The Inspector Wears Skirts IV – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1992
Director: Wellson Chin
Writer: Abe Kwong, Lawrence Lau
Cast: Cynthia Khan, Moon Lee, Sandra Ng, Kara Hui, Billy Lau, Yip San, James Tien

Release Date: June 22nd, 2024 (UK), July 9th, 2024 (USA)
Approximate running time: 93 Minutes 33 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £16.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"To save the Hong Kong Police Force's Banshee Squad from becoming defunct, the struggling new squad members seek the help of former officers Amy (Sandra Ng Kwan Yue), now a divorced mom with a young kid, and May (Kara Hui), now partially mentally-unstable, to help them with their training regiment, lead by Madame Yang (Cynthia Khan). Their police skills are put to the test when they are ordered to nab a band of brutal thugs in the city." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "2K Remaster from the Original Negatives".

The Inspector Wears Skirts IV comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 29.7 GB

Feature: 27.9 GB

The source used for this transfer is in excellent shape. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and compression are solid, black levels are strong, and there does not appear to be any digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Cantonese), 3.5/5 (LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese and a LPCM mono mix in English. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. That said, the Cantonese language track sounds noticeably more robust than the English language track. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese-language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a stills gallery (20 images), Hong Kong theatrical trailer (4 minutes 39 seconds, LPCM mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Frank Djeng, reversible cover art, a double-sided foldout poster (limited to the first pressing) and a double walled O-ring (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

Directed by Wellson Chin, who directed four The Inspector Wears Skirts films.

New Skirts recruits reach out to former members who have retired in the hope of getting them to rejoin and save the program from becoming defunct.

After three films that did not diverge away from each other, The Inspector Wears Skirts IV puts a fresh spin on this film's series. And nowhere is this clearer than its action-heavy opening sequence. Where the first three The Inspector Wears Skirts saved their main action set piece for their finale, The Inspector Wears Skirts IV is filled with action sequences. In fact, the narrative is a good balance of action and humor, with the former taking center stage this time around.

Though the cast features Sandra Ng, Kara Hui, and Billy Lau, who all appeared in the first three The Inspector Wears Skirts films. Cynthia Khan (In the Line of Duty III) and Moon Lee (Fatal Termination), two new leads introduced in this fourth entry, give it a rebooted feel. In The Inspector Wears Skirts IV, the tone shifts from light-hearted comedies in the first three films to a more serious and darker approach, with humor used sparingly. Also, despite there being a training sequence in The Inspector Wears Skirts IV, it is brief compared to the similar sequences in the first three films.

When it comes to humor, though it does not play as large of a role, when it is employed, it is extremely effective. Notable in the scenes is Kara Hui’s character, who is in an insane asylum. Most of the other humor revolves around Sandra Ng and Billy Lau’s characters, who used to be romantically involved.

The well-executed narrative does a fantastic job building momentum; pacing is never an issue. The action sequences are excellent, and the stunt work is superb, though there are a few obvious moments where men are doubling women. And though there is an ample amount of action, it is not hand-to-hand; it is more gun battles and explosions. Ultimately, The Inspector Wears Skirts IV is a solid return to form, making it the second-best film in the series behind The Inspector Wears Skirts.

The Inspector Wears Skirts IV gets a solid audio/video presentation from 88 Films and an informative audio commentary, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer