Killer Angels, also known as Megaforce or Ultra Force, is a 1989 Girls with Guns action movie, made after the success of Iron Angels, starring Moon Lee, Gordon Liu and Nadeki Fujimi. Made when the GWG-genre is about to take off, it's among the earlier Angel-themed action movies made at the time and starts the ball rolling with 90s Hong Kong cinema's obsession with gun-totting girls in action films.
When multiple crime bosses ends up being murdered and a suspect - creatively named Jackie Chan, no not this one - who can help uncover the activities of a human trafficking ring ends up being targeted, a trio of lethal ladies from elite special forces, consisting of bespectacled strategist Rosa, sharpshooter Yau-li/Yolanda, and rough, brutish fighter with a troubled past Amy, is assigned to guard him. But Yau-li ends up discovering the killer isn't who he really seems.
A sequel of sorts is released two months later. Titled Devil Hunters, known internationally as Megaforce 2 or Ultra Force 2, the sequel inexplicably has a brand-new, entirely original storyline, despite sharing the same director and main actor. Moon Lee is back, but this time the all-new cast includes Sibelle Hu playing the usual cowboy-cop persona she is usually known for at the time, Alex Man as Moon and Sibelle's supervisor, Ray Lui (who would later co-star alongside Moon in Fatal Termination) as the son of a mobster seeking revenge, and old school Shaw Brothers badass Michael Chan (fittingly enough, since Killer Angels has another Shaw Brothers alumni, Gordon Liu).
The second movie has Moon playing a new character, Chun-bing, a con artist with a mysterious past, who is neither affiliated with the police or the mob. A top police enforcer, Inspector Tung (Sibelle) is investigating triad activities, the son of a rival triad leader Chai-yuet (Ray) is trying to avenmge his father's death, while a retired mobster Yin-fu (Michael Chan) who is friends with Chun-bing's father ends up being dragged into a smuggling incident led by triad boss Shing. Somehow, this leads to an explosive-laden finale with various characters on different sides with completely different affiliations working together to take down hordes and hordes of mobsters.
Devil Hunters is especially notorious for an on-set accident when filming it's final scene, as seen here
(further details explained in TRIVIA).
Killer Angels / Megaforce / Ultra Force contains examples of:
- Actor Allusion: Yau-li, being played by Moon Lee, is once again a secret agent of an elite special forces unit sent to investigate criminal activities, culminating in her taking on an entire army of mobsters, much like her breakthrough role from Iron Angels. In fact Moon Lee's character is pretty much an Expy of her prior role, sharing the same actress, attitude, persona and such.
- Attack Hello: The moment Amy sees Jackie, the suspect she's supposed to bodyguard, the first thing she did is to confront him in a kitchen and kick the snot out of him, with Yau-li and Rosa trying their best to hold Amy back as she tries to beat Jackie to death. The reason is that Amy recognizes Jackie as an accomplice to Chico, the same man who shot her son and tried to kill her 3 years ago.
- Badass Biker: Fujimi, who kicks ass while on a motorcycle. A shootout scene she's in has her taking out mooks while speeding on her motorbike, and later on, when she's leading her own mooks to attack Yau-li, she's cruising around on her motorbike as well until Yau-li forces her to crash.
- Badass Crew: The Blue Angels, consisting of strategist Rosa, sharpshooter Yau-li, and combat expert Amy.
- Bait-and-Switch Gunshot: One example that doesn't involve any deaths, though. When Michael is eventually assigned to kill Yau-li, Yau turns around allowing Michael to finish her off. Cue gunshot... and Michael had actually shot himself in the arm.
- Beauty, Brains, and Brawn: Played straight for the three main characters, member of the Blue Angels.
- Beauty: Yau-li / Yolanda, most feminine of the trio, a long-haired Girly Bruiser who gets to go undercover as a singer during her undercover assignment, but when it comes to taking names she is a devil with a machine gun.
- Brains: Rosa, Yolanda's bespectacled sidekick, strategist, and partner who backs her up during infiltrations and assists in planning the mission.
- Brawn: Amy, eldest of the trio, fights first, asks questions later, and can beat up mooks with ease.
- Boom, Headshot!: Chico's fate, courtesy of Michael via Sniper Rifle after the former's superiors considered him no longer of any use to the syndicate.
- Boyish Short Hair: On Amy. Note that it was likely a Traumatic Haircut performed offscreen - during her flashback 3 years ago before her son's death, she still has long hair at that point.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Amy finally confronts Chico, the triad enforcer who killed her son and nearly killed her 3 years ago. Holding Chico at gunpoint, she demands if he remembers shooting the boy. His answer?Chico: "I've killed so many people, I don't know what your talking about!"
- Camping a Crapper: One of Michael's hits in his introduction scene is an unfortunate mobster he garrotes behind a urinal, before dragging the victim to a bathroom stall for him to finish off via stabbing.
