Film

Yes, Madam!

Name: Yes, Madam!
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Released: 1985
Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Rothrock, John Shum Kin-Fun, Mang Hoi, Tsui Hark

Crime
Action
Relentless

A 1985 Hong Kong action-comedy where two mismatched female cops—one Chinese, one British—pursue criminals over a stolen microfilm. It's breezily paced, built around genuine martial arts sequences and comic chemistry, with a winking tone that never lets the plot get in the way of fun. Perfect if you want action that doesn't take itself seriously but proves it can fight.

TMDb rating

3.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love Hong Kong action where the punches land hard and the jokes come just as fast, and you don't mind a plot that's mostly a delivery system for chaotic set pieces.

Skip it if you want a tidy, tightly plotted crime story; the thread about the stolen passport and the triad hunt gets loose and scrappy, and the comedy can feel broad.

What it asks of you: Ninety-three minutes of brisk, noisy momentum with little pause for reflection, so settle in ready to be carried along rather than to follow a careful mystery.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Police Story1985

Jackie Chan's masterpiece of slapstick action: jaw-dropping stunt work mixed with comedy so natural it feels improvised. The blueprint for everything fun about Hong Kong action cinema.

But The plot is thin and the pacing lurches. Early Chan films prioritize spectacle over narrative coherence, which can feel scattered.

Kung Fu Hustle2004

Stephen Chow's love letter to Hong Kong action-comedies: beautiful fighting, visual gags that land, and a genuine warmth underneath the chaos. Accessible without being dumbed down.

But It's stylized to the point of artifice. If you want grounded realism, the cartoon physics and wire-work won't help.

Winners & Sinners1983

Jackie Chan's first team-up film, a scrappy ensemble comedy where the action serves the relationships. Looser and funnier than his solo work, with real heart between the mayhem.

But The comedy is broad and dated. Sight gags and physical humour haven't aged evenly, and some bits feel clumsy now.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Yes, Madam!

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Heroic Trio1993

Like Yes, Madam!, it centers female martial artists in a crime story and trusts them to carry the action. Both prove that '80s Hong Kong treated women action heroes as leads, not sidekicks.

Three female action heroes—Michelle Yeoh, Anita Mui, Maggie Cheung—in a dystopian Hong Kong. It's visually audacious, darkly comic, and lets its leads genuinely fight. A pure genre film with style to burn.

But The plot spirals into incoherence and the tone whiplashes between camp and grimness. You have to accept it's more mood than story.

Eastern Condors1987

A Sammo Hung ensemble film with expert action choreography, an ensemble cast with real chemistry, and a tone that balances spectacle with oddball humour. Criminally underrated.

But The plot is a thin excuse to string together action sequences. Narrative logic takes a backseat to setpieces.

The Protector1985

Jackie Chan and Danny Aiello team up in an action-comedy that spans Bangkok and New York. Inventive fight choreography and genuine laugh-out-loud moments, especially in the New York half.

But The tone can feel uneven, and the buddy-cop dynamic doesn't always click. Some sequences drag.

Police Story 3: Super Cop1992

Jackie Chan playing a good cop infiltrating the Triad, with Michelle Yeoh as a fellow operative. Expert action, sharp writing, and real stakes—comedy without sacrificing tension.

But If you haven't seen earlier Chan films, the wire-work and stunt style might feel dated. It's not quite as freewheeling as the '80s work.

Drunken Master III1994

Jackie Chan and Anita Mui, fighting while drunk, against British colonizers. Gorgeous action cinematography, legitimate emotional beats, and absolute commitment to the bit.

But The second half slows down considerably. Some viewers find the middle stretch tedious compared to the roaring opening.

Armour of God1986

Jackie Chan as an adventurer-thief hunting for artifacts. Spectacular stunt sequences, a travelogue quality, and the kind of cheerful chaos that makes you smile even when logic fails.

But The plot barely exists. Action films usually need some narrative momentum; this one mostly needs you to enjoy watching things break.

Naked Lunch1991

Both are crime stories driven by stolen documents and criminal networks, but Naked Lunch asks you to experience chaos from within it, where Yes, Madam! lets you enjoy chaos from outside. They're inverse approaches to the same criminal underworld.

David Cronenberg's fever dream of William S. Burroughs' unfilmable novel: surreal, visceral, hypnotic. It's crime and chaos, but in a register so far from conventional narrative that it feels like watching addiction from inside.

But It's deliberately obscure, sexually transgressive, and refuses to explain itself. If you want clarity or comfort, this will confound and possibly alienate you.

Seance on a Wet Afternoon1964

Both pair a dominant, capable woman with a weaker male partner caught in a crime plot. Yes, Madam! plays it for fun and action; Séance plays it for dread and psychology. Same dynamic, completely different emotional register.

A British thriller where a fake spiritualist and her weak husband kidnap a child for ransom. It's psychologically precise, morally ambiguous, and built on genuine tension. The antithesis of comic action but the same crime-thriller engine.

But It's slow, interior, and deeply unglamorous. There's no fighting, no pace, no winking—just two people spiraling into a terrible crime.