IN THE LINE OF DUTY: These four classic police stories from the Golden Age of Hong Kong action broke new ground showing women kicking butt as hard as any man! Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Rothrock and Cynthia Kahn star as the toughest cops on the streets, using fists, feet and guns to take down triads, thieves and international criminals. Easily the equal of any American action movies from the same era, the In the Line of Duty series are enduring proof of the genius (and recklessness) of Hong Kong filmmakers. 88 Films are proud to do their bit for law and order, with beautiful HD restorations of these four landmark movies.
DISC ONE: Royal Warriors – Returning from her holiday in Japan, Inspector Yip (Michelle Yeoh, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Everything Everywhere All At Once) foils a daring mid-air rescue of a gangster being returned to Hong Kong for trial. But Inspector Yip needs to watch her back: that gangster has friends.
DISC TWO: Yes, Madam! – Chicks with kicks! When gangsters murder her friend, Inspector Ng (Michelle Yeoh, Police Story III, Tomorrow Never Dies) is drawn into a deadly search for the men who did it. Just as well she’s got backup from British supercop Carrie Morris (the legendary Cynthia Rothrock, No Retreat, No Surrender 2, China O’Brien).
DISC THREE: In The Line Of Duty III – How do you top the first two In The Line of Duty films? Easy… bigger explosions, wilder fights and even crazier stunts! This time, two Japanese thieves have fled to Hong Kong with a tough J-cop (Cynthia Khan, Blade of Fury) hot on their heels. It’s up to Hong Kong’s finest to stop the villains before too much damage is done!
DISC FOUR: In The Line Of Duty IV – The fourth (and for some fans… the best) of the In the Line of Duty series, sees the return of Cynthia Kahn (The Avenging Quartet) as Inspector Yeung. This time, she’s on the trail of some ruthless international drug dealers, ably assisted by Donnie Yen (John Wick: Chapter 4, Ip Man) and Michael Wong (Royal Warriors, Tiger Cage III).
For thoughts on In The Line Of Duty I-IV Collection, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
[youtube https://youtu.be/iTQfj0MHFHQ?t=2526]
Video Quality
In The Line Of Duty I-IV comes to Blu-Ray courtesy of 88 Films with four films spread over four discs. These films share a lot of the same qualities, so I will mostly be judging them in groups while pointing out noticeable differences when necessary. All four films have been presented in their original aspect ratios in their original and complete forms, with two films providing two cuts from which to choose (see the Special Features section). Every film is listed as coming from a 2K restoration, and the quality is quite lovely throughout. With each film afforded their own disc along with some supplemental features, compression artifacts do not pop up as an issue with this set. Overall, these transfers bring these films to life in an ideal manner.
Thanks to these new restorations, audiences are treated to transfers that present very little in the way of wear and tear throughout this set. They also avoid instances of egregious compression artifacts and other major digital anomalies. The black levels offer notable shadow detail, but there are moments where it could probably squeeze out slightly more depth. Thankfully, you are not subjected to crush in these darker moments. Highlights hold firm do not appear to show evidence of any blooming. The lovely natural film grain is resolved well without it appearing frozen, clumpy or swarming. These presentations seem to have benefitted from being well preserved over the years, as they do not present the tell-tale signs of weakness of other films from this era.
Color saturation is pleasing throughout this set with the palette suffused with natural colors which do not exactly pop, but present them quite evenly. There does appear to be very minor swings in color temperature, but nothing that proves to be overly distracting. The transfer provides a great level of fine detail within the background elements. The environments likewise provide much to engage with whether it is the police precinct or a lavish lair of a criminal.
All four films were made in pretty close succession to one another, and no one production stands out as substantially better than any other. There are brief moments when the level of clarity ebbs and flows, but this is more than likely concerned with how the film was originally captured or the state of the source elements. 88 Films has offered up a truly great set of releases for fans of Hong Kong cinema.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray set presents all the films with an array of audio options that can most easily be discerned below:
- Royal Warriors: DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio (Cantonese Mono Theatrical Mix, Cantonese Mono Alternate Mix, Classic English Mono Dub) and DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio (New English Dub)
- Yes, Madam!: DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio (Cantonese Mono Theatrical Mix, Cantonese Mono Home Video Mix) and DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio (New English Dub)
- In The Line Of Duty III: DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio (Cantonese Mono & English Mono Dub)
- In The Line Of Duty IV: DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio (Cantonese Mono & English Mono Dub)
For our purposes, the original language tracks were viewed in full with some spot checking of some of the other tracks. Like the video side of the equation, the audio holds up very well with only some minor deficiencies lingering. Dialogue comes through crisp and clear even during kinetic moments with only occasional loss of detail. Sound effects and environmental elements come alive within every shifting location. The surround sound tracks make the world a bit more three dimensional, but not in a way that feels overly artificial. The score provides the narratives with a welcome sense of energy that is showcased with a pleasing fidelity. There is not much evidence of age-related wear or distortion, but some elements sound a hint thin. These films hold up about as well as you might hope. 88 Films has done a swell job with these features. All the films included in this set have optional English subtitles provided.
