RIGHTING WRONGS aka ABOVE THE LAW (1986)
December 28th, 2010 by Mr. C
Director: Corey Yuen
Actors: Yuen Biao,Cynthia Rothrock,Melvin Wong,Corey Yuen
Righting Wrongs aka Above the Law is on my all time top 3 list of Hong Kong action films from the 1980’s fo-sho! I did a brief write-up of this movie in the printed version of Planet Chocko a galaxy ago, but this movie is so nice, I’m writing about it twice and maybe, thrice if you give me some more time! It stars Yuen Biao of the famed 7 little fortunes of the Peking Opera School in Hong Kong (which includes Sammo,Jackie Chan,Yuen Wah,Corey Yuen,Yuen Tak, & Yuen Bun). Cynthia Rothrock is another diamond in the rough that made a name for herself with the character that she played in this movie! Cynthia’s stuntwork, & fighting skills are 2nd to none! We’ve met Cynthia Rothrock in person at the Chiller Theatre convention in NJ some years ago & she mentioned that YUEN BIAO is one of the most talented & controlled martial artists that she has ever worked with in filmmaking! That is saying alot! Rothrock also mentioned that RIGHTING WRONGS is one of her personal favorites! It’s one of my personal favorites, too! It’s to no surprise Cynthia shined on the screen because she is a champion martial artist in real life! Corey Yuen, the director of the movie also plays a character in the film called “bad egg”. Corey Yuen & Yuen Biao were the brains & the mechanical robot that drove the energy of Righting Wrongs & let me tell you, this movie was flatout R-A-W with all the crazy stunts, the acrobatic-fighting choreography, & twisted story. Don’t worry, I won’t spill the rice & provide any spoilers for this film! Yuen Biao plays a HK prosecutor that is frustrated with the justice system & decides to take things in his own hands. Biao eventually runs into a hot shot HK police woman played by Rothrock who suspects Yuen Biao of foul play. They play a game of good cop, bad prosecutor until they both discover the twisted truth behind the injustice. There are some great fight scenes between Rothrock & Yuen Biao as well as an off the meat rack estrogen encounter between Rothrock & karate champion in real life, Karen Sheperd! Another fun fight sequence involved Rothrock & a mahjong gambling house! The action is often raw, & there are senseless killings of innocent people & family members in the movie! YESsss! The final fight scene between Melvin Wong, Cynthia Rothrock, & lastly, Yuen Biao joining the bulls on parade is entertaining to say the least! I’ve heard that Sammo Hung was the guest fight choreographer in the fight scene with Melvin & Biao! The finale scene involves Yuen Biao and an airplane! There is an alternate ending to RIGHTING WRONGS(chinese version) aka ABOVE THE LAW(american version) that caters to either the chopstick enthusiast or the knife & fork wielder. The chinese version is classic for the chopstick holder while the american version is classic for well…the Leave it to Beaver connoisseur…sort of! Luckily for you, you can see both endings with the DRAGON DYNASTY released DVD of ABOVE THE LAW! Otherwise, you might have to grab RIGHTING WRONGS in your nearby chinatown for the chinese inspired ending and somehow, find the dubbed version of RIGHTING WRONGS aka Above the Law in an old video store like in Kevin Smith’s, CLERKS or KIM’S UNDERGROUND in NYC if they still exist! I personally like the chi-neez version because it’s more of a…..Tra..tra..train wreck!
Tags: above the law, corey yuen, cynthia rothrock, hong kong action, karen sheperd, melvin wong, righting wrongs, yuen biao
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