One scene in Women on the Run features an obviously fake dog being punted by a group of street thugs, which is followed by an uneasily graphic rape scene, and then capped off by some naked kung fu. If you're new to Hong Kong cinema, then welcome to the wild and wooly world of Category III pictures. Those more experienced viewers looking for tons of boobs and blood might end up a bit disappointed, but Corey Yuen's involvement in this production makes it still worth checking out, at least if you have a strong stomach for the rough stuff.

Fueled by the "true crime" genre, Category III (Hong Kong's version of NC-17) films were in vogue in the early 1990's, often doing well both at the box office and with critics. More often than not, these were cheap productions churned out to make a quick buck, though there were certainly some high-quality Cat III movies being put out, such as The Untold Story, which earned Anthony Wong a best actor nod at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Despite Corey Yuen's (who was one of the top action directors working in Hong Kong at this point in time) involvement, Women on the Run still falls into the cheap and dirty end of the Category III spectrum, but is still nonetheless an entertaining picture if you're not a nit-picky viewer.

Tamara Gou and Farini Cheung play your typical mis-matched partners. Tamara is a junkie hooker, while Farini is a straight-laced cop. The duo is going after the powerful drug dealer King Kong, and seem to have the case in their hands until a corrupt cop throws a monkey wrench into the mix. So, the story isn't exactly Shakespeare, with way too many convenient but still clumsy kinks thrown into the mix. For example, while on the run from the cops, King Kong decides to head to Vancouver. Why? Because it's the next flight out. And how does he get tickets and passports? Why, by tazing passengers sitting in the boarding area, of course. I know security was more a little more lax in the pre-9/11 days, but come on now.

The acting isn't going to win any awards, either -- Tamara Gou's take on portaying heroin withdrawal is to yawn a lot -- but it's not going to make you cringe, probably because there's a thankful lack of the dopey comedy that many Category III productions seemed obligated to throw in. Well, okay, there is some, but it's mostly unintentional, like the previously mentioned dog-kicking bit or the DVD's spectacularly badly-translated subtitles, which feature gems like "your penis is over". Over? Over what?

Perhaps sensing the weakness of some of the core elements, the film-makers pumped up the sex and violence quotient. The naughty bits aren't really anything all that special. Even though Tamara Gou has a fabulous body, the parts with her naked seem strangely sterile. But, hey, a nice pair of boobs is a nice pair of boobs, and this reviewer is not adverse to getting a peek. Corey Yuen's "brother" in opera school, Yuen Tak, handles the action, and it's done well, even if the female leads are obviously doubled for some of the more dangerous stunts.

Overall, the Category III elements help improve the movie as a whole, at least if you're watching it as an exploitation flick. There's really no way Women on the Run can be considered high art, or even just good old regular art. However, it certainly accomplishes what it sets out to do, namely delivering ninety minutes of nice-looking women kicking ass to please the viewing habits of testosterone-filled guys in the mood for some good brainless action.

RATING: 7