Two ambitious graduates of the police academy bumble their way through their first big case.
It’s almost impossible to talk about 80s Hong Kong action cinema without stumbling across a gem like “Rosa” (1986), starring the quietly magnetic Yuen Biao and the always-energetic Kara Hui. This is the kind of film that’s nearly built for VHS nights: part martial arts showcase, part broad comedy, and just self-aware enough to know precisely what it’s selling.
Let’s start with what works. Yuen Biao is incredibly sweet and very charming here, embodying the sort of affable, slightly bumbling good guy who can take a beating with a grin but handle himself when it really counts. There’s an effortless charisma between Biao and Kara Hui—they’re both so likable, you root for them through all the eye-rolling gags and sitcom misunderstandings. And once the action kicks in, the movie finally feels alive: the finale is worth the wait, a showdown with Dick Wei that’s tightly choreographed, inventive, and pulsing with energy. Watching Kara Hui dismantle a horde of henchmen is a highlight in its own right, her movements crisp and expressive, elevating the entire sequence. The fights are high-octane, snappy, and the movie’s most significant selling point.
That said, “Rosa” is as much a product of its era as a martial arts flick, and there’s no way around some of the negatives. The slapstick humor, with its physical gags (including, regrettably, a blackface bit), and endless Mahjong jokes, feels very much rooted in a local Hong Kong sensibility—and hasn’t aged well for audiences outside its original sphere. For Western viewers in particular, much of the comedy falls flat, and the plot can feel like a slightly disjointed, average time-filler sandwiched between more memorable set pieces. The romance, the mugging, the slapstick—all can bog things down in the middle, and while the cast’s martial prowess is the reason to watch, you have to sit through a lot of bumbling antics before the payoff. Keen fans might wish the action had arrived sooner, or more often. You can’t help but wonder what a leaner, tighter version might have achieved with these stars and so much directorial promise.
But for all its flaws, “Rosa” remains a fun, watchable, and zippy entry in the canon of 80s Hong Kong action comedy. If you’re after pure charisma and a finale that delivers the goods, this is your ticket. Just don’t expect the gags to work as well as the fists.
Available on a Deluxe Collector’s Edition Blu-ray™ December 9th
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