The devastating physical attributes of sexy newcomer Angie Cheung guarantee compulsive viewing, as she uses the ultimate weapon--her body--in an attempt to ensnare the killer and bring to an end his grizzly reign of terror.

A daring psychological thriller combining the twisted sexuality and flamboyant savagery of "Naked Killer" with the physical masterstrikes of Jackie Chan in high gear, "Body Weapon" is a tantalizing amphetamine rush of breathtaking martial arts and steamy eroticism that impacts on the senses with delirious intensity. If you want to witness the most "over the edge" movie to come out of Hong Kong in recent years, look no further.

I normally enjoy a good exploitation/trash movie, but this one just wasn't good. There are normally pitfalls to this genre, such as poor scripts and bad acting, that many films fall prey to -- and Body Weapon is no exception. What usually saves these types of movies are the thrills you get from seeing something other films wouldn't dare to show. However, there is a fine line between "trash" and stinking cinematic garbage. Body Weapon doesn't just cross that line, it jumps over it.

There are two rape scenes in this movie that just disgusted me. I'm sorry, but seeing a guy getting a roll of tokens jammed up his rectum just doesn't fly my sails. Sometimes rape scenes -- even graphically brutal ones -- can be used very effectively, as in Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant. Here they just feel dirty. I felt ashamed watching this, and for the actors involved -- especially Zhao Wen-Zhou, who seemed to be one of HK's most promising young actors a few years back after his incredible performance in Tsui Hark's masterpiece The Blade. Another web reviewer noted that the rape scenes seemed to have been put in for the "raincoat crowd" and I couldn't agree more. I enjoyed such sleaze as The Untold Story and Ebola Syndrome, but some of the elements in Body Weapon seem only suited for die-hard perverts. I'm really surprised that this movie only got a Cat IIB rating and not a Cat III. It's much more graphic than even some of the more disgusting Cat III films produced during the genre's heyday shortly before the Chinese takeover of Hong Kong in 1997.

Body Weapon's only saving graces are the lovely Angie Cheung (who does a nice "tease" performance in the vein of Chingmy Yau) and a couple of solid fights courtesy of Zhao Wen-Zhuo. It's a shame, really. There are times when Body Weapon feels as if it could have been a exploitation classic like Naked Killer, but in the end, it's rubbish with a few bright nuggets mixed in.

Chui Man Cheuk, Angie Cheung and Stephen Au are cops, Wu, Ling and Lee assigned to investigate the case but who are also in a bit of a romantic triangle. Ling is unable to chose which of her two admirers she wants to marry until she is ordered to by her superior officer. Yes, already it's one of those films where it's better not to question the story line but just to accept what's happening and hopefully enjoy some action along the way. Ling chooses Lee but their wedding night is interrupted by the rapists and Lee is murdered. Ling and Wu go out for revenge with Ling taking some rather strange advice from a homosexual sifu who teaches her where the male G spot is and how to use her body to lure men (hence the title). At this point the film seems to pay homage to 70's Kung Fu movies with training scenes that involves Angie Cheung aiming kicks at smaller and smaller targets (melons, eggs, etc ...). All quite ridiculous. The plot is pretty much the standard revenge story that has been the template of numerous martial arts films.

Thrown into this mix of sleaze, brutality and surrealism are some not bad fight sequences. Chui Man Cheuk is as graceful as ever with lots of jumping, spinning and twirling. The choreography isn't up to the high standard of 'Black Sheep Affair' but it's still quite entertaining despite looking as if its been speeded up in places. Stephen Au isn't bad either especially in a scene near the start of the movie when he and Chui Man Cheuk spar together. The best fight comes when Wu takes on the villain's right hand man but Chiu Man Cheuk can do so much better (i.e. 'The Blade', 'Black Sheep Affair') and needs to again if he is ever going to become 'the next Jet Lee' as some have predicted.

The film is due to be released in the UK later this year but I would be surprised if it gets past the BBFC unscathed, they seem to take a hard stance with any violent scenes of a sexual nature that appear exploitational (and they certainly are here). Hopefully though the fights scenes will pass uncut as there is little in this area to offend anybody.