- The Cavalry Arrives Late: Downplayed, by the time the police arrives to reinforce the Blue Angels, they have already killed majority of the syndicate's mooks, at the cost of Amy and Michael dying. But the police managed to arrest any remaining mooks still alive, and stop Yau-li from killing the syndicate leader by capturing him alive.
- Conveniently Timed Attack from Behind:
- During the night infiltration scene, Yau-li gets to beat up a score of mooks when one of them tries swinging a pick from behind her. Rosa sniped that last mook with her crossbow.
- Just as Fujimi is about to shoot Michael In the Back as he walks away, Yau-li shoots Fujimi first. The latter Dies Wide Open without even realizing who shot her.
- Cool Shades: Michael's sunglasses are prominently displayed in almost every scene he's in, notably in his introduction scene - Michael killing at least seven mobsters, wearing his shades the whole time.
- Death Montage: Michael's introduction, which takes up the first five minutes of the film, depicting Michael killing at least seven mobsters in quick succession using various weapons including guns, knives, and a garrote.
- Death of a Child: Amy's son gets shot by Chico during Amy's Troubled Backstory Flashback sequence.
- Dark Action Girl: Fujimi, girlfriend of Michael and a mob assassin as deadly as he is. She is also more ruthless when it comes to performing hits or executions and takes delight in beating up her opponents during fights.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight : Michael in Yau-li's arms at the end of the movie.
- Fatal Family Photo: Amy carries a framed photo of her with her son, who was shot after witnessing a mob assassination 3 years earlier. In the final shootout, Amy gets shot by Michael, a character she didn't even get to interact with throughout the film.
- Hand Cannon: Michael's preferred weapon which he uses in shootouts, capable of firing Instant Death Bullet at mooks.
- Hell-Bent for Leather:
- Yau-li during her musical number, wearing black skintight leather pants and jacket, complete with '80s Hair and High Collar of Doom.
- Dark Action Girl Fujimi is never seen without her leather motorcycle jacket.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Michael, deciding that his boss has gone too far in his criminal activities, deliberately uses himself as a meatshield to save Yau-li.
- Human Trafficking: The syndicate runs human trafficking ring, complete with cages containing young women hidden in the basement of their Big Fancy House hideout.
- In Love with the Mark: It comes as no surprise that Michael would eventually fall for Yau-li, and that Michael's superiors would eventually order him to execute every member of the Blue Angels.
- Instant Sedation: In the stakeout scene, Yau-li, disguised as a nightclub hostess, knocks out a client she's flirting with using knockout gas... disguised as breath spray. Yes, two squeezes and her target is somehow completely unconscious.
- Leave No Witnesses: In Amy's flashback, when her son accidentally witnessed Chico disposing of a target, the first thing Chico does is shoot both Amy and her boy. While the bullet that hits Amy is Only a Flesh Wound, her son isn't that lucky.
- Please Kill Me if It Satisfies You: When Michael's betrayal is eventually exposed by Fujimi, an enraged Fujimi threatens to expose him, asking him if he knows what the syndicate does to traitors. Michal's response is to give his Hand Cannon to Fujimi and walk away. He didn't count on Yau-li suddenly arriving and shooting Fujimi, before the latter can shoot him, though.
- Professional Killer: Michael and his girlfriend Fujimi are both elite assassins. Although Michael turns out to be a Hitman with a Heart who eventually falls for Yau-li and turns on his boss.
- Revenge Before Reason: Amy, who is desperate to take down the mob responsible for her son's death, will stop at nothing, even if it means betraying her allies.
- Shout-Out: The name of the suspect that the Blue Angels are supposed to bodyguard throughout most of the movie? "Jackie Chan". The entire movie simply refers to him as "Jackie", however.
- That Reminds Me of a Song: Roughly thirteen minutes into this action film, suddenly the movie segues into a rather lengthy (but still awesome) musical number of Yau-li performing in a nightclub. Justified that she is infiltrating the mob while posing as a singer, but it still comes a little out of nowhere. The song she performs in the movie itself, "Betray" by Chai Li, a.k.a. Cherrie Choi, does replay during the end credits though.
- Slipping a Mickey: When Amy attempts to leave the headquarters and take on the syndicate all by her own, she drugs Rosa, the only other member present with her, unconscious using a sleeping pill.
- The Syndicate: The mob that employs Michael and Fujimi as their personal assassins are rich enough to afford their own private army with matching blue uniforms, and install an Elaborate Underground Base beneath their Big Fancy House mansion where their sex slaves are kept in cages.
- Unknown Rival: The only member of the Blue Angels trio Michael gets to interact with is protagonist Yau-li, and he have absolutely zero knowledge on Amy and Rosa even as they raid his boss' hideout in the finale. In fact, the first and only interaction between Amy and Michael is him shooting her casually.
- Vasquez Always Dies: There are four female characters - Girly Bruiser Yau-li, bespectacled Rosa, brutish and buff Amy, and Dark Action Girl Fujimi. The former two survives, the latter two die rather unceremoniously and randomly.
- World of Action Girls: Four of the five ladies in the movie are ass-kickers, including Yau-li, Rosa, Amy, and Fujimi.
