Naked Killer (1992)

Really Surprised!

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I remember having this movie on VHS way back in the early 90's, and remembered the movie to be fairly alright, so I got it on DVD here in 2012, many years after having thrown out the VHS version. But of course, I have always been a fan of Hong Kong cinema, so it was just a matter of time before it would end up in the movie collection again.The story in "Naked Killer" is about the young, attractive and flirtatious Kitty (played by Chingmy Yau) who end up in training at Sister Cindy (played by Wai Yiu) to become a professional killer, using her looks and sexual appeal to get close to the targets and then eliminate the target. However, Kitty falls in love with police man Tinam (played by Simon Yam) and is torn between loyalty towards her mentor and the love for Tinam."Naked Killer" takes your average Hong Kong action movie from the 1990's and spices it up with a healthy dose of sexual flavor, like that seen in "La Femme Nikita" and "Basic Instict". The story itself, despite being fairly shallow, is entertaining enough. And it is helped along by the action and gun fights, which of course is a given trademark for the Hong Kong movies from that particular period. But, of course, it is no secret that the movie her really plays on the sexual appeal and makes heavy use of semi-sexual contents, which can be discussed whether or not it was really all that necessary. And oddly enough, there wasn't actually much killing going on in the movie, despite many of the characters were professional contract killers - kind of anti-climatic in a way.Those familiar with Hong Kong cinema will of course be familiar with this, at the time of its release, very controversial movie. And it was of course also the movie that put Chingmy Yau on the map. And you have Simon Yam, of course, though his character was a bit too much (as a police man who accidentally having shot his own brother, and now vomits every time he just holds a gun - it was just a bit too unrealistic), but still, he is a familiar face in Hong Kong cinema. And it should also be said that Carrie Ng (playing Princess) actually did a great job in this movie as well."Naked Killer" is well worth checking out, especially if you have an interest in the 90's wave of Hong Kong action movies. Chingmy Yau is the female equivalent to femme action movie as Chow Yun Fat was to the male action movies to come from Hong Kong in the 90's.I enjoyed the movie back in the early 90's, and I enjoyed it still here in 2012. I would have give the movie a 6/10 rating, but settled on a 5/10 rating because, in my opinion, there was just a little bit too much focus on the sex scenes and the usage of sexual situations. Hong Kong Legends have a fabulous digitally restored and remastered version out of DVD that is well worth checking out and it comes with some good extra material as well.

Producer-director Wong Jing is notorious for throwing together disparate narrative elements, gratuitous action and silly sight gags without bothering to blend them into a homogeneous whole, and the result is usually an infuriating headache trying to pass as cinema. But here the throw-it-all-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks approach actually works. The result is so wildly contrived that it wanders into the territory of self-parody, but the wild energy of the movie keeps things entertaining if you don't think too much, the production design gives everything a surprisingly posh look for an HK actioner and strong central performances hold the affair together between punch-ups. Carrie Ng, normally cast in sympathetic roles, plays Hong Kong's most virulent man- hater, Princess, a hard core lesbian and stone cold killer, who hires out as an assassin, but you get the feeling she would off guys for grins. And the creatively nasty ways in which she carries out her assignments represent one of the film's biggest attractions. I won't spoil the fun, but OUCH!! Simon Yam takes a break from his usual rolling-eyed psycho types to play a straight-forward cop on the trail of Princess, and producer Wong Jing cast his then-mistress Chimgmy Yau as a rookie assassin who becomes an object of fascination for Princess, but who then spurns the killer's offer of girl-girl love. Bad move. The second half of the the movie involves Princess stalking her intended and their former mentor, Sister Cindy, eventually getting into a brutal throwdown with Yau that may be nastiest girl-fight in the history of Hong Kong cinema, and this is saying something. Not for anyone looking for a gay-friendly, subtle or even fully coherent cinema experience. For the rest, enjoy.

If you want to check out this movie prepare for 100 minutes of wild Martials Arts, high class erotic and deadly femme fatales! In fact, "Naked Killer" doesn´t bore a second, because it satisfies in all sectors: fitted with elegant pictures that could be taken from John Woo´s 1980s-gems, heavy gunfights, violent killings and some naked female flesh this film will surely delight the fans of Asian action movies - and probably not only them! The sometimes campy acting doesn´t bother, however I liked the performances of "Bullet in the Head"-star Simon Yam, main actress Chingmy Yau as Kitty, Kelly Yao as her mistress Sister Cindy and last but not least Carrie Ng as lesbian killer chick Princess. I´d give 9 out of 10 for this great sex´n violence-comic strip from Hong Kong! Highly Recommended!!

I greatly enjoyed this movie. There are various video versions. My copy is the letterboxed, dubbed and uncut VHS version. Chingmy Yau is a beautiful actress and a pleasure to watch. The story is a police tale along well trodden paths most of us have seen before in some form. Nothing in the story itself really jumped out and grabbed me as something new and unseen before. However watching the video I felt as if I were in a Hong Kong cinema. The movie gave me that sort of experience. The real beauty of the movie is in the way it is produced rather than in a unique story line. It is a "cinema experience" and done quite well. I highly recommend it to those who like a movie that is great to watch.