Yes, Madam! – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1985
Director: Corey Yuen
Writers: James Clouse, Barry Wong
Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Rothrock, John Sham, Hoi Mang, Tsui Hark, James Tien, Dick Wei, Fat Chung, Melvin Wong, Wai Shum

Release Date: December 12th, 2022
Approximate running times: 93 Minutes 49 Seconds (Theatrical Cut), 87 Minutes 33 Seconds (Export Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese (Theatrical Mix), LPCM Mono Cantonese (Home Video Mix), DTS-HD 5.1 English (Home Video Mix) (Theatrical Cut), LPCM Mono English (Classic Dub) (Export Cut)
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £17.99 (UK)

"Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock star as a couple of tough-as-nails police inspectors investigating the murder of a British agent, which leads them to a pair of unlucky thieves (Mang Hoi and John Shum) who need protection from a ruthless crime boss (James Tien).." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Theatrical Cut), 4/5 (Export Cut)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "The original theatrical cut from a brand new 2K restoration. The international export cut from a brand new 2K restoration."

Yes, Madam! comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.9 GB

Feature: 27 GB (Theatrical Cut), 13.8 GB (Export Cut)

The sources used for both versions are in excellent shape. Colors and flesh tones look correct; image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Cantonese (Home Video Mix), DTS-HD 5.1 English (Home Video Mix) - Theatrical Cut), 4/5 (LPCM Mono Cantonese (Theatrical Mix) - Theatrical Cut), 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono English (Classic Dub) - Export Cut)

The theatrical cut comes with three audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese (theatrical mix), a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese (home video mix), and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English (home video mix). All three tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, ambient sounds are well-represented, and fight scenes sound robust. That said, the Cantonese track labeled "theatrical mix" does not sound as full as the two other tracks. Also, there are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language tracks.

The export cut comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English (Classic Dub). This audio track sounds clean, clear, balanced, and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (4 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), UK home video trailer (1 minute 21 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), archival featurette tilted Battling Babes (10 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Michelle Yeoh (15 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Mang Hoi titled A Conversation with Mang Hoi (15 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Chinese with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Cynthia Rothrock titled Cynthia Rothrock on Yes, Madam! (20 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), scene select audio commentary with Cynthia Rothrock (12 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Asian film experts Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and Michael Worth for the theatrical cut, an audio commentary with action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema for the theatrical cut, reversible cover art, a limited edition O-card slipcase (2000 copies only), and a twenty-four page booklet (2000 copies only) with cast & crew information, an essay written by James Oliver and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

Yes, Madam! has had numerous alternate English language titles, like In the Line of Duty 2, Police Assassins, and Super Cops. Yes, Madam! is the second film in a series of seven films that make up the In the Line of Duty series. The first two films, In the Line of Duty (Royal Warriors) and In the Line of Duty 2 (Yes, Madam!) both featured Michelle Yeoh in the title role, while the remaining films featured Cynthia Khan in the title role. Yes, Madam! was directed by Corey Yuen, whose other notable films include Righting Wrongs (Above the Law), The Transporter, and So Close.

Yes, Madam! covers ground that has been covered in a slew of Hong Kong action films. And yet, despite the familiarity of the narrative, the film manages to stand on its own due to exceptional performances from Michelle Yeoh and James Tien. Yes, Madam! is also significant for being the first starring role for Michelle Yeoh, whose later film credits include Police Story 3: Supercop, Tomorrow Never Dies, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She had two minor film roles before Yes, Madam!, and even at this early stage of her career, she proves that she is more than capable of holding her own in action sequences.

My favorite moment in Yes, Madam! involves Michelle Yeoh’s character, Inspector Ng, who is hanging upside down on a balcony while two bad guys try to knock her over the edge. The railing she is hanging on is glass, which she breaks through and pulls the two guys off the ledge to the floor below.

Another standout performance is by James Tien, who plays Tin, the lead bad guy in the film. He hams it up as the diabolical Tin. His character has a laughing fetish and even goes so far as to remark on how much he loves laughing. Another performance of note is Cynthia Rothrock in one of her first starring roles. She proves that she can hold her own against her male counterparts, and her chemistry with Michelle Yeoh is off the charts.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where Yes, Madam! does not deliver and then some. The briskly paced narrative is a satisfying mix of action set pieces and offbeat humor. The best action sequence is saved for an exceptional finale. Also, the score, like so many martial arts and action films from the 1970s and 1980s, features music cues lifted from other movies. Yes, Madam! uses the musical cue "The Shape Talks" from John Carpenter’s Halloween. Ultimately, Yes, Madam! is a high water mark for 1980s martial arts cinema that features some of the most jaw-dropping action set pieces to ever appear in a Hong Kong film.

Written by Michael Den Boer