Although Jackie Chan is no longer a guarantee for spectacular action and good films, things looked different 30 or 40 years ago. Especially in the 80s, the martial arts ace brought us countless martial arts hits that were not only entertaining and fun, but also turned out to be extremely rough. That handwriting was mainly used for films in which Chan took on the leading role and/or directed, but Chan’s influence was also clearly felt as a producer – for example in films such as “Top Squad”.
Also known as “The Inspector Wears Skirts” or “Lady Enforcers”, the police actor shows us Chan’s unique flair for dynamic, powerful hand-to-hand combat, but not Chan himself. Because he only worked on the film as a producer and action choreographer. And you can see it. Those who want to see it for themselves can do so in HD for the first time this week. Than “Top Squad” will be released for the first time on Blu-ray on February 24, 2023 – in two strictly limited editions. On cover A, the scantily clad protagonist Cynthia Rothrock is poised for battle:
Cover B, on the other hand, underlines that “Top Squad” has much more to offer than a half-naked femme fatale and that the action spectacle should certainly not be reduced to that:
Both editions are limited to just 1,000 copies and feature the film completely uncut with a release of 18 on both DVD and Blu-ray in the 2K remastered version, a booklet is also included, as is typical for Mediabooks. The editions have the same content and only differ in appearance.
“Top Squad”: action that really hurts!
Whether digging up old movies or making new movies, martial arts fans know it all too well: you’re hoping for action sequences you might never have seen before or at the very least fights that are brutal and powerful – and then you just get it is already a hundred times what has happened before or lax “battles” in which the blows are all too clearly in vain. That’s no fun, especially since the martial arts genre thrives on strong action and plot usually takes second place.
“Top Squad” does not fall into this category. If it comes to this, then really. It just hurts to watch! Fortunately, the fact that performers and martial artists regularly risked their lives in the 1980s when they appeared on camera in Hong Kong is a thing of the past – and yet this is exactly what makes the films of that era so special to this day. When Cynthia Rothrock hands it out here, it really hits the spot. After all, it is different whether an actor rehearses fight choreographies for a few months or whether a real karate master with years of experience lets her fists fly.
For the author of this article, “Top Squad” is one of the best martial arts movies with a female lead, which makes him an exceptional phenomenon – because there aren’t that many of them (also worth checking out: “Yes, Madam” with Rothrock and Michelle Yeoh). And Jackie Chan connoisseurs can’t ignore the film anyway, because in addition to the superstar himself, some of his companions also participated – such as his “Police Story” co-star Mars, who appears in a supporting role, or director Wellson Chin, who together starred with Chan in Winners & Sinners and Projekt B.
Incidentally, central to the story of “Top Squad” is the eponymous special unit, led by Madam Law (Rothrock), which consists exclusively of policewomen (including Sibelle Hu). Battling prejudice and needing to prove itself time and time again, the commando has a chance to do just that when dealing with a criminal secret organization…