My Cultural Diet

Filmed and released just seven months after The Heroic Trio to capitalize on that film’s success, Executioners reunites Anita Mui, Michelle Yeoh, and Maggie Cheung as a trio of superheroes trying to save their city. Set several years after the previous film, Executioners ups the ante, presenting a post-nuclear wasteland where water is scarce and the people are ruled by a totalitarian regime. That premise certainly seems pitch-perfect for Mui, Yeoh, and Cheung’s highly stylized and ultra-melodramatic heroics. Unfortunately, Executioners is a mess of a film that contains precious little of its predecessor’s style or panache. The story is disjointed and muddled, incorporating religious movements and even a disfigured mad scientist (played by Anthony Wong), and our three heroines share a surprisingly small amount of onscreen time. Co-director Ching Siu-tung brings some of his signature action to the table, but the dreary post-apocalyptic setting and flimsy plot make even his choreography look ridiculous. Fun fact: Executioners was the film debut of Takeshi Kaneshiro, who would immediately go on to star in Wong Kar-wai’s Chungking Express and Fallen Angels, establishing his heartthrob status.

I may earn an affiliate commission on items you buy through Opus. These commissions will go directly to support the site and my blogging.