88 Films
Blu-ray Release: July 9, 2024
Video: 1.85:1/1080p/Color
Audio: Cantonese LPCM 2.0 Mono
Subtitles: English
Run Time: 96:39
Director: Wellson Chin
For an introduction to the series, check out my The Inspector Wears Skirts and The Inspector Wears Skirts 2 reviews.
Inspector Kan (Fung Shui-Fan), now married to Madame Wu (Sibelle Hu), has been instructed to train the Banshee Squad Members after Madame Wu goes into semi-retirement. For their next mission, the Squad was assigned to go undercover into a casino ship to nab a group of thieves responsible for stolen law enforcement and military weapons. (From 88 Films’ official synopsis)
The only film in the Inspector Wears Skirts tetralogy to not be produced and distributed by Golden Harvest and sometimes simply titled Raid on Royal Casino Marine, The Inspector Wears Skirts 3 is nonetheless a direct follow-up to Part two and continues using the basic narrative template set up by Part one. It escalates the second film’s commitment to pranks, slapstick, and sexual assault jokes over consequential action. Part three is about as far into the “Lucky Stars, but with girls” formula as director Wellson Chin was willing to take the series. Though credit is due to the Jackie Chan Stunt Team and cast members, who still put in the effort during the training sequences (some of which appear genuinely dangerous) and screenwriter Lee Man-choi, who manages to combine the franchise’s now patented dance party sequence (typically found in the middle of the film) and undercover action climax into an efficiently plotted third act.
This is, in many ways, the weakest movie in the series, but I did appreciate the commitment to continuity, which gives the returning cast room to grow. For example, Inspector Kan and Madame Wu are now married, which forces inherently combat-ready Wu into a dull domestic role (don’t worry, she almost single-handedly saves the day in a spectacularly bloody fashion in the end) and Kan into a situation where the Banshee Force women are overly familiar and comfortable with their new ‘brother-in-law.’ The other members of SKIRTS don’t change much, but their most cartoonish traits are magnified. The reveal that Sandra Kwan’s normally hapless character, Amy, is an almost preternaturally skilled gambler was particularly cute. The ‘80s horror fan in me also enjoyed the sequence in which the girls drug Wa and stage elaborate parodies of Friday the 13th (they’re seen specifically watching Tom McLoughlin’s Jason Lives [1986]) and Ching Siu-tung’s A Chinese Ghost Story (1987). The off-handed reference to Mou Tun-fei’s notorious gore-fest The Men Behind the Sun (1988) was another surprise.
Video
None of the Inspector Wears Skirts sequels had a US VHS release, though they could be imported on DVD and VCD from Hong Kong. Curiously, Inspector Wears Skirts 4 ended up on a non-anamorphic, probably unofficial R0 DVD from a company I’ve otherwise never heard of called Deltamac. All four movies are now available on US, Canadian, and UK Blu-ray exclusive Blu-ray. Movies 1, 2, and 4 are listed as 2K restorations of the original camera negatives, while Part 3 specifically refers to a 2K restoration of a 4K scan of the original negatives, most likely due to fact that it was produced by Samico Films, instead of Golden Harvest, meaning that the remaster didn’t go through Fortune Star. This leads to a sharper overall transfer and smaller, though no less busy film grain, as well as harsher contrast. I personally prefer this look, but note that there are some issues with crushy blacks and overly bloomy whites. Print damage and avoidable digital artifacts are minimal.
Audio
Another possible side effect of Inspector Wears Skirts 3 being produced outside of Golden Harvest appears to be a lack of an English dub. Perhaps one was recorded, but it is not included here. The LPCM 2.0 mono Cantonese track matches expectations with clean, buzz-free dialogue, minimal incidental effects work (the film was likely shot without sound), and a thinly mixed, but consistent synth score from Noel Quinlan & Jim Yeung.
Extras
Commentary with Frank Djeng – Everyone’s favorite Asian film expert returns for his third Inspector Wears Skirts commentary tracks. As per usual, he explores the wider careers of the cast & crew, returning talent, the weird case of film three being made under a different studio, the accuracy of the police procedures, technical aspects, and release reactions.
Deleted scene (1:55, HD)
Hong Kong trailer
The images on this page are taken from the BD and sized for the page. Larger versions can be viewed by clicking the images. Note that there will be some JPG compression.
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