There's nothing really deep or meaningful about Easy Money. Released in 1987, it is, at its' core, a vanity project from producer Dickson Poon to feature his then-fiancee Michelle Yeoh in high fashions and exotic locations -- but I'm sure most red-blooded straight males would agree that there's nothing terribly wrong with that.

The film is based heavily on The Thomas Crown Affair -- to the point where a scene from the original is shown via one of the characters watching it on TV -- with Michelle as a rich businesswoman who takes to pulling heists to allievate her boredom. Her latest caper, the taking of HK$30 million from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, attracts the attention of the police (led by a sweaty cigarette-chomping Kent Cheng) and an investigator from the Jockey Club's insurance company (George Lam) and the chase is on.

Those people looking for an action-packed picture similar to the others Michelle was appearing in during this period such as Yes Madam and Magnificent Warriors might be disappointed. There is only one real action scene present here, a car chase through the streets of Paris, and it's not all that great (despite being co-ordinated by Remy Julienne) due to some very obvious undercranking.

Rather, this is more of a cat-and-mouse caper film, as Michelle finds various ways to throw Kent and George off of her trail. As you might expect, especially if you have seen The Thomas Crown Affair, there is some romance featured as well, as Michelle and George begin to develop feelings for each other as they cross paths.

For the most part, Easy Money works for what it is. The film begins with a very tight and exciting heist, and ends up with a nice sequence where the viewer starts to question who the actual heroes and villains are in the proceedings. Easy Money's main problem is that the second act plods along. There are too many scenes that seem shoehorned in simply to show that this production was filming in locations other than Hong Kong, and there is a musical montage (naturally featuring a syrupy Cantopop ballad from George Lam) that really grinds the movie's momentum to a halt.

Overall, though, the good outweighs the bad here, especially if you are a fan of Michelle Yeoh. Even through a sea of Aqua Net, leg warmers, and shoulder pads, she still looks great, and it was nice seeing her in a bit of a different role, one that at least gave her more to work with as an actor than the usual "tough chick" stuff she was known for in the 1980's.

RATING: 7