The Heroic Trio (Dung fong saam hap) (1992)

88% of critics liked it
(8 reviews)
61% of users liked it
(3,306 ratings)

In this cartoonish live-action martial arts feature, three female super-heroes battle the forces of evil in the form of a woman who has hatched a plot to create China's next ruler. Over the years, she has stolen over a dozen children from their families. She hopes to raise them in a way that will… More In this cartoonish live-action martial arts feature, three female super-heroes battle the forces of evil in the form of a woman who has hatched a plot to create China's next ruler. Over the years, she has stolen over a dozen children from their families. She hopes to raise them in a way that will make them into ruthless supermen. Among other things, the children are "hardened" by feeding them with human flesh. Thief-Catcher, Invisible Woman, and Wonder Women use their incomparable kung-fu skills to battle their nemesis and even some of the more seriously ruined children in order to protect the world from being taken over by them. Along the way, two of the women discover that they are sisters who were separated as infants. The film contains some scenes showing cruelty and violence being handed out to infants and children, and these may be distasteful for many. Viewers should also note that the Wonder Woman in this film is not based on the American comic-book character portrayed by Lynda Carter, but is a home-grown Chinese invention. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 22 min.
Directed By: Johnnie To
Genres: Art House & International, Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Feb 12, 1993 Wide
On DVD: Dec 12, 1997
Studio: Tai Seng

Critic Reviews

Jeffrey M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner
A vicious Hong Kong dazzler with a great cast.
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com
An unforgettable, chaotic experience that's decidedly unlike any domestic superhero movie.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Tsubaki S

Holy monkey jebus, where to start: -Ching Tun Sung (i'm spelling it bad for sure) is the action director here, so fast and wild fights are a safe bet -Anthony Wong plays the bad guy sidekick. He uses none other than a flying guillotine as main weapon, and his entire role… More
Holy monkey jebus, where to start: -Ching Tun Sung (i'm spelling it bad for sure) is the action director here, so fast and wild fights are a safe bet -Anthony Wong plays the bad guy sidekick. He uses none other than a flying guillotine as main weapon, and his entire role consists of him growling and doing crazy poses -Not since Hard Boiled so many babies were used as props for action sequences -There is a fight sequence involving the 3 main actresses and a skeleton doll. I shit you not. -Rad theme song -Jhonnie To was the director, way before he started to develope his now trademark style -Do i even need to mention that Yeoh, Mui and Cheung look boing-tastic trough tthe whole movie? -Did i mention that i'm still hard? In other words, this movie shouldn't even exist at all, probably ended up here from some strange bizarro dimension where kick-assness is part of everyone's daily meal. That this movie hasn't made our universe implode is a damn miracle. Damn, i miss the good ol days of the HK movie industry, where things like this were the bread and butter of every day. So, in other words, this movie is camp+cheese+radness+hot women+political criticism (women saving male babies in China!) all role into one brain-smasher cocktail. You either drink it or it drinks you.
Dean M

An outrageous action movie, showcasing three of Hong Kong's most talented actresses.
Doctor S

Utterly ridiculous comic book-style popcorn movie filled with insane laugh-out-loud action sequences. Will test your tolerance for campiness and inappropriately bouncy keyboard-driven soundtracks. People ride barrels propelled by dynamite, motorcycles become twirling projectile… More
Utterly ridiculous comic book-style popcorn movie filled with insane laugh-out-loud action sequences. Will test your tolerance for campiness and inappropriately bouncy keyboard-driven soundtracks. People ride barrels propelled by dynamite, motorcycles become twirling projectile weapons, indescribable worlds exist beneath manhole covers, heads are severed with throwable bladed chainmail beekeeper helmets, bodies stripped to muscle and bone continue to fight, papers blow around in enclosed laboratories, and hospitals are the most frequent locations for violent crime. And that's just for starters. Amid all this crazed silliness they somehow assembled the ultimate Dream Team of female Hong Kong talent: Anita Mui, Michelle Yeoh, and Maggie Cheung! Unbelievable, on top of unbelievable! I watched this because it ranked #47 on YesAsia's Top 100 Hong Kong Films of the Nineties list, and it decidedly earns its place for the casting alone. There's an enormous amount of dementia in this movie's DNA to overcome but in the end I had fun. I will allow that I would probably add a half-star if I saw a subtitled version instead of this juvenile dub, but at least it was widescreen.
Christopher B

Awesomeness abounds in this amazing superhero film. Anthony Wong is great as Beast, a man raised to be a monster. The action is fantastic and there is enough baby killing to keep anyone happy. Great villains, great heroes, great movie.