- Would Hurt a Child: When Chico, in the middle of disposing of a witness, realize he's been seen by a little boy, the first thing he does is to shoot the kid. Needless to say, he's the main bad guy of this movie.
Devil Hunters / Megaforce 2 / Ultra Force 2 contains examples of:
- Chase Fight: Between Chun-bing and a suspect, in the crowded streets of Hong Kong and into a dark alleyway.
- Conspicuously Public Assassination: Chai-yuet's father is shot in the middle of a public parking lot, with machine-guns being involved.
- Cowboy Cop: Inspector Tung, which is normal for Sibelle Hu. She's not afraid to rough up her suspects and use brute force when interrogating witnesses, and is rather trigger-happy.
- Decoy Protagonist: Yin-fu gets plenty of screentime and development early on, being hyped as a former mobster and a badass. And he proves himself to be a really dangerous foe as well, launching a one-man assault on Shing's mob. But after Yin-fu dies the story continues without him.
- Disposable Woman: Superintendant Tsang's girlfriend-slash-lieutenant, who gets to kick ass alongside Tsang in a shootout early in the film, only to unceremoniously get a shotgun blast through her chest. She dies in his arms and clearly means a lot to him given how he's grieving badly over her demise, but considering she has around seven minutes of screentime it's hard to care for her.
- Do Not Go Gentle: Yin-fu's final scene has him being cornered by legions upon legions of Shing's mooks. But he came prepared, and managed to kill at least twenty enemies before finally getting shot In the Back.
- Fan Disservice: Candy's Cold-Blooded Torture scene involves her getting stripped down to her underwear and having bags of insects and leeches emptied on her naked skin while she is all tied up. She gets gang-raped for good measure.
- Guns Akimbo: Yin-fu, during his Last Stand against Shing's mooks; his machine-gun out of ammo, he then pulls out dual pistols, and inexplicably becomes a character from a John Woo picture gunning down mooks with both guns.
- Hand Cannon: Chai-yuet gets to wield a Magnum during one of his shootouts, in a Call-Back to the previous movie (despite sharing none of the characters) since that's the same type of weapon favored by Michael.
- Hollywood Silencer: When Chun-bing engaged the suspect in a chase on an overhead bridge, the suspect whips out a silenced pistol and shoots at her, with gunshots barely audible over the sound of road traffic. Nobody within vicinity of the area heard the gunshots, and didn't realize someone is using firearms until the suspect gunned down bystanders.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: In the climatic fight, Chai-yuet fights Shing's number two, which culminates with Chai lifting his opponent above his head, impaling him on a sharp bamboo pole oddly positioned right above them.
- Lock-and-Load Montage: Right before the final shootout against Shing and his mooks, Chun-bing, Inspector Tang and Chai-yuet gets to arm themselves to the teeth with Chai's cache of firearms.
- Man on Fire: In the final scene as the three protagonists made a leap off an exploding balcony, Chun-bing and Inspector Tung have their clothing catching fire and is burning all the way as they fell. Tung (Sibelle) is notably shrouded in flames. It turns out this was unintentional, and the actors are accidentally set on fire in real life due to the pyrotechnics being poorly-timed.
- More Dakka: The final shootout had Chun-bing, Inspector Tung and Chai Yuet whipping out progressively larger guns when taking down hordes and hordes of mooks.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: In Chun-bing's first scene, she is disguised as a klutzy, ditsy, accident-prone girl scout who keeps begging people to buy her charity stickers... right before she suddenly beats the hell out of two dozen people. Moon Lee, ladies and gentlemen.
- One-Man Army: Yin-fu, who can take on scores and scores of mooks, although he ultimately dies at the end of his sole action scene. Subverted with the team of Chun-bing, Inspector Tung and Chai-yuet, a Three-Man Army (Ok fine, One-Man-Two-Girl-Army).
- Shovel Strike: When Chun-bing ends up fighting the suspect she's apprehending, the suspect tries to skewer her with a bamboo rod. She responds by grabbing a nearby shovel and whacking him in the face with it, accidentally killing him when she's supposed to take him alive.
- Taking You with Me: Shing, choosing to blow up a set of gas tanks rather than facing arrest from the protagonists. He ultimately fails as Chun-bing, Inspector Tung and Chai-yuet performs a Super Window Jump out of an exploding balcony.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Chun-bing and Inspector Tung. The former's introduction is a ditzy flower girl wearing a skirt and is noticeably more feminine, while the latter is a rough tomboy and cowboy cop throughout.
- Two Girls and a Guy: By the end of the film, Chun-bing, Inspector Tung and Chai-yuet realize they're in this together, and teams up to take on Shing and his syndicate.
- You Killed My Father: Originally Chai-yuet is the only one seeking vendetta on Shing for his father's assassination, but in the final battle Chun-bing ends up finding her father's corpse, having being shot by Shing as well, resulting in her going on a Self-Destructive Charge in a rage to take down Shing.
