Royal Warriors is the movie of the summer (so what if it came out 37 years ago?)
Royal Warriors is a treat.
The 1986 Hong Kong action film, directed by David Chung, has likable protagonists, excellent stunt work, and mile high-flying action.
The film tells the story of a Hong Kong cop, played by Michelle Yeoh, who is aided by a security guard (Michael Wong) and a Japanese agent (Hiroyuki Sanada) in foiling a plot to hijack a plane carrying a prisoner. After an impressive opening sequence featuring a grenade, fist fights, and a nerve-wracking amount of bullets fired in the cockpit, the escaped prisoner and his would-be rescuer are defeated. The rest of the film deals with the aftermath of the incident.
After thwarting the hijacking, the trio are hailed on television as heroes and quickly forge friendships. But unbeknownst to them…there are more members of the criminal group behind the airplane plot and they are out for revenge!
As a recent fan of 1980s era martial arts films, I was drawn to the pairing of Yeoh and Sanada. They are experts in their craft and draw you in with every scene of stunt work. Yeoh is charismatic in the lead role as officer Michelle Yip and Sanada oozes cool as Interpol agent Peter Yamamoto. I found Wong’s character, a security guard (also named Michael Wong), annoying at first, but the character’s ultimate sacrifice earned my respect.
The quartet of villains are absurdly ruthless. At the end of the film, the “final boss” draws Yeoh’s character to an abandoned mining site by stealing the coffin of her love interest. The fight choreography is creative and the stunts are well executed. There were a few scenes where I wondered aloud; “Is that a real chainsaw?” “Is there really someone dangling off the side of that building?”
The soundtrack by Romeo Díaz was also a highlight. After the film ended and the credits rolled to the theme music, I bobbed my head and grinned in satisfaction. Díaz also did the soundtrack for the loosely connected 1985 film Yes, Madam! (I thought it sounded familiar).
By this point, you must be wondering where you can watch this film. I streamed it on the Criterion Channel, but in January, the film was re-released on Blu-Ray by Eureka Entertainment. For a future rewatch, I would love to pick up the Blu-Ray and check out the extras. If you are like me and have trouble finding movies to watch with family that will please everyone, this is a good recommendation.
Prior to watching Royal Warriors, I watched Yes, Madam!, also featuring Yeoh, but I enjoyed this one more. The latter had some fun stunts, but the focus of the film was not on Yeoh as much and the other characters didn’t hold my attention.
Both of these films were some of Yeoh’s earliest major roles. In recent years, Yeoh’s popularity has grown after appearances in more blockbuster films, and following her Oscar-winning performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once. For fans of her work who are interested in seeing one of her early performances, I recommend giving this movie a watch.
Alexander S. Corey is a co-founder of Behemoth Comics Film Club. Some of his favorite films include Amélie and Hot Fuzz. You can follow him on Letterboxd: @whatapicture