Despite major appearances from Donnie Yen and Michelle Yeoh, the In the Line of Duty series has never received much exposure in the martial arts genre. Beginning in the 1980s, sequels became increasingly common for martial arts movies, with some getting a long list of installments.
Most were admittedly direct-to-video releases, with movies like Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Kickboxer getting four sequels just in the 1990s alone, all without its original star. One of the most popular martial arts movie franchises at this time was Jackie Chan’s Police Story, which ultimately grew to encompᴀss seven films.
However, it didn’t reach that number until 2013. Interestingly, one of the franchises adjacent to Police Story but nowhere close to its level of popularity wound up with just as many installments within a surprising span of six years. When Michelle Yeoh starred in 1985’s Yes, Madam!, there was likely no expectation that it would transform into a series with seven entries and two unofficial sequels.
Yes, Madam! Is Like Police Story, But With Michelle Yeoh
In the Line of Duty didn’t begin with that тιтle; the franchise got its start with the release of Yes, Madam! Directed by Corey Yuen, the 1985 Hong Kong film featured Michelle Yeoh in what was the actress’ first lead role.
Not unlike Police Story, which was released in the same year, Yes, Madam! is a martial arts cop movie, where its detective protagonist goes up against gangsters, using her expertise in kung fu and athletic abilities – more so than guns – to solve her problems.
Specifically, Yeoh’s Inspector Ng has to chase down a highly coveted microfilm full of incriminating evidence, putting her in a fight with gangsters and hired ᴀssᴀssins. While guns do enter the picture, most of the action in Yes, Madam! leans heavily on martial arts. Yes, Madam! depicts Michelle Yeoh’s Inspector Ig as a competent fighter capable of fighting a mulтιтude of hired thugs at once.
In addition to Yes, Madam!, Corey Yuen directed several other high-profile martial arts movies in his career, including Dragons Forever with Jackie Chan, Hero with Jet Li, and The Transporter with Jason Statham.
Her primary adversary in Yes, Madam! is Carrie Morris, a corrupt police officer in league with the villains. Played by famed martial arts star Cynthia Rothrock, Carrie Morris’ role allows for a heated showdown between the film’s two main female characters.
Yes, Madam! Evolved Into The In The Line Of Duty Franchise
Due to the success of Yes, Madam!, which later became recognized as one of Michelle Yeoh’s best movies, a sequel was made, with Michelle Yeoh returning. Strangely, though, she doesn’t play the same character. Michelle Yeoh remains the lead, but is recast as Michelle Yip. тιтled Royal Warriors, the movie was branded as In The Line of Duty for its overseas release.
In turn, the тιтle became the new name of the franchise. Two years after Royal Warriors, a new entry was added in the form of In The Line of Duty 3: Force of the Dragon, which launched a new direction for the series, albeit one without its original star.
Yeoh was replaced with Cynthia Khan, who played Inspector Rachel Yeung, a character who basically served the same function as Yeoh’s Yes, Madam! and Royal Warriors protagonists, taking on gangsters using a combination of guns and kung fu.
In the Line of Duty 3 remains rooted in the police action genre and retains its focus on a strong-willed female detective with a great sense of justice and an incredible amount of martial arts talent as one of its main characters.
The only two films in the series that share the same male lead are the second and fourth movies. Michael Wong played the same character in Royal Warriors and In the Line of Duty IV: Witness, ᴀssisting Yeoh’s Michelle Yip and Khan’s Yeung in their respective cases.
Cynthia Khan seemed to be a working replacement for Michelle Yeoh, and the film performed well. Its positive momentum was carried forward into the next movie, In The Line of Duty IV: Witness, in 1989. And with the release of 1989’s In The Line of Duty V: The Middle Man, Khan had officially outlived Michelle Yeoh’s two-year tenure with the franchise.
By the time it ended, Khan had seven appearances in the franchise under her belt, with the last four being Forbidden Arsenal, Sea Wolves, Death Triangle, and Yes, Madam 5. She served as the female lead of each film, with the male lead rotating out each time.
Donnie Yen Co-Starred In The Fourth In The Line Of Duty Movie
Arguably the most noteworthy installment in the entry outside of the first movie is In The Line of Duty IV: Witness, which has become a cult favorite among martial arts movie fans in the years since its release. In addition to bringing back Michael Wong from Royal Warriors, In The Line of Duty IV features Donnie Yen as one of the main characters.
Although it was not his first major role, the movie came in the early years of his career. He had become a frequent collaborator of Yuen Woo-ping, who had cast him as a lead in five movies between 1984 and 1989, with the fourth of these being in In The Line of Duty IV.
In The Line of Duty IV amounted to an exciting team-up movie that paired Cynthia Khan with Donnie Yen, giving each plenty of scenes to demonstrate martial arts skills. While Donnie Yen’s character comes across as unlikable and difficult for much of the film, he winds up stealing the show as the action heats up, helping it to stand out as one of Donnie Yen’s best martial arts movies.
Thanks to each In The Line of Duty movie telling its own story with a new cast of characters, it – like all the others – can easily be watched on its own, with the order not having any bearing on how the films are viewed.
