It's a testament to Oshima's commitment to a role when she can perform a split-kick in the middle of a fiery explosion to pose for a photo.
Angel's Mission is a 1990 action film starring Yukari Oshima, Philip Ko and Dick Wei, notably one of Oshima's first (of several) collaborations with director Philip Ko.
Oshima plays Cynthia, a Japanese Interpol agent in Hong Kong visiting her mother. When the notorious triad leader Ma moves his operations to Hong Kong as well, Cynthia is quickly assigned to investigate because Ma is responsible for the kidnapping and prostitution of three Japanese women besides various crimes. Cynthia's investigations end up crossing paths with Jerry (Dick Wei), whose sister Brenda is a victim of the same trafficking ring, Hong Kong top cop Karen who is on the same case as well, and low-time triad enforcer Wong (Philip Ko) who intends to usurp Ma's position as leader of the mob.
Also known as Born to Fight, Kicking Buddha, The Justice of Buddha, Ultimate Lady Fighter, and Fighting Angel - Born to Fight 5. note
Tropes included in this film:
- Action Girl: Veteran action star Yukari Oshima plays Cynthia, while Chi Jan-ha (best known for Eastern Condors as one of the guerilla girls) plays Cowboy Cop Inspector Karen.
- Action Prologue: The movie literally starts with a BANG, with two opposing gang of gunrunners having their deal going sour and the mooks on each side pulling firearms on each other. Naturally, grenades, assault rifles, and a belt-fed automatic chaingun are involved.
- Bad Guys Play Pool: One of Wong's scenes has him playing snooker with his subordinates. Complete with Cue the Billiard Shot.
- Big Brother Instinct: Jerry is a triad enforcer and hitman, who becomes personally involved in stopping the human trafficking ring at all costs when his sister Brenda becomes one of their many victims. Naturally, he's in a race against time to save her.
- Busman's Holiday: Cynthia's assignment happens when she's in Hong Kong visiting her mother, before suddenly receiving instructions from her superiors to investigate the human trafficking ring who just happens to be in the city.
- The Cameo: Philippine action star Edu Manzano has a relatively small role as a henchman named Jess. He doesn't have any lines, but gets to kickstart the final action scene by firing a rocket launcher into Wong's mansion as part of his Dynamic Entry. note
- Car Cushion: Sergeant Franco, fleeing from thugs after a shootout, ends up leaping off a balcony, falling for two storeys before he lands on a passing car's hood. He then rolls off, gets up unharmed, and points his gun at the driver to hijack the vehicle.
- Contrived Coincidence: It just so happens that Cynthia's assignment occurs when she is in the middle of visiting her mother, who is working for triad boss Ma, the latter who used to be a former partner of Jerry, whose sister Brenda happens to be abducted by the triad's subordinate Wong, which Jerry is investigating while he happens to cross path with Cynthia.
- Destination Defenestration: Jerry does this in the finale when he causes one of Wong's lieutenants to fall out through a third-story window.
- Eviler than Thou: Wong to his former boss and superior, Ma.
- Evil vs. Evil: Wong and his human trafficking ring against Triad boss Ma and his thugs.
- Flush the Evidence: Attempted when the police led by Karen raids a nightclub where a drug deal is taking place. One of the dealers runs into a bathroom stall with packets of drugs with him, and as Karen confronts him with the bathroom doors between them, the dealer immediately taunts Karen that she can't stop him from getting rid of the evidence... oblivious to a sign outside the toilet that says "Toilet is Currently Out of Water. Apologies for Any Inconveniences Caused".
- For the Evulz: Invoked by one of Wong's clients, an Italian mob boss who gets involved alongside his bodyguards. When he emerged unscathed, he orders one of his men to hold back against shooting a wounded enemy, before shooting the enemy himself, commenting that "He haven't fired his gun once since he got off his plane from Sicily."
- Human Traffickers: The main villains of the movie, led by triad enforcer Wong, who takes delight in tricking desperate young women - mostly foreigners - into becoming their drug mules before pimping them off as prostitutes.
- Kung-Shui: All over the place the moment Cynthia, Jerry and Karen get to fight Wong and his lieutenants. Televisions, vases, tables, chairs, cabinets, a shelf, and every single window panel gets broken by the time the fight is over.
- Leap and Fire: Jerry does this in his shootouts, including one of his kills where he runs up a car's bonnet, jumps over its top and fires away, killing a mook on his way down.
- Leg Focus: Cynthia, played by the slender and athletic Yukari Oshima, gets plenty of fight scenes while wearing tight yoga pants. It's either that or a pair of tight-fitting jeans.
- Martial Arts Headband: Cynthia is shown wearing one while being attacked by thugs in a park scene. She beats the snot out of both thugs with ease, and the headband stays on even after the fight is over.
- Shout-Out: One of Wong's mooks is a tall henchman with scary, shiny metal teeth, a blatant Expy to Jaws. Said henchman only has mere seconds of screentime, however, unlike his inspiration.
- Sinister Shades: Most of the leaders of the human trafficking ring, arms dealers, and mooks wear sunglasses throughout the film, even in shootouts in broad daylight. Ma notably dons these even when mowing down scores of extras using a belt-fed machine gun.
- Staircase Tumble:
- When Cynthia kicks a mook down a flight of stairs next to a pedestrian bridge.
- In the climax of the movie, Wong gets shot by Karen, before being subsequently finished off by Cynthia when she kicks him down a flight of stairs. The fall and gunshot injury combined are enough to kill him eventually after a rather lengthy fight scene.
- Smuggling with Dolls: A variation, the drug dealers in this movie attempt smuggling with watermelons.
- Workout Fanservice: Cynthia's first scene in Tokyo, depicts her as a martial arts coach. Naturally, she's in extremely tight, figure-hugging yoga leotards with really, really low cleavage, and she even fights a few trainees in this attire.
