Royal Warriors

"She's the last line of defense. And it's a line you don't want to cross."

1986 1h 36m CN

👍

7.0

SOLID

⭐

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 77★7IMDB · 2,180

ActionCrimeDramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a tough policewoman learns about a group of violent terrorists, she, along with her partner and a Japanese detective, does everything it takes to take them down.

“She's the last line of defense. And it's a line you don't want to cross.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

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Cast

Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yip
Hiroyuki Sanada
Peter Yamamoto
Michael Wong
Michael Wong
Pai Ying
Bandana
David Lam Wai
Raging Bull
Michael Chan Wai-Man
Tiger Lee Chung Ching
Kam Hing-Yin
Cockerel Wong Hung
Kenneth Tsang
Captain Lau Chi-Shing

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Chung
Writers: Tsang Kan-Cheong
Languages: Japanese, 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

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Japanese, Cantonese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "In the Line of Duty Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Chung, shot by Derek Wan Man-Kit. 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 Romeo Díaz. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Cheung Kwok-Kuen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Michelle Yeoh and Hiroyuki Sanada and Michael Wong carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "She's the last line of defense. And it's a line you don't want to cross.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Chung directs. Derek Wan Man-Kit behind the camera. Romeo Díaz scores. Cheung Kwok-Kuen cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Hong Kong. Dialogue in Japanese, Cantonese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

140 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Japanese, Cantonese.
3Part of the "In the Line of Duty Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by David Chung, shot by Derek Wan Man-Kit. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Romeo Díaz. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Cheung Kwok-Kuen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Michelle Yeoh and Hiroyuki Sanada and Michael Wong carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "She's the last line of defense. And it's a line you don't want to cross.".
9IMDB entry: tt0091229 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 77 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Derek Wan Man-Kit
Original score: Romeo Díaz
Editing: Cheung Kwok-Kuen
Costume design: Kwan Yuet-Ming
Makeup / hair: Lo Shui-Lin
Stunt coordinator: Blackie Ko Sau-Leung
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: CN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Royal Warriors (1986)
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 2,180 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

1 nomination

Part of

In the Line of Duty Collection

In the Line of Duty is a series of girls with guns feature films produced by Hong Kong movie studio D & B Films which star, in the first two, Michelle Yeoh and, in subsequent instalments, Cynthia Khan as a police officer who combines use of firearms with martial arts. The third was the first to use the In the Line of Duty title, retroactively applied to the two Michelle Yeoh vehicles.