Special Features
DISC ONE: Royal Warriors
- Audio Commentary: Hong Kong Film Expert Frank Djeng provides an informative commentary track which discusses the confusing release schedule and continuity between the film, how this film fits into the careers of the creatives involved, the subtle touches that underscore the Chinese and Japanese differences in the film, the state of martial arts films at the time, analysis of the plot and more that is worth a listen.
- Missing Aeroplane Inserts: A 29-second clip showing shoddy airplane exteriors that did not end up in the final film.
- Trailer: This disc provides the Cantonese Trailer (4:38) and the English Trailer (3:49).
- English In The Line Of Duty Title Sequence: A three-minute English version of the credits using the title In The Line Of Duty.
DISC TWO: Yes, Madam!
- Export Version with Classic English Dub (1:27:36)
- Introduction: A nine-second introduction from actress Cynthia Rothrock welcoming you to the release plays before the menu.
- Audio Commentary: Hong Kong Film Expert Frank Djeng provides an illuminating commentary track which discusses the confusing release schedule and continuity between the film, the history of D&B Films, how this film fits into the careers of the creatives involved, bringing Cynthia Rothrock into this narrative, analysis of the plot, the shooting locations, cultural elements that may be unfamiliar to westerners and more.
- A Team Player – Cynthia Rothrock on Yes, Madam!: A new 18-minute interview with Rothrock in which she discusses her background in martial arts, getting into the film business, the difficulties of shooting in a foreign land, how the filmmaking differs from the United States, working with the stuntmen, her feelings about the film and more.
- Select Scene Commentary with Cynthia Rothrock and Frank Djeng: The actress joins the Hong Kong Film Expert to relay some of her memories of shooting key scenes.
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- Airport Scene (4:30)
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- Final Fight (8:27)
- Ladies First – Mang Hoi on Yes, Madam!: A 14-minute interview with the actor in which he discusses his early career, working with Cynthia Rothrock, filming the fight scenes, the tone of the film and more.
- An Interview with Michelle Yeoh: A 15-minute archival interview with Yeoh in which she discusses her early influences, her commercial success in Hong Kong, working with Jackie Chan, the training that went into her first action movie, her history in the film industry and more.
- Battling Babes: A nearly 11-minute vintage piece with various women who discuss what it is like to be in an action-driven world.
- Hong Kong Trailer: The nearly four-and-a-half minute original theatrical trailer is provided here.
DISC THREE: In The Line Of Duty III
- Audio Commentary: Hong Kong Film Experts Frank Djeng and Michael Worth provide an entertaining commentary track in which they discuss Cynthia Khan taking over Michelle Yeoh, her journey to getting cast in the film, the injuries she sustained on set, the careers of the creatives involved, analysis of the plot, the shooting locations, the action set pieces and more.
- Interview with John Sham by Frederic Ambroisine: A 26-minute archival interview with the producer-actor in which he discusses his early career, memories of Michelle Yeoh, his work as a producer, his work in the past few decades, the prevalence of his company in China and more.
- Trailers: This disc provides the Hong Kong Trailer (3:12), English Trailer #1 (3:10) and English Trailer #2 (3:37).
- English Credits: A two-and-a-half minute video which presents the opening and closing credits in English.
DISC FOUR: In The Line Of Duty IV
- Export Version with Classic English Dub (1:35:38)
- Audio Commentary #1: Hong Kong Film Experts Frank Djeng and Michael Worth provide another solid commentary track in which they discuss where this fits into the series, the differences in the International Cut, the careers of the creatives involved, analysis of the plot, the shooting locations, the action set pieces and more.
- Audio Commentary #2: Stefan Hammond and actor Michael Wong provide a more personal commentary track which focuses less on the film from a historical perspective and digs more into memories from the production, relationships on set and more. This offers a great amount of unique information from the other commentary track.
- Archive Interview with Donnie Yen: A 21-minute archival interview with the actor in which he discusses the danger that comes with Hong Kong cinema, the excitement of the set pieces, memories from his career, his thoughts on various Hong Kong luminaries, the disparity in the budgets for certain projects and more.
- Trailers: This disc provides the Hong Kong Trailer (4:26)) and the English Trailer (5:30).
Final Thoughts
The In The Line Of Duty I-IV Collection is a wonderfully entertaining assemblage of films that offer a little something different for each entry. The series can be incredibly bleak in one film and somewhat slapstick-y in the next, and somehow the tonal journey works. The leading ladies of these films are terrific; while Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh may be the draw for many western audiences, there is no discounting the incredible work from Cynthia Kahn, who delivers some of the best entries of the set. 88 Films has bundled these four films together into a Blu-Ray collection featuring a top notch A/V presentation and a terrific array of special features. If you appreciate Hong Kong crime cinema, get this into your collection as soon as possible. Highly Recommended
In The Line Of Duty I-IV Collection is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: 88 Films and MVD Entertainment have supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.

Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.