She Shoots Straight (1990)

I recently re-watched Yes, Madam, the 1980s Hong Kong action film directed by Corey Yuen that kicked off the "Girls with Guns" sub-genre. That put me in the mood for more GwG goodness, specifically another Corey kick-flick with lethal leading ladies! This one doesn’t have the high quality and quantity of fight scenes that Righting Wrongs (also directed by Yuen) had, nor does it have an epic standout sequence like the climax of Yes, Madam. However, it is the rare Hong Kong action movie where I enjoyed the plot and characters enough that I wish even more time was spent on them. Don’t worry, it also delivers a frequent and varied mix of stunt-heavy action throughout (acrobatic fights, shoot outs, motorcycle shit).

Inspector Mina Kao (Joyce Godenzi) is marrying her supervisor Tsung Pao (Tony Leung). He has four sisters who all think she is unworthy, even trying to freeze her out of the family photo at her own wedding. You would think a badass policewoman would earn the respect of even the most obsessive and demanding sisters, but they are all ALSO badass policewomen! And their dad is ALSO a cop, and he is also Sammo Hung (who later married lead actress Joyce Godenzi)! The whole Huang family are cops except Mother (Pik-Wan Tang), which is why she can do awesome things like flip off and punch a scumbag superior in the police department. Sadly, Tang died at age 66 a year after this movie came out, but she is great here. She can be funny and tough, but she is welcoming and warm to Mina. Mother defends Mina and respects her as a person beyond being her only son’s wife and carrying on the Huang family name. Mina’s husband is not quite as respectful, though, poking a dozen holes in his condom when he gets impatient waiting for her to reach her career goals before having a baby. Also, one sister in particular Chia Ling (Carina Lau) has a real hate-on for Mina that affects their personal and professional relationship (and escalates to racism, as Mina/Godenzi is part white).

In between all the family drama, a gang of violent Vietnamese thieves are clashing with the cops and the Huang clan in particular. This eventually leads to Tsung Pao being impaled, flung through trees, and impaled again like an R-rated Wile E. Coyote cartoon. And they still aren’t done with him! After some explosive corpse desecration, the only recourse is for Mina and Chia Ling to team up and go rogue for an exciting action climax. The final fight between Mina and another badass woman is short but sweet and satisfying, compared to some of the drawn-out duels I have watched recently.

When this was over, my wife and I both agreed we wished it was the pilot for a show, or part of a series of movies. I know that sounds crazy in the current world of thinly stretched streaming series, but this premise is solid. There are four sisters, but only the one who says racist shit gets enough time to really stand out. It would be great to see them have both more personal time and more police operations together to establish unique characters and relationships with Mina. Isn’t that show Blue Bloods whole premise just “cop family”? Well, this would be “cop family, but with kicking” which is just inherently better.

edit: On letterboxd I just noticed an obscure Girls with Guns flick from 1992 called Sisters in Law. That would have been the perfect title for a sequel/spin-off series for She Shoots Straight!