The Heroic Trio

"Each holds a secret power... together they face the ultimate evil!"

1993 1h 28m CN

👍

6.7

SOLID

🍅

81%

FRESH

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 108🍅81%Rotten Tomatoes★6.6IMDB · 5,047

Science FictionActionAdventureFantasyThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

While one tough woman with an invisible robe has stolen 18 babies for her powerful master, two other tough women and the cops try to stop her.

“Each holds a secret power... together they face the ultimate evil!”

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Cast

Anita Mui Yim-Fong
Tung, The Wonder Woman
Michelle Yeoh
Ching, The Invisible Woman
Maggie Cheung
Chat, The Thief Catcher
Damian Lau Chung-Yan
Inspector Lau
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang
Kau
James Pax
Doctor
Yen Shi-Kwan
Evil Master
Mimi Chu Mai-Mai
Fortune Teller

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Johnnie To
Writers: Sandy Shaw Lai-King
Languages: Cantonese
Countries: Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

33 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Heroic Trio Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Johnnie To, shot by Poon Hang-Sang. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lo Ta-Yu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Anita Mui Yim-Fong and Michelle Yeoh and Maggie Cheung carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Each holds a secret power... together they face the ultimate evil!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0105619 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Johnnie To directs. Poon Hang-Sang behind the camera. Lo Ta-Yu scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Hong Kong. Dialogue in Cantonese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
233 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "The Heroic Trio Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Johnnie To, shot by Poon Hang-Sang. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Lo Ta-Yu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Anita Mui Yim-Fong and Michelle Yeoh and Maggie Cheung carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Each holds a secret power... together they face the ultimate evil!".
8IMDB entry: tt0105619 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Poon Hang-Sang
Original score: Lo Ta-Yu
Makeup / hair: Cheng Fung-Yin
Stunt coordinator: Tony Ching Siu-Tung
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Status: Released
Box office: $20,000,000
Original language: CN
Certification (US): 18
IMDB: The Heroic Trio (1993)
Rotten Tomatoes: 81% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 6.6/10 · 5,047 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

1 win & 3 nominations total

Part of

The Heroic Trio Collection

The all-female Heroic Trio are Tung (Wonder Woman), Chat (Thief Catcher), a mercenary, and Ching (Invisible Woman). Initially, they're on opposing sides - the invisible Ching is kidnapping newborn male babies for her evil master, Tung is trying to solve the crime (rather more effectively than her policeman husband, who is unaware of her secret identity), and Chat, who was formerly employed by Ching's evil master, is trying to sell her services and inside knowledge to the police. But all three have something in common buried deep in their past...