92 Legendary La Rose Noire

This is a sequel or spoof of some sort to 1965's The Black Rose, where a poet named Butterfly (Maggie Siu) and her friend Kuen (Teresa Mo) stumbles upon an illegal weapons operation and finding themselves the prime suspects in the case. To avoid the police, the two innocent witnesses reconstruct the crime scene, making it appear that the perpetrator was "The Black Rose." However, the apprentices of the Black Rose attempt to seek the truth in the matter.

What started off as a pretty goofy movie eventually led to an action-packed and suspenseful story, especially during the scenes where Butterfly and Kuen attempt to evade the police and when the Black Rose apprentices Yim-Fan (Wan-Si Wong) and Piu-Hung (Bo-Bo Fung) first appear on-screen. Yim-Fan's tough, eloquent, but hilariously funny personality steals the spotlight movie for me, from her chanting the Kung-Fu moves at the ring of the bell to her turning from tough to delicate to woo Detective Keith Lui (Tony Leung).

Although set in Hong Kong in 1992, the cinematography and atmosphere capture a classic ambiance of the '60s, particularly the grand mansion of the apprentices - a clear nod to the original 1965 Black Rose movie. I also especially liked the classic songs and the superb music score in the movie, which I think gives the modern story a more unique feel.

The plot is solid and pretty fast-paced and the acting was overall great. Lots of character development and chemistry as well, from the romance between Keith Lui and Butterfly and the frustrated partnership between Yim-Fan and Piu-Hung. Kwok Leung Cheung plays a tough villain and Teresa Mo gives the movie extra comedy relief.

It's an outstanding movie overall and one of the best action comedies from Hong Kong.

Grade A-