As a straight job, Hsia Ling Chang (Yuen Biao) works as a prosecuting attorney; but in his spare hours, he hunts down and kills the most notorious criminals in Hong Kong. He carries a bullet-torn copy of the penal codes wherever he goes, and even tries to read them. When some baddies systematically eliminate all the witnesses in Hsia's latest triad murder case (to the point of bombing entire families, kids and all), the lawyer's hands-on approach to justice sets ball-breaking cop Hsio Shi-Chi (Cynthia Rothrock) on his ass all day and night. At times, she almost looks cute, an anomaly born of very thick makeup; Yuen Biao can't help but look mean, even when he's happy. Law vs. Justice, HK-style, the sort of film comfortable with killing off even major characters on a whim. The bracing unpredictability of the violence is deadened by its tendency for cliche; the main virtue of the film lies in the stunts and action, which are brilliant, almost acrobatic. The last few minutes are pure gold.

(2.5/4)



[Reviewed by Steve Spinali]