Movie

Crime Lords (1991)

In summary, a generic action movie with an equally generic plot. Two Los Angeles cops, grizzled veteran Elmo Lagrange (Wayne Crawford) and his womanising partner Peter Russo (Martin Hewitt), have little in common, except for a boss they both dislike. Because of that, they’re assigned unglamorous duties as car theft investigators. That doesn’t stop the duo from getting into a world of trouble, however, and they soon uncover a crime ring with links to Hong Kong (still a Crown Colony of the UK back then).

During a chop shop raid, there’s an all guns blazing shootout, and Lagrange pursues a female villain down a dark alley. He doesn’t get a good enough look at the mystery woman to identify her, but does land face first on her tattooed thigh. No time for gawking, pervert, and the smitten cop only narrowly avoids a fatal gunshot before the high-heeled villainess makes her escape.

Not willing to accept the resulting suspension, the two partners jet off to Hong Kong on an unofficial visit to get some payback. There, they have a few misadventures, including detention at the airport for bringing in a firearm, and a run-in with some muggers (including a female, though it’s only a minor role). Much of the action is amateurish, with questionable camera angles and shoddy editing. But the last half-hour – where Monahan becomes the primary adversary – is worth it for villainess fans.

With no money or place to stay, the heroes find themselves “guests” in a police cell until they’re bailed out by the shifty Inspector Thornberry. No surprise he has organised crime connections, which includes prime suspect Ling (James Hong) who Russo recognises from the US chop shop. Then we’re formally introduced to the villainess. Officially, Monahan is Ling’s translator, but clearly she’s far more involved in the criminal operation.

Villainess

Jennifer Monahan (Susan Byun)

The two heroes fall out (would it be a buddy cop story otherwise?), leading to an encounter between Lagrange and a muscular henchman armed with a cut-throat razor. He’s your typical heavy who doesn’t speak much, the kind of guy villains send to deal with bothersome cops. Meanwhile, Russo does some detective work before he gets caught snooping. Confronted by Ling and Monahan, Russo acts the corrupt cop, but his ploy is hardly convincing.

Time to find out what Russo knows, so Monahan plays the charming seductress. Once she’s through with the flirting and questions, the villainess leaves Russo in the care of a masseuse with an evil expression. Russo should have paid more attention to those vibes, since the razor-blade henchman creeps up behind and collects his ear as a trophy.

Monahan has no qualms about dating older men, since she also seduces Lagrange to find out what he knows. Fortunately, Lagrange is more switched on than his partner, and he catches the deceptive charmer in a lie after she claims Russo returned to America. Too bad she forgot about the time zone difference when she forged the fax. Monahan convinces Lagrange she’s not a bad person (!) with a ludicrous claim she’s working undercover, and they end up in bed. Then the “stupid” cop pulls down his lover’s stocking, and the telltale thigh tattoo gives her away. A candidate for the most unorthodox reveal of all time?

Lagrange punches out the villainess, but perhaps he should have killed her, as this woman is too ambitious to remain an underling. After the resourceful cop escapes a sniper attack and defeats Mr Cut Throat with help from a teenage girl, it’s time to rescue Russo from the bad girl’s clutches. Lagrange witnesses just how ruthless Monahan is when she executes a criminal with a headshot.

Uncovering a plot to smuggle gold out of Hong Kong disguised as car parts, the heroes must contend with Ling, Thornberry, and a small army of thugs. That’s until Monahan decides to go into business for herself and eliminate her former partners. It’s fitting that she’s the last villain standing, because she always came across as a key player and Ling as a figurehead.

There’s a decent standoff between the villainess and Lagrange, but the ending lacks tension. The hostage teen makes an easy escape, prompting Monahan to jump into a vehicle and chase her quarry. Thanks to active sprinklers and wide camera shots, we don’t see the villainess’ face often, perhaps because it’s a stunt driver behind the wheel. The scene ends with Monahan getting shot, leading to the expected crash and explosion.

Honourable Mentions: Gang Leaders

No Code of Conduct (1998) – Shi (Tina Nguyen)

Another female gang boss I considered for my list (she only just missed out), Shi takes no nonsense from either her underlings or pesky cops. The plot of this direct-to-video action thriller is average, with Martin and Charles Sheen (real-life father/son) as er… a father and son detective duo. They have to deal with violent criminals, corrupt police officers, and government officials. The usual antagonists, then.

Shi’s best scene is a shootout outside a motel where she eliminates an undercover vice cop and takes on an approaching unmarked car with a handgun. Unflinching – this is one badass female villain. If that’s not enough, there’s also a lengthy vehicle chase where the heroes pursue a van through narrow alleyways, while Shi leans out of the passenger door and takes potshots. Plus a torture scene where the villainess threatens a kidnapped woman and shows absolutely no mercy.

The main negative: Shi appears timid when talking to her businessman boss, completely out of character for an underworld enforcer. And the final gun battle, where she’s taken down by a single headshot, is poor quality compared to earlier action sequences, with barely any buildup before it’s all over.

Avarice (2022) – Reed (Alexandra Nell)

An Australian home invasion thriller with standard plot elements, plus the added gimmick of a physically fit, trained competition archer as the protagonist. A great skill set (and weapon) to have when your husband is taken hostage by mercenaries led by a ruthless woman.

The movie offers no major surprises. The two “hidden” bad guys are so obvious they don’t even hide it, and it’s a full hour before the heroine Kate Matthews (Gillian Alexy) takes up her trusty bow. From that point on, the action is relentless. After Kate dispatches a couple of thugs with precision arrows, their leader Reed kills Kate’s father just to make a point. The villains are after money (what else?), and in the modern electronic era, that doesn’t require a bank vault raid.

Reed is a threatening presence, practically oozing nastiness in every scene she dominates. Technically, she’s a hired thug too, but doesn’t hesitate to “fire” her boss when he becomes a liability. It was always going to end in an ultimate confrontation between the two women, but it’s all over far too quickly. And of course it’s a last-ditch grab for an arrow to make the last kill. Despite the drawbacks, it’s a pleasant surprise to find a good – if not great – villainess in a modern action movie.