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In Line of Duty 4
After her film debut in the third In the Line of Duty film, Cynthia Khan returns in the fourth addition to the classic HK cop-action series. But, the true stars are Donnie Yen and director Yuen Woo Ping, who help make this 1989 sequel a superior effort.
The basic premise is about a dockworker who is thought to have gained some secret microfilm from corrupt CIA agents. In a Hitchcockian twist, the dockworker, named Luk, is completely innocent, but no one, believes him. So, everyone is out for the poor guys blood. Eventually, it is up to cops Donnie and Cynthia to protect him from the renegade CIA agents appearing around every corner thanks to Donnie Yen's turncoat partner played by Michael Wong, who had previously played a good guy in the first In the Line of Duty film, Royal Warriors.
The action (thank you Yuen Woo Ping) is typical of the series, inventive, fast, and brutal, but what sets this one apart is the sheer number of action scenes. I can think of very few HK action films that inject so much, nearly constant action into them, and if you know your HK action, that's saying quite a lot... In the first 15 mins there are three kung fu fights and a shoot-out- by the 30 min mark add four more kung fu fights and an interrogation room beating- in the next thirty mins (1 hr mark) add three more kung fu fights and include some torture, yet another interrogation room beating,- and finally, in the last thirty mins add four more fights, including the big finale, and another shoot-out... Cynthia's main moments are in a great fight on a moving ambulance in which she is shoved though the window, her head dangling just above the pavement, fighting on top and the sides of it, and hanging off the front grill, as well as a fight with a fugly gwailo (Caucasian) woman in a warehouse that involves some precarious scaffolding and elevator shaft fu. Donnie, however, has a the majority of the good fights, like a motorcycle chase and joust, as well as his fantastic final fight with beefcake Ike Turner lookalike (Michael Woods), who is a familiar face in the realm of HK villains.
If you are looking for action every three minutes, look no further. In the Line of Duty 4 is the basic epitome of mindless (really mindless) HK action. If you are looking for a complex plot, and deep acting, you wont find it, but if you just want some exploitative popcorn thrills and stuntmen taking it to the limit, you have found your film.
The DVD: Fox
Picture: Anamorphic Widescreen. Once again, these Fox/Fortune Star releases look really good. Considering the releases have a dirt cheap retail and some of these HK films were made on (by Hollywood standards) paltry budgets, the releases really do them justice. The print is clean, no real drastic wear and tear. Contrast details are good. Sharpness is okay, its weakness more to do with the production than the transfer. Colors are strong with healthy fleshtones, which makes a very big contrast to the whitewashed HK DVD that will find itself off my shelf thanks to this release.
Sound: Cantonese or English audio tracks, either 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround or DTS with optional English subtitles. Well, there is only so much you can do. That is, you can mix and mix and remix, but that synthesizer score is still going to sound pretty cheesy. As it is, they do a good job, the action fx gets a little surround treatment and the dialogue (both the original and the laughable Eng dub) are centered and clear.
Extras: Chapter Selections— Original and new trailers, plus trailers for other Fox/Fortune Star releases.
Conclusion: A great, fun action b-picture that makes me long for the days when everything wasnt safe and sanitzed CGI. Actors are expendable. Good disc, great price, if you are any sort of HK action fan you need it in your library.
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