Above The Law (Righting Wrongs - 1986)
Dragon Dynasty
R1 / NTSC DVD
Director: Cory Yuen
Starring: Yuen Biao, Cynthia Rothrock, Melvin Wong
Review by Phillip Escott

80’s Hong Kong action cinema comes home with Above the Law. It’s a hard-hitting tale of corrupt cops, Triads and a vigilante prosecutor out for revenge after the death of a respected judge and his sole witness in a high profile case. When a Triad boss is whacked by this rage filled lawman, the police are quick to get to the bottom of it. When a Police Sergeant is seen killing another rival Triad however, this witness is the prosecutor’s only hope in proving to the force that the real villain is in their own house.

Above the Law is a must-see for Yuen Biao fans and Hong Kong cinema fans in general. It’s a brutal piece where the good are punished and the bad roam free to destroy more life. It’s violence is brutal and effective, but the film is let down by some unnecessary slap-stick comedy: the sort that fits in with Jackie Chan’s approach to action, but not here. However, once Yuen Biao is dangling 4,000 foot from a plane, you’ll soon be forgetting all of the films flaws, and be more concerned with picking your chin off the floor.

Full marks to Cory Yuen and Yuen Biao, who have produced some of the finest fight choreography and stunt work in the genre’s history. The fights are in the same league as Sammo Hung’s brilliant Eastern Condors and with stunt work that will rival that of Dragon’s Forever and Police Story, it’s an underrated entry that deserves to be rediscovered by anyone with an interest in martial art cinema.

• Screen format: 16x9 Widescreen / Color
• Audio: Cantonese Mono & 5.1 / English 5.1
• Subtitles: English (Removable)
• Running time: 96 mins.

• Audio Commentary by Bey Logan
• Yuen Biao Interview (20 mins.)
• Cynthia Rothrock Featurette (15 mins.)
• Peter Cunningham Featurette (25 mins.)
• Alternate Ending
• Trailers

Those willing to over look the comedy mishap will be rewarded with a brilliant, but cynical, action extravaganza. Everyone is on top form, even Rothrock who shows what she’s made of here, performing some impressive stunts and holding her own in the fights. Those who are really digging the current Thai action uprising should take a peek at this, see just how inspirational these little movies are and just how CRAZY Yuen Biao is, the most underrated presence in the annals of 80’s Hong Kong cinema, scratch that… Hong Kong cinema’s ENTIRE history.

“…finest fight choreography and stunt work in the genre’s history.”