Explainer | No Michelle Yeoh, no problem: how Cynthia Khan made In the Line of Duty 3 and 4 her own with her sensational performances, including one alongside a young Donnie Yen

Michelle Yeoh was unavailable to film action sequels In the Line of Duty 3 and In the Line of Duty 4, which instead were led by Taiwanese actress Cynthia Khan

Khan made her role her own, playing off brilliantly against a young Donnie Yen in one and helping to popularise the ‘girls with guns’ genre in Hong Kong

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Cynthia Khan in a still from “In the Line of Duty 3”. Khan stepped in when Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock were unavailable to film sequels to their hits “Yes, Madam!” and “Royal Warriors”. Photo: Eureka Entertainment

Published: 4:15am, 6 Aug 2023Updated: 11:33am, 9 Aug 2023

In the Line of Duty 3 and In the Line of Duty 4 were intended as sequels to the hit films Yes, Madam! (1985) and Royal Warriors (1986).

But as action stars Michelle Yeoh (then known as Michelle Khan) and Cynthia Rothrock were unavailable, the sequels featured the Hong Kong debut of Taiwan-born Cynthia Khan (real name Yeung Lai-ching, also spelled Yang Li-tsing).

Khan, whose name is an amalgam of the names of the previous stars of the series, seamlessly filled Yeoh’s shoes. The two later films, released in 1988 and 1989, succeed as action classics in their own right.

The Post discussed the In the Line of Duty films with Frank Djeng, who provided the audio commentary for the Eureka Classics Blu-ray release.

In the Line of Duty III (1988) Original Trailer 皇家師姐3雌雄大盜

What was the idea behind the sequel In the Line of Duty 3?

Part three was originally meant to continue Michelle Yeoh’s character from Royal Warriors, and the producers intended to set the story in Japan. But with Michelle’s imminent early retirement and subsequent marriage to [studio boss] Dickson Poon, production house D & B Films needed someone to take over.