This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labour of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn't exist.
As far as Hong Kong action goes, it's either Golden Harvest or the Shaw Brothers that we look to for a reliable stab in the dark. She Shoots Straight comes from the former, following in the footsteps of Jackie Chan's Police Story and Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon. We're well-trained in what to expect from this kind of film – fights that a strong style wrestling card would be jealous of and a thin plot to get from one to the next is usually the order of service. She Shoots Straight fulfils that expectation for the most part, but it peppers in more than its fair share of melodrama along the way.
She Shoots Straight tells the story of Hong Kong police officer Mina Kao (Joyce Godenzi, a former Miss Hong Kong) who marries the chosen son of a law enforcement dynasty, Huang Tsun Pao (Tony Leung Ka Fai). His father (Sammo Hung, who would go on to marry Godenzi in real life) and his many aunts are esteemed police officers in their own rights, but the matriarch of the family is his oldest aunt, Chia-Ling (Carina Lau). When a Vietnamese gang targets Hong Kong, the family must overcome their differences for the greater good.
It's cheesy and chaotic, and the dashing of melodrama that's plopped on top of it all only serves to intensify that. It isn't clear whether it's so bad that it's good or it's just refreshingly self-aware, but the end result is the same either way. It's just a fantastically good time that doesn't require much input from its audience.
With Eureka's release as part of the Eureka Classics range, She Shoots Straight finally gets a 2K restoration. It's important to highlight the label's work in this area as this is one of a number of films that could have easily deteriorated to the point of vanishing if it wasn't for Eureka's restorative work. It doesn't have the star power or critical acclaim of some other films that have been cherry-picked from the history of Hong Kong cinema to be permanently preserved, and that can only be a good sign for the future.
The restoration itself is fairly bare-bones, only being offered in a 1080p HD presentation with original Cantonese mono audio as well as an English dub. There is a newly translated English subtitle track as well, but that's really where the restoration ends. Perhaps it would have been too much to ask, much for the same reasons why Eureka deserve some credit for this restoration in the first place, but it would have been nice to see a 4K restoration and presentation with remastered audio tracks too. We shouldn't be greedy, though.
Where this edition of She Shoots Straight really is lacking, though, is in its special features. Boutique Blu-ray labels serve a niche audience, and that's something that usually isn't taken for granted. The Criterion Collection has earned a reputation as providing a film school in a box on its releases, and Arrow Video aren't far off. The Eureka Classics range is pitched at a similar price point to both of its more reputable competitors, but it doesn't include anywhere near the quality or quantity of special features. There are no documentaries or featurettes, all that's included is trailers and a couple of commentary tracks. No matter how good they are, it's hard not to feel like something's missing.
She Shoots Straight is an interesting addition to any Hong Kong action fan's collection. It's never really been inducted into the canon of must-see films, and it probably never will be. But that's what makes this Blu-ray release an important piece of restorative work. Without labels like Eureka, films like this are the ones that we're in danger of losing one day. For that, we can probably forgive them for skimping out on the special features that we've come to expect from this kind of release.
She Shoots Straight is released on Bluray on 18th September
