Magnificent Warriors

With a nod (or two or three) to the Indiana Jones films, this ott Hong Kong action comedy from 1987 stars Michelle Yeoh as a bullwhip-wielding pilot and secret agent during the Second Sin-Japanese War. Fighting occupying Japanese forces with her are Derek Yee and Richard Ng.

Really, the opening sequence alone is worthy of any Indiana Jones flick as we see Fok Ming-Ming (M. Yeoh) flying high in the sky in a biplane delivering a shipment of weapons and ammunition to a tiny camp hidden somewhere in the mountains. However, when her partner is shot after a rifle demonstration goes spectacularly wrong she demands a bag full of yen as compensation. Fair enough and deal agreed, but when one of the fellas in the encampment has other ideas, Ming-Ming teaches him and the rest of the bunch a lesson they won’t forget in a hurry… I mean, not only does the feisty dame make the best of use with her bullwhip but she sets the entire camp ablaze before causing more havoc still with a so-called Gatling gun. James Bond? Forget it!

The action continues at breakneck speed when she comes to the aid of her grandfather (Ku Feng) who seems under attack by Japanese soldiers, however, the entire scenario is a mere set-up. The Japanese baddies turn out to be Chinese and it was all staged to demonstrate Ming-Ming’s fighting skills. Sure enough, the Chinese General observing everything is more than impressed and entrusts Ming-Ming with a highly dangerous mission (what else): she is to head to Kaa Yi, a tiny town close to Tibet, where ruthless Japanese forces have a particularly evil plan, namely to turn Kaa Yi into a secret facility where chemical weapons are developed (no doubt to hold the Chinese at ransom).

En route, Ming-Ming is supposed to meet up with Secret Agent 001 (Derek Yee), another derring-doer but as fate would have it, instead she meets a rather slippery vagrant by the name of Paulina Wong (Richard Ng providing comic relief, as per usual). After some goofy capers (courtesy of Paulina Wong) the misunderstanding is cleared and now the three vow to fight the Japanese invaders by helping local Lord Youda (Lowell Lo) and sister Chin Chin (Cindy Lau). Easier said than done because Youda is a bit of a coward and it looks as if he is too afraid to stand up to the brutal Japanese General Toga (Matsui Tetsuya) and his army. The time of reckoning arrives after Ming-Ming, 001 and Paulina are caught and are sentenced to be executed by order of Youda… who is still spineless as ever. But when Toga orders the firing squad to execute the prisoners, Youda refuses to read out the death warrant first and ends up alongside the prisoners. Toga then orders the firing squad again but this time it’s Chin-Chin who intervenes and she too ends up strung up next to the other prisoners. Alas, just when it looks as if the five unfortunate souls are about to end their lives in a hail of bullets it’s the good citizens of Kaa Yi who decide it’s high time to stand up to their Japanese oppressors. What follows is the showdown of all showdowns between the Japanese forces, the townspeople and of course, the freed prisoners!

MAGNIFICENT WARRIORS is a magnificent riot of an adventure flick that has it all, from jaw-dropping stunts to impressive sets and a serious budget by the looks of it! Michelle Yeoh, Derek Yee and Richard Ng in particular are in top form and Yeoh holds her own with aplomb – no wonder her career went as far as it did!

Eureka presents this action classic in a new 2K restoration on Blu-ray and the first 2000 copies will feature in a Limited Edition O-card slipcase. Bonus material includes various audio options, audio commentaries, new and archive interviews and trailers.