In the Line of Duty 3

As brutal and as mean as it gets, this third instalment in the hugely popular LINE OF DUTY martial arts action series provided the perfect breakthrough vehicle for Taiwanese Cynthia Khan. Kicking and fighting her way through a ferocious adventure, which sees her in pursuit of two Japanese thieves cum terrorists, Khan is living proof that the female of the species can be a force to be reckoned with!

Cynthia Khan plays rookie cop Rachel Yeung whose superior, Inspector Chuen (Paul Chun), just happens to be her uncle. Because he’s her uncle, he’s constantly in protective mode and thus Rachel finds herself patrolling the streets of Tokyo, dealing with minor traffic offences and being subjected to humiliating gestures by male drivers who refuse to take her seriously – watch her teaching each and every one a lesson they won’t forget in a hurry! Her traffic patrolling duties don’t last for long though thanks to a pair of super-violent Japanese thieves who steal expensive bling during a fashion show in a manner which sees the bodies pile up non-stop (and it’s still just 15 minutes into the film). To make matters worse, during the escape the two thieves, Michiko Nishiwaki (also her real name) and the terminally ill Nakamura Genji (Stuart Ong) bump off the partner of Detective Hiroshi Fujioka (also his real name – what’s going on here?).

Hiroshi swears revenge and this provides the perfect excuse for Rachel to join forces with him - much to the chagrin of her uncle, who usually likes to take the limelight himself. It soon emerges that the two jewellery thieves have escaped to Hong Kong and Hiroshi and Rachel are adamant to track them down no matter what. This, however, is not the only thing to emerge: Michiko and Nakamura are not just partners in crime but lovers – if the steamy and somewhat unsavoury sex scene that’s played out in a hotel room is anything to go by. In Hong Kong, the kinky couple (who are not just wanted for theft but for terrorist offences and other crimes) plan on selling the stolen gems so they can purchase an almighty arsenal of weapons for the Red Army. Enter a ruthless fence (Dick Wei) and other individuals not to be trusted and what you get is the perfect recipe for a martial arts adventure which is almost unparalleled in its brutality and graphic violence. Unfortunately for Rachel, the cold as ice Michiko turns out to be an equal match when it comes to fighting techniques and that also goes for Hiroshi vs. Nakamura.

As the deadly cat and mouse game becomes ever more relentless, both Rachel and Hiroshi must accept that the only way to capture the two thieves is by applying methods which don’t necessarily follow police protocol. The final showdown between Rachel and Michiko is particularly fierce as the two dames attack each other with tools such as hammers and what have you, all the while exchanging punches and kicks. Pity the poor stunt choreographer!

IN THE LINE OF DUTY 3 (1988) sees its UK Blu-ray debut (presented in a new 2K restoration) and the first print run (2000 copies) is presented in a Limited Edition O-card slipcase and Collector’s booklet. Other Bonus Material includes audio commentary, new interviews with Cynthia Khan and Michiko Nichiwaki, plus trailers. In Cantonese with optional English audio options.