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Cast:
Cynthia
Khan
David
Wu
Kong
Yan Yin
David
Ng
Kim
Maree Penn
Billy
Chow
Action:
Chris
Li
Producer:
Stephen
Shin
Director:
Cha
Cheun Yee
Score:
 
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IN
THE LINE OF DUTY 5
AKA:
In The Line Of Duty V: Middle Man
Year:
1990 Reviewer: Tony
Ryan
If
ever you needed a stereotypical film to epitomise the 80's HK
action movie then this could be it. The most generic of
revenge, cover-up, and crime-syndicate capers with the
inevitable CIA plot thread and Gwailo villain. ITLOD5 is just
one in a long line of low-budget, high-action modern day fight
flicks churned out by the likes of D&B right up to the
companies decline in the early 90's.
Cynthia
Khan is back as a female super-cop and gets to pit her wits
(or should it be fists) against some evil cheesy villains
including fan-favourite Billy Chow and femme fatale Kim Maree
Penn. The plot is all over the place and covers all areas
mentioned in my opening paragraph, but as ever, it is only
there to give people a reason to fight. To this end, the film
does not disappoint. Although it was released in 1990 this is
as average an 80's style HK brawler as ever, which means the
action must be worth watching. The pace is fast, and the
choreography is tight although ultimately, nothing stands out.
Without
a Donnie Yen or one of the Yuen Clan to choreograph, there are
dozens of these types of films I would recommend first (e.g
ITLOD 3&4 and Tiger Cage 1,2 or 3) but this is still a
welcome addition to any fan of the genre desperate to find
those last few quality cop-sockies! And believe me, these are
getting much harder to find!
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