Explainer | No Michelle Yeoh, no problem: how Cynthia Khan made In the Line of Duty 3 and 4 her own with her sensational performances, including one alongside a young Donnie Yen
- Michelle Yeoh was unavailable to film action sequels In the Line of Duty 3 and In the Line of Duty 4, which instead were led by Taiwanese actress Cynthia Khan
- Khan made her role her own, playing off brilliantly against a young Donnie Yen in one and helping to popularise the ‘girls with guns’ genre in Hong Kong
In the Line of Duty 3 and In the Line of Duty 4 were intended as sequels to the hit films Yes, Madam! (1985) and Royal Warriors (1986).
Khan, whose name is an amalgam of the names of the previous stars of the series, seamlessly filled Yeoh’s shoes. The two later films, released in 1988 and 1989, succeed as action classics in their own right.
The Post discussed the In the Line of Duty films with Frank Djeng, who provided the audio commentary for the Eureka Classics Blu-ray release.
What was the idea behind the sequel In the Line of Duty 3?
Part three was originally meant to continue Michelle Yeoh’s character from Royal Warriors, and the producers intended to set the story in Japan. But with Michelle’s imminent early retirement and subsequent marriage to [studio boss] Dickson Poon, production house D & B Films needed someone to take over.
Why Ringo Lam’s films with Jean-Claude Van Damme ‘don’t stick in your mind’
So they decided to start the story anew with a character played by Cynthia Khan, called Madam Yeung – they even made her character’s Chinese name the same as her own real Chinese name, Yeung Lai-ching!
As for Cynthia Rothrock, she was already contracted to Golden Harvest, so it would not have been possible to have her return to the series.
Cynthia Khan had not made any films in Hong Kong before In the Line of Duty 3. What is her story?
Cynthia was born and raised in Taiwan.
She studied both Chinese dance and modern jazz dance at school and entered the Taiwanese entertainment industry when she won a national talent contest at 17.
She also learned Taekwondo and has made several films in Taiwan before she was persuaded by her colleagues to come to Hong Kong to pursue an action career.
She went to Hong Kong on her own and against her parents’ wishes, auditioned and won a contract with D & B films to replace Michelle Yeoh and made a sensational Hong Kong film debut with In the Line of Duty 3.
The film’s box office success started her long career as sequels and other films followed, many of them in the “girls with guns” genre.
She was a worthy replacement [for] Michelle Yeoh and at that time was even referred to as Yeoh’s successor. But she never gained the same star level and popularity as Michelle, even if she was as athletic as Yeoh and also came from a similar dance background.
What do you think of the action scenes in In the Line of Duty 3?
They are surprisingly raw, gory and downright visceral – they are on par with Mang Hoi’s equally gritty choreography for Michelle Yeoh in Royal Warriors.
When Everything Everywhere’s Michelle Yeoh was Hong Kong’s action queen
Martial arts legend Yuen Woo-ping directed In the Line of Duty 4. What do you think he brings to the series?
Yuen Woo-ping brought a heavier, darker tone to this film, which was very different from the previous films in the series.
There’s hardly any comedy, the story is a bit more layered and complex, and it touches on themes that were relevant to Hong Kong people at that time, such as immigration, and living and surviving overseas.
All the fights in this film were expertly choreographed, of course.
There is some mixed martial arts in In the Line of Duty 4, too.
This film was very important in the way that it incorporated MMA (mixed martial arts) into Hong Kong film action at a time when MMA wasn’t well known.
Cynthia Khan really shines in In the Line of Duty 4, and she works well with Donnie Yen as her partner.
Cynthia really came into her own in [In the Line of Duty 4], and together with Donnie Yen, they made a formidable pair that expertly carried the film. I felt that she was on par with Michelle Yeoh in this film in terms of her action performance. She really went all out and you could tell she gave her all.
There are also some impressive stunts, such as a lengthy roof chase filmed without edits. What do you think of the stunts in In the Line of Duty 4?
The 25 best Asian martial arts movies of the 21st century ranked
A young Donnie Yen ably demonstrates his martial arts prowess. What stage was his career at?
Donnie was still being mentored by Yuen Woo-ping at this stage of his career, having been discovered by Yuen, who cast him in his films.
It was probably because at this point the local action-film industry was still dominated by [actors and martial artists] Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao.
In this regular feature series on the best of Hong Kong cinema, we examine the legacy of classic films, re-evaluate the careers of its greatest stars, and revisit some of the lesser-known aspects of the beloved industry.
