| DVD Released by : WA |
| Player reviewed with : Malata DVD-N996 |
| Receiver reviewed with : Sony 925 |
| Features: |
| Mandarin Soundtrack |
| English and Chinese Subtitles |
| Not enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs |
| Running Time : 83 mins. |
Cynthia Rothrock stars as a U.S. cop who goes under cover as a reporter to try to smash a counterfeiting ring in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong police aren't really happy that somebody is invading their territory and there is competition between her and the HK cops. Cynthia also just happens to be the friend of the prosecutor's daughter in this case. After the prosecutor is kidnapped and drugged to erase his memory, he is hospitalized. A HK cop poses as an insurance investigator to get leads on the case from the daughter but finds out little until a reporter provides pictures of the car used to do the kidnapping. The kidnappers are found but the daughter soon gets kidnapped while visiting her father in the hospital. It is up to Cynthia and the HK cop to rescue her and solve the case.
BLONDE FURY is an average movie that is similar to the IN THE LINE OF DUTY series. What really makes this movie stand out is Cynthia Rothrock's action scenes. Even if you hate the movie, there's no denying that the fights are well done. Cynthia has a few moves that are very reminiscent of Jet Li. While not unique in Hong Kong cinema, there are some moves that you will notice are in some of today's Hollywood films. There is a wall walk similar to the one in the MATRIX. There is also a kick much like the one Jet Li does toward the end of ROMEO MUST DIE. Any use of a stunt double for Cynthia is also well hidden in this movie.
The picture quality is good, even on the larger TV. The source print is in pretty good shape for an older movie. There is some minor splice marks but the print is free of specks and dirt. The colors are also good. The transfer is relatively free of artifacts and holds up when zoomed in to fill the 16:9 screen with the Malata. It is nice to see the subtitles on the film itself so this could be zoomed to fill the whole TV. The picture quality is about average with most import DVD's if not slightly better.
The audio is stereo with no sound coming from the rear speakers. There is only one language track and that is Mandarin. The mixing is pretty good and all the sound is in sync. The original Cantonese track is not present but being that this is the only version of this film on DVD, this is the only way to see it.
The subtitles, as mentioned previously are on the print so if you have a wide screen TV you can fill the screen and still be able to read the subtitles. There are some minor spelling and grammatical errors but nothing really distracting. The subtitles stay on the screen long enough to read and are in sync with what is being said.
The menu of the DVD is in Chinese with no English. There are no extras on this DVD.
While not the greatest movie in the world, BLONDE FURY has a couple of great moments. The humor is on the same level as YES, MADAM! so you know what to expect. This is a Girls with Guns movie without the guns. Rothrock really shines in this and this is a must for Cynthia Rothrock fans. You will also notice a lot of familiar faces in the cast. Chin Siu Ho you will notice from FIST OF LEGEND and TAI CHI MASTER. Mang Hoi, who also directs, has been in several movies including RIGHTING WRONGS and YES, MADAM!. Wu Ma also appears. You'll notice him from PEKING OPERA BLUES, HIGH RISK, ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA, and many others.
Reviewed - 7/16/02
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |