Sea Wolves

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AKA: In the Line of Duty 7, In the Line of Duty VII, Seawolves

Year of release: 1991

Genre: action

Director: Cheng Siu-Keung

Action director: Phillip Kwok

Producer: Stephen Shin

Writer: Tony Leung Hung-Wah

Cinematography: Ko Chiu-Lam

Editor: Kwok Ting-Hung

Music: Jonathon Wong Bong

Stars: Cynthia Khan, Simon Yam, Garry Chow, Norman Chu, Eddie Maher, Lau Wai-Man, Mak Wai-Cheung, Wong Yuk-Hang

Rated II for violence and language

DVD available for purchase at www.hkflix.com

HKFlix

Due to the dubbing, re-editing and re-titling of the movies for international release, there is some confusion as to exactly what movies fall in the In the Line of Duty series. There are several theories about the time line, but this is the one I subscribe to:

  • ITLOD1 = Royal Warriors (1986)
  • ITLOD2 = Yes Madam (1985) -- this is sometimes called ITLOD1 because it came out first chronologically.
  • ITLOD3 = Force of the Dragon (1988) -- called Yes Madam 2 in some territories; this was the first film to come out in Hong Kong with the ITLOD name. It was also the first movie featuring Cynthia Khan; some international prints and their related promotions had her as Michelle Yeoh's sister (Yeoh was going under then name Michelle Khan at the time) and so Royal Warriors and Yes Madam were released as ITLOD1 and 2 in Europe -- subsequent pressings of HK media (VHS/DVD/VCD) also incorporate the name.
  • ITLOD4 = Witness (1989) -- this also goes by the name of Survival or Key Witness; in the UK, this has been packaged on DVD as ITLOD1. It's easy to spot the difference because Donnie Yen (who does not appear in any of the other movies in the series) stars in it.
  • ITLOD5 = Middle Man (1990) -- this was released on video as ITLOD2 in some countries.
  • ITLOD6 = Forbidden Arensal (1991)
  • ITLOD7 = Sea Wolves (1991)
  • The movie Queens High is sometimes marketed as ITLOD5 as a prequel to the series, but it really has nothing to do with it (Cynthia Khan actually plays a villain, not a cop in the movie).
  • Yes Madam! A Serious Shock (aka Death Triangle) has nothing to do with the series, despite the title and having Cynthia Khan as one of the stars.

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Sea Wolves  Sea Wolves

Sea Wolves  Sea Wolves

Better known to most westerners as In the Line of Duty 7, Sea Wolves features the return of "girls-with-guns" favorite Cynthia Khan as the spunky ass-kicking cop Yeung, who this time out is facing some deadly pirates led by Keung (Norman Chu) looking to smuggle goods. Simon Yam somehow found time to make this the twelfth production he particpated in 1991, playing a pirate who becomes conflicted after witnessing a massacre -- which nearly includes his friend Gary (Garry Chow) -- perpeptuated on a group of Vietanmese refugees looking to be rescued by the pirates' boat.

And wouldn't you know it: eventually Yueng, John, and Gary team up to take down the pirates before they can escape from Hong Kong. This razor-thin plot makes for some fun, if totally mindless, cinema that fans of "classic" Hong Kong action movies will dig if they're willing to forgive a big side order of cheese.

Namely, the curdled dairy product featured here comes in the form of Garry Chow. Obviously tapped by the D&B production company for his physique rather than actual talent, Chow is a stiff of the highest order that'll make you jump for joy each and every time he's clocked in the head, which is thankfully a lot. After seeing his extremely lame attempt at acting here, it's not really surprising that Chow only appeared in three movies after this one.

The thespianic vortex of Garry Chow turns into a full-on black hole of cinematic ineptitude when he's paired with Wong Yuk-Hang, who plays Yeung's best friend, Yelia. Yelia is the stereotypical shrill, shallow, stupid, and money-obsessed woman that far too many female roles in Hong Kong productions of this period turned into, and Wong's amaterish work transforms Yelia into an absolutely hateable persona that may inspire you to start desperately hitting the fast-forward button each and every time she's onscreen.

When Gary and Yelia start making goo-goo eyes at each other, you'll be wishing for the high plateau of screen couples like in Young and Dangerous, where Hsu Chi screeched at Ekin Cheng while he looked on, seemingly too constipated to do anything other than brush his lovely locks aside. Regular readers will know that I've recently had to sit through a spate of craptastic B-movies like Bruce Fights Back from the Grave. It's with no hyperbole that I propose Garry Chow and Wong Yuk-Hang's "acting" here looks bad, even by those low standards.

Despite these problems, as well as others, like having the cute Cynthia Khan dressed up in unflattering outfits which favor high-waisted pants and suspenders, Sea Wolves still manages to provide solid entertainment. Action director Phillip Kwok (yes, the same guy from The Five Deadly Venoms and Hard Boiled, among other classics) does a very good job here. As you might expect, Cynthia looks great dispensing beats of vengeance, but even Simon Yam ends up looking like a badass who'd beat you up just to get an extra packet of spicy beef flavor for his ramen noodles.

As with many productions from this period, the acting and exposition in Sea Wolves is seemingly treated like an afterthought when compared to the action scenes, which are done with gusto. If you're not a discriminating nit-picker and are in the mood for some good old-fashioned no-brainer fisticuffs, Sea Wolves is a release that's right up your alley.

RATING: 7