Above the Law /Righting Wrongs (1986)

Prosecutor Jason Chan (Yuen Biao) is fed up with criminals who can't get touched by the law. So he takes it in his own hand to punish the guilty. and the verdict ist death, of course. Enter police woman Cindy (Cynthia Rothrock), a tough as nails cop who is assigned to find the mysterious killer.

Well, so far, so generic. The plot made me a bit uneasy with its theme of vigilantism, but I was surprised to find a movie that handled this subject quite sophisticated for a Hong Kong action flick of the 80s. This goes so far that Yuen Biao, the main protagonist, isn't handled as a true blue hero but as an obsessed, angry man. And the body count isn't only on the side of the bad guys either – there are a couple of violent deaths that I didn't foresee and that are very quite disturbing. Not an all around fun ride, the movie contains some rather bitter tones, that make the viewing more surprising and even a bit richer.

So much for the story, but this is supposed to be an action flick, so what about the fights? Well, if you got Yuen Biao, perhaps THE best screen fighter of the 80s, paired with Cynthia Rothrock in her early prime and directed by Corey Yuen you are in for some rock 'n' roll indeed! And the fabulous trio delivers in spades. Highlights are a fight between the two leads, a fight of Cynthia versus another woman (american martial artist Karen Sheperd) and the 15 minutes climax where the main villain takes on first Cynthia Rothrock and then Yuen Biao.

Between the fights, the movie drags a bit, now and then, and there was at least on time when I was confused about the plot (why are we suddenly in an airplane hangar?). But as a whole the picture is exciting and unexpected gritty. It also is a good showcase for Yuen Biaos skills as an actor, who handles the dramatic and emotional parts of his character very well. Rothrocks role is more constrained, but she is able to put together the feisty, tough and hot tempered character she played in so many pictures after this one. Director Corey Yuen has an important supporting role as Rothrock's police sidekick and shows that he is as good in front of the camera as behind it.

Two remarks about the history of the movie: There exists an alternate version of the picture, that has a more happy ending, but that sabotages the point, the movie tries to make.
The other note is about the title: In Europe the movie was called ABOVE THE LAW, and that is the reason, the Steven Seagal flick of the same title (that came out two years later) is known over here as NICO.

ABOVE THE LAW is a fine example of the golden age of Hong Kong action cinema and helped to launch the career of one of my personal favorites, Cynthia Rothrock. It has a gritty and violent tone that grips you, and the "hand made" action is a lot more exciting than the CGI-fights, that make most of today's action movies look like elaborate cartoons.