hark) were quickly drafted in for cameos.
These new scenes make for a somewhat inconsistent tone and slow the story down in places, but the skits are at least integrated into the plot in some fashion, even if it draws it out. Personally, I quite enjoyed most of the comedy though, other than perhaps the snooker hall scenes, which are focused around the not particularly charismatic actual snooker champion, Kwok Kwan-Shing. A random care-home sequence with Sammo, Richard Ng and David Chiang is also a little clumsily inserted, though it has a couple of amusing gags. The most successful comedian in the cast proves to be Hark, who shows he could deliver the goods in front of the camera as well as behind it.
The new perspective brought on by the added scenes caused the focus to be oddly taken off Rothrock and Yeoh though. Whilst the ladies get top billing and kick plenty of bad-guy ass, the trio of thieves, played by John Sham, Hoi Mang and Tsui Hark get more screen time. The ladies earn their starring credits in the action scenes though.
The fight scenes are fast-cutting, high-kicking and high-impact, with lots of dangerous stunts and broken glass (once again beating Police Story to the punch). Yeoh puts her ballet background to great use, pulling off some acrobatic moves, whilst Rothrock shows why she was a several-time world champion martial artist.
Reportedly, director Corey Yuen was putting on auditions for a new male western kung-fu star to star alongside Yeoh but Rothrock’s martial arts display team sent their women too and she so impressed the director that he changed his plans. With Sammo keen to innovate with each new film he produced, he welcomed the idea too, even if the end result spends more time with his male chums.
So, whilst Yeoh and Rothrock maybe deserved better-developed characters, the film remains highly enjoyable. The three male leads keep the narrative buoyant, Yuen’s direction is energetic and the two female protagonists are suitably explosive whenever they go into action. As such, Yes, Madam makes for a thrilling ride.
Film: 
Yes, Madam! is out on 12th December on Blu-Ray in the UK, released by Eureka as part of their Eureka Classics series. The film looks fantastic. It’s pin-sharp and has rich colours and light, natural grain. On the theatrical cut, there is the choice of 5.1, mono theatrical or mono home video mix in Cantonese and a 5.1 English dub, whereas the export cut only has the classic English dub in mono. I watched with the Cantonese track and it sounded great for the most part, though I thought I could hear some damage around the 20-minute mark. This might have been an issue with my set up though, as it’s not the best.
THE SPECIAL EDITION BLU-RAY INCLUDES
– Limited Edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork (TBA) (First print run of 2000 copies only)
– 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray of the original theatrical cut from a brand new 2K restoration
– 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray of the international export cut from a brand new 2K restoration
– Theatrical Cut – Original Cantonese mono audio (optional theatrical and home video mixes)
– Theatrical Cut – Optional English 5.1 dubbed audio
– Export Cut – Original “classic” English mono
– Optional English Subtitles, newly translated for this release
– Brand new feature-length audio commentary by Asian film experts Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) & Michael Worth
– Brand new feature-length audio commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder & Arne Venema
– Brand new select-scene commentary with actress and martial-arts movie icon Cynthia Rothrock
– Brand new interview with Cynthia Rothrock
– Brand new interview with Mang Hoi
– Archival interview with Michelle Yeoh
– Battling Babes – archival featurette
– Trailers | Reversible sleeve design
– PLUS: A Limited-Edition collector’s booklet (First print run of 2000 copies only) featuring new writing by James Oliver
The two commentaries, as per usual, are hugely enjoyable discussions about the film and all those involved. With so many appearances from famous directors and action directors as well as Hong Kong stars, there’s a lot to learn from the tracks. With the strong chemistry the two pairs have developed over years of working and commentating together, they’re a pleasure to listen to.
Rothrock’s commentary is much shorter, with her only talking over her fight scenes, but it’s equally as enjoyable. The film was her introduction to the Hong Kong film industry and she talks of the shock to the system she had working there in movies for the first time. In her interview, she similarly talks about adjusting to life and work in Hong Kong but the stories are different, so it’s a worthwhile addition.
In Yeoh’s interview, the actress talks about her film career. She talks a lot about Supercop and only a little about Yes, Madam but it’s an interesting watch nonetheless.
Mang Hoi, who was one of the action directors, alongside Yuen, as well as one of the lead actors, talks of his background and how the film came about. It’s an excellent interview with some fun anecdotes. I particularly enjoyed hearing how he and Yuen forced Tsui Hark into being in the film to get back at him for the hard time they had making Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain.
The ‘Battling Babes’ featurette has a handful of female action stars, including Rothrock, talk about working in the Hong Kong industry. The style is a little dated and it’s only brief but is a welcome addition and has some cool film and behind-the-scenes clips.
The booklet contains another illuminating essay from James Oliver. He has some interesting takes on the film, which can come across as a little negative in a few places but what he says is hard to disagree with.
All-in-all then, Eureka continue to do justice to classic martial arts movies from Hong Kong. Highly recommended.
Disc/Package: 