WOMAN AVENGER is another of director Tso Nam Lee's underrated gems. While his movies often lack the kind of budget the Shaw Brothers films boasted, his movies were more often than not VERY entertaining. WOMAN AVENGER begins with Miss Lo (Miss Li) and her husband enjoying a ride through the countryside when they're attacked. She's raped (in a badly edited sequence that leaves some question of actual rape until it's clearly revealed later) and her husband murdered. They are both left for dead, but an Abbess living in a cave finds her and nurses her back to health before teaching her Dragon Fist Kung Fu. Miss Lo ventures out into the world and promptly runs into a policeman who's been mortally wounded by a local gang. She promises the dying man she'll infiltrate the gang and does, using an unconvincing wig to "hide" the fact that she's female. Before you know it, members of the gang start disappearing. As in most of Tso Nam Lee's movies, the main villain (in this case, a Golden-haired Master named Wu Chi) is of more than passing interest, and comes across as genuinely Dangerous. Tso Nam Lee was what I call a "Dark Director" (his movies often feature or at least suggest something Supernatural) and WOMAN AVENGER features some topnotch action; balletic acrobatics and unbelievable kicking from Miss Li.
Review of Shi mei chu ma
