Asia-Pol, also known as Asiapol Secret Service or Asia Secret Police Force, is a 1966 Shaw Brothers spy film loosely inspired by the James Bond movies, released the same year as You Only Live Twice. Starring the golden child of Shaw Brothers at the time, Jimmy Wang Yu, the film is co-produced with Japan's Nikkatsu studios, directed by Matsuo Akinori (who previously directed The Lady Professional for Shaw Brothers) with a script from Yamazaki Iwao. Additionally, veteran Japanese badass Jo Shishido gets to play the main villain of the picture.
Wang-yu, trying his hand on a modern day action film that's NOT a period piece for once, plays Yang Ming-xuan, a secret agent on an assignment after a contraband of stolen gold. After tracking down a team of yakuza smugglers, Yang is suddenly caught in a helicopter attack that nearly kills him, destroying much of the evidence Yang is after, and leaving Yang for the dead. Hunted by the yakuza, Yang needs his wits to survive and take down yakuza smuggling ring leader, George (Jo Shishido).
Tropes Applicable to this film:
- Affectionate Parody: Of the James Bond movies.
- A Taste of the Lash: Yang is subjected to this while being bound by his wrists in George's gold vault.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: Agent Yang is always clad in his smart, suave tuxedo in all his fight scenes and shootouts.
- Cold Sniper: Ryutaro Saeki.
- Cool Shades: Most of George's yakuza operatives wears sunglasses in every scene they appeared, even in daytime.
- Death by Materialism: The fate of Big Bad George Eaton, the leader of the gold smuggling ring, who ends up being crushed by gold in the hull of his escape vessel.
- Destroy the Evidence: The yakuza does this during the first action scene, using an assault helicopter on their own operatives and blowing up every proof of their involvement in the smuggling case.
- Expy: This being a Bond-esque spy flick, expect Captain Ersatz of characters from the Bond franchise to pop up every now and then. Miss Sachiko is a blatant clone of Miss Moneypenny, George is loosely inspired by the titular villain of Goldfinger (especially the gold connections and finale in a gold vault) while Yang's contact Yu-tian is Felix Leiter.
- Fanservice: In the form of female fatales and strippers.
- Hiding Behind the Language Barrier: In the final standoff, Yang is facing down scores of yakuza pointing firearms at him, the leader in front - clad in shades - pointing a Tommy Gun on Yang. Halfway through interrogating Yang, the leader - later revealed to be Yu-tian - asks if Yang is a Cantonese speaker. When Yang replies yes (in Cantonese), Yu-tian then tells him (using Cantonese) to catch his gun. Cue Yu-tian tossing his Tommy Gun into Yang's hands and Yang quickly gunning down every other yakuza in succession.
- The Lancer: Lai Yu-tian. Yang's Taiwanese contact and ally who had infiltrated in the smuggling ring. His role is crucial in getting Yang out of a tight spot in the final standoff scene when Yang is outnumbered by Yakuzas.
- Oddball in the Series: This being the first (and only) action film starring Jimmy Wang-yu from the 1960s and 70s, which isn't a wuxia film, but rather a Bond parody set in the modern day.
- Protagonist Title: Asia-Pol, as in "Asian Police". Guess who that title refers to?
- Treasure Room: The yakuza's vault of stolen gold, which is where the final showdown between Yang and George occurs.
- Yakuza: They are the leaders behind the gold smuggling syndicate and main villains of the picture.
