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Royal Warriors

1986 1h 33m Action Crime Drama List
Tomatometer 2 Reviews 44% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
A Hong Kong police officer (Michelle Yeoh) and a flight security agent (Michael Wong) form an alliance to foil a hijacking.

Critics Reviews

View All (2) Critics Reviews
John Leonard New York Magazine/Vulture ... discrepancies of emphasis and significance are beside the point of a journalism increasingly subordinate to the entertainment matrix in a monopoly environment... Jan 27, 2018 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy It opens with a spectacular set-piece aboard an airplane, but the movie soon loses altitude. Rated: 2.5/4 Jun 18, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Matthew D Incredible combat and incredibly dangerous stunts lead by a formidable Michelle Yeoh! Chinese director David Chung's Hong Kong martial arts crime drama Royal Warriors (1986) is amazing. The first In the Line of Duty film thrills, featuring Michelle Yeoh and Hiroyuki Sanada's lightning fast kung fu, with deadly shootouts, and unbelievably dangerous stunts. Chung's direction is fierce from strikingly choreographed action to unreal peril. His car chases have vehicles barrelling down streets to fights having stunt actors Mang Hoi, Blackie Ko Shou-Liang, and Chin Ka-Lok jump off buildings or smash directly into glass. I have no idea how the entire cast was not killed filming Royal Warriors. David Chung's artful direction features neon lighting, brutal glass and metal hits, brisk car chases, intense gun shootouts, and huge flaming explosions for daring action. Producer Dickson Poon really allowed anything to happen. Editor Cheung Kwok-Kuen's sharp cuts keep the chases and fights moving. The intense cuts during the uzi shooting in the club are shocking. Royal Warriors is a very fast paced 96 minutes. Cinematographers Derek Wan and Ma Chun-Wah found wild angles and striking framing for each punch, kick, or gunshot. I like the intense shooting style and wide shots for the combat to all be visible. Writer Tsang Kan-cheong's crime narrative is fascinating. Cops save lives in the amazing plane fight, then four criminals who swore to defend one another, seek revenge in outrageous acts of violence. Michelle Yeoh's cop is serious, Michael Wong's officer is silly, and Hiroyuki Sanada's cop is furious and fierce. They make for neat heroes in Royal Warriors. Michelle Yeoh is beautiful, charming, intense, and ultra fast with impressive martial arts skills. Her steadfast cop feels raw and raging with a desire for revenge, much like the villains. You just have to see all of her amazing stunts and fights. Hiroyuki Sanada has these crazy spins and backflips with searing punches and quick kicks. Sanada is matching Yeoh blow for blow. I liked his quiet officer, who loves his wife and daughter, thrust into sheer violence. Michael Wong is funny and likable. He is foolish and just pleasant enough to be entertaining without being creeping in pursuing Yeoh. Sanada is young and handsome with a poise demeanor until he's furious. They're all excellent lead actors for Royal Warriors. Ying Bai is insane as the frustrated and hateful final avenging gang member. Paul Chun is amiable and funny as the escort policeman. Kenneth Tsang is gripping and serious as Police Captain Lau Chi-Shing. Even the extras are interesting from the neon nightclub bartenders to the waiters in the cool Hong Kong Floating Restaurant. I loved seeing the Hong Kong coast and ports to the distant forests in the backdrop. Art directors Oliver Wong and Dominique Lo show off moody neon lighting, dark night skies, dreary city lights, smoky clubs, to brightly lit exterior shots. The welcoming apartments with fish and paintings are pretty. Hong Kong in the 1980's looked very cool and distinct. Composer Romeo Díaz' scorching synth score for Royal Warriors is classic 80's music. The music can be scenic, romantic, playful, to startlingly fearsome. Costume designer Yuet-Ming Kwan finds every outrageous 80's outfit and color from tracksuits, rubber outfits, to more traditional Chinese clothes. Makeup artist Lo Shui-Lin gives each actress or actor cool haircuts and sleek looks. In all, Royal Warriors is one of Michelle Yeoh's first classic martial arts films. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Michelle Yeoh and Hiroyuki Sanada join forces in this piece of '80s awesomeness! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member It's a short documentary about how six different journalists died in different ways in different parts of the world. Half of the stories could have been turned into their own stand alone documentaries. It's an interesting collection of short pieces about the topic. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member totally real and the country it was filmed would make anybody like u not visit there ever.besides the differnce of the race greeds nation vs nation issues etc hate and daily reprizeals vs etc etc...down right crime vs a good guy. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Its a good thing I already seen this program before it does not play here it is a good story yet sad somthings are to be left alone in certain places when you know it is a possibility of death no war zone is safe for no one not even children and these reporters should know Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Royal Warriors

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A Hong Kong police officer (Michelle Yeoh) and a flight security agent (Michael Wong) form an alliance to foil a hijacking.
Director
David Chung
Producer
Chan Kiu Ying, John Sham
Screenwriter
Sammy Tsang
Production Co
D & B Films Co. Ltd.
Genre
Action, Crime, Drama
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 10, 2017
Runtime
1h 33m