Another Hong Kong classic Blu-ray release from Eureka in the UK and the 4th of the In The Line of Duty series (which is confusing because parts one and two were retitled Yes Madam and Royal Warriors).
Cynthia Khan and Donnie Yen star in this action-packed thriller where a young Chinese man in Seattle witnesses the shooting of a man who hands him some microfilm just before he dies. The police turn up just after thinking he is the killer but he then manages to escape back to Hong Kong.
In hot pursuit are the criminals who witnessed him killing the man and the police who are after him thinking he was heavily involved. Add in some corruption high up in the HK police force and you have a full-throttle non-stop action film, which is one of the best in the series.
Cynthia Khan again takes the lead after her great performance in part 3 and is joined by a young Donnie Yen and they clash almost immediately over the way they should treat the witness. Donnie is impulsive and brash while Cynthia is more rational and wants to work things out before jumping to conclusions. Yuen Yat Chor, son of the director Yuen Woo Ping also does a great job as the witness in question and Michael Wong again chews the scenery as a cop who from the start you know is a bad egg.
The action scenes are as expected top-notch, even more than in the previous films and Donnie Yen gets to show his great kicking ability especially when he once again goes against Michael Woods who he fought in Tiger Cage 2. Yuen Woo Ping is really at the top of his game with this film and while Cynthia Khan is doubled a lot, she still comes across as a superb action heroine.
The transfer on this release is again excellent, like the other in the series and although the low budget does hamper the quality at times it’s the best it has ever looked. Audio again gives you a clear original mono Cantonese track with English subtitles as well as the English dub.
Extras give you two Brand new feature-length audio commentaries by Mike Leeder & Arne Venema as well as one by Frank Djeng and you get an archival commentary by Hong Kong expert Stefan Hammond and lead actor Michael Wong. You also get an archival interview with Donnie Yen as well as a Donnie Yen Action featurette, trailers, a reversible sleeve and a nice booklet.
A great HK action classic which should be in everyone’s collection.
FILM – 8 PICTURE – 7.5 AUDIO – 7 EXTRAS – 7.5
