Jeff Lau's Operation Pink Squad follows the playbook of the mid-1980's Hong Kong female-oriented action/comedy to a tee. There's more than a bit of dopey comedy, a dash of romance, a dollop of drama, some off-color remarks, and some decent action thrown into the mix. While the end product isn't anything all that different from the dozens and dozens of similar productions put out in Hong Kong during this period, fans of the genre should have a good enough time with this.

Like many movies of this type, the set-up of Operation Pink Squad is pretty simple: a quartet of spunky female cops (Sandra Ng, Ann Bridgewater, Suki Kwan, and Elsie Chan) are going after a diamond thief (Tan Lap-Man). Of course, their compatriots either don't take the ladies seriously, or treat them as sex objects. And there's the mandatory bickering and fighting between the girls. But, as you might expect, everything conveniently comes together in the end and the Pink Squad saves the day.

Jeff Lau has long been one of Hong Kong's laziest directors, letting his stars and action directors dictate the pace and tone of his films. This lack of initiative, originality, and personal style has led to an extremely uneven output, with releases ranging from the strong All for the Winner to the terrible Kungfu Cyborg. Operation Pink Squad falls somewhere in the middle. There are some really fun parts, especially those involving Sandra Ng being a smart-aleck and Ann Bridgewater kicking ass, but on the other hand, we're "treated" to a lot of unfunny comedy and cheesy melodrama.

In the end, the positive and negative aspects of Operation Pink Squad neutralize each other, and we're left with a fairly average picture that's a decent way to kill ninety minutes, but is nothing you're going to remember after a few weeks down the line. Like the cinematic equivalent of a Big Mac extra value meal, Operation Pink Squad is satisfying enough for a quick fix, yet it will still leave you wanting more after it's finished.

RATING: 6