Predecessors Naked Killer and Naked Weapon were almost odd ducks in the femme fatale genre because of the eroticism that played a significant role in the movies. But that was before Hong Kong became part again of mainland China. And it shows. There is no nudity and barely sex to speak of. Is that a bad thing?
No, to be honest while I enjoyed the earlier parts, I mainly watched them for the top-notch action. And Naked Soldier does deliver on the action front. It may not be entirely to the standards of those Hong Kong actioners made in the Nineties and Eighties. But it surely is entertaining enough. Plus it got Sammo Hung, who still can kick ass in his old age and plus he is accompanied by Jia-Qi Kang, a newcomer who not only is pretty but can fight too. Jennifer Tse as Phoenix is supposed to be a Naked Soldier but she does not make a real impression. The other Naked Soldiers Lena Lin and Ankie Beilke do compensate for her lacklustre role. Then there are the villains with some strange fashion sense. It is like they came straight out of an Eighties' music video where they were mimicking the Sixties. Is that outrageous? Yes, it sure is! But this silliness works in favour of the film. Because while the plot has some nice and touching scenes, it is hardly coherent as the characters also do and say the darnedest things. It is obvious the plot doesn't really matter that much, so why dwell on it. I could nitpick, but I won't.
I like this attempt to bring back the old school action Hong Kong is famous for. And I hope they will follow through. Because I believe when it comes to action Hong Kong is still the best and hope they will make more of these like they used to.
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