3 female action stars who ruled Hong Kong martial arts cinema alongside Michelle Yeoh
Like Michelle Yeoh, female fighters Cynthia Rothrock, Kara Hui and Shih Szu starred in their own must-see Hong Kong action classics
1. Righting Wrongs (1986) – Cynthia Rothrock
Righting Wrongs was as much a drama as an action film, and Rothrock was called upon to deliver dramatic acting and martial arts.
Although she had no formal acting training, she proved surprisingly adept at drama, and even engaged in a convincing, metaphor-laden debate with Yuen about how his vigilante practices related to the operations of his giant toy train set.
The story is brutal and lean, drawing inspiration from violent US works like the vigilante movie Death Wish. It stars Yuen as a crown prosecutor who is also a kung fu expert, which is more believable on screen than it sounds. Yuen goes outside the law to kill criminals who manage to escape conviction.
Rothrock plays a Hong Kong CID detective who is tailing him because she dislikes vigilantes. It culminates in a grim finale.