Make way for Cynthia Khan!
In the Line of Duty III: Force of the Dragon is a 1988 Girls with Guns action film starring Cynthia Khan in her first breakthrough role, the third installment of the In the Line of Duty action film series (the first two being Yes, Madam and Royal Warriors, starring Michelle Yeoh) but the first which features Cynthia's character, Rachel Yeung.
Inspector Rachel Yeung is a top enforcer in the Hong Kong police, but her skills are put to test when two ruthless, bloodthirsty mercenaries, the married couple Nakamura Genji and Michiko Genji (Michiko Nishiwaki), made their way into Hong Kong leaving behind a massive trail of dead bodies in a brutal rampage. Along for the ride is Japanese detective Fujioka played by Hiroshi Fujioka, wanting to avenge the murder of his partner.
The subsequent success of this film and its sequel, In the Line of Duty 4: Witness, would establish Cynthia Khan as a worthy icon in 90s Hong Kong action cinema. Khan would reprise her role in three further official sequels, Middle Man, Forbidden Arsenal, and Sea Wolves.
Has nothing to do with the American In the Line of Duty: The FBI Murders and its own sequels.
This film provides examples of:
- Action Dress Rip: In one of her first scenes, Rachel gets into an intense chase scene with a criminal, where she rips open the short skirt of her police blouse to pursue her opponent.
- Action Girl: Rachel Yeung, as played by Cynthia Khan.
- Amazonian Beauty: Michiko, played by... Michiko Nishiwaki. She previously shows up as a muscular brawler in the first installment of the My Lucky Stars trilogy, and in this movie her abs, pecs and muscles can be seen during her sex scene.
- Anyone Can Die: Everyone except Rachel.
- The Big Damn Kiss: Nakamura and Michiko's first onscreen kiss is on a boat... as a building explodes on a pier right behind them.
- Blood Knight: Both villains, but especially Michiko, who gets into a sheer killing frenzy after seeing the massive amount of innocent people she gunned down, leading her to reload and gleefully kill even more people.
- Cacophony Cover Up: One of Michiko's shootouts takes place in a crowded disco full of partying people, where she can exchange gunfire without being noticed. Until people starts dying...
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Nakamura and Michiko, against the police, security guards, military across Osaka and Hong Kong... they come up on top in every single gun battle, leaving dozens dead in the wake of their rampage.
- Deadly Hug: Michiko's first kill, performed on an unfortunate guard in the Osaka Exhibition.
- Designated Girl Fight: Between Action Girl Rachel and Dark Action Girl Michiko.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: Fujioka at the start of the final battle, being crushed to death inside his car by Michiko's trap. Rachel escaped at the last second.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Michiko, as ruthless and sadistic as she is, completely suffers a Villainous BSoD after her husband Nakamura's death, driving her determination to have Rachel and the rest of the police force killed at all costs.
- Hoist by His Own Petard:
- Kikamura, Nakamura's number two, tries to shove Rachel into the path of an advancing rock drill, only for Rachel to instead kick him into the drill he activated moments earlier, landing face-first into the pointed tip.
- It's a suicide attack, but Michiko's fate has her being blown up by her own dynamites after a long and intense battle.
- Impaled Palm: During a weapons deal gone wrong, Michiko stabs a rival mobster reaching for his gun through his palm.
- It's Personal: Why Detective Fujioka pursued the villain couple from Japan to Hong Kong - they killed his partner during their Osaka heist.
- Leg Focus: Rachel is a Kick Chick who spends most of the movie kicking ass either in tight-fitting jeans or long silk stockings.
- Mexican Standoff: Between Rachel, a mobster, and an unarmed police officer standing right in-between where their pistols are pointed.
- "Mission: Impossible" Cable Drop: This is how Nakamura and Michiko drops in to assault the Osaka New City exhibition, firing their machine-guns while sliding down their ziplines and killing absolutely everyone in the exhibition room.
- Outlaw Couple: The two villains, Nakamura and Michiko, a bloodthirsty, ruthless, married couple who kills people for fun.
- Redshirt Army: The Hong Kong police who suffers massive casualties every time Michiko and Nakamura goes to town.
- Sex Equals Death: For Nakamura, who dies the next day after his big celebratory sex night with Michiko.
- Sinister Shades: On both villains, Nakamura and Michiko.
- Staircase Tumble: Occurs when Rachel tackles a fleeing suspect while on top of a flight of stairs, causing both of them to roll down the rest of the way before hitting the bottom.
- Super Window Jump: After the raid on the Osaka Exhibition which is set on a penthouse, Nakamura and Michiko made their getaway while jumping out of a window, falling several stories down. They still have their cables to assist their landing.
- Taking You with Me: Attempted by Michiko during her final battle with Rachel; Michiko reveals that she has a bundle of dynamites strapped to her chest underneath her coat, and furiously lunges at Rachel to blow her up. Rachel however simply knocks Michiko down a set of railings where Michiko ends up exploding by herself.
- Victory Sex: After the big shootout scene in Hong Kong, Nakamura and Michiko decides to celebrate by checking into a sleazy motel and bang each other into climaxing. It's one of the most graphic sex scenes ever put in an action / non-porn film.
- Wrench Whack: Since the climax of the movie is a brawl in a mechanic workshop, Michiko and Rachel both gets to pick up heavy wrenches when trying to bash each other's skulls to pieces.
