Rating

Year

Country

Genre

Director

Producer

Writer

Cast

Action

The Blonde Fury

師姐大晒 | Righting Wrongs 2 | Lady Reporter | Female Reporter | Above The Law 2
 •  , ,  •   • Dir.

Reviewed by   |  Feb 24, 2015

Aside from the impression given by the film’s alternative titles, ‘The Blonde Fury’ is not actually a direct follow-up to the classic, superior ‘Righting Wrongs’, although many of the same cast appear. In fact, it originally started out to be a kung fu comedy directed by Rothrock’s then-boyfriend Mang Hoi. Production was constantly disrupted and the long shoot can be seen as Rothrock’s hair continually changes style from scene to scene. Yuen Kwai was brought in to beef up the action and bring some stability, while at the same time changing the film into a darker, more violent piece more akin to his usual work (a la ‘Righting Wrongs’ and ‘Yes, Madam’).

The story originally sees Rothrock as an undercover newspaper photographer, trying to uncover a money-counterfeiting ring. The emphasis then changes to the kidnapping of her friend’s father, who is a prosecutor trying to convict the head of the ring. Eventually, any storyline fades away into a generic build-up to a finale designed to showcase Rothrock’s fighting and Yuen Kwai’s choreography. Far better than ‘Beyond The Law’ or ‘China O’Brien’, however, ‘The Blonde Fury’ cannot match the excellent Yuen Biao vehicle ‘Righting Wrongs’, as its story, direction and action are all a par below. That is not to say the film is a failure, as it is probably Rothrock’s best work after the aforementioned ‘R.W’ and ‘Yes, Madam’. The finale in particular showcases a number of excellent fight scenes bringing the best out of fan favourites like Chin Siu-Ho and Billy Chow as well as top Gweilo villain Jeff Falcon. The film’s disrupted style in the first half of the film lets it down, and is therefore not one for too many repeated viewings, unless you scan to the fights. Rothrock herself claims that this film showcases her best on-screen fighting.

If, like me, you loved the 80’s action style of people like Yuen Kwai then this is a good purchase, as the fights stand up to repeat viewings even if the rest does not. For those looking for a dramatic exercise or another ‘Police Story’ then this may leave you unsatisfied. 4 stars for the fights, but only 3 for the film.

Latest posts by Tony Ryan (see all)

Related Posts