Yes, Madam! was the most important milestone for D & B Films and for Michelle Yeoh. Produced by Sammo Hung and directed by Corey Yuen Kwai, written by Barry Wong and with Corey Yuen and Mang Hoi as martial arts instructors, the film centres around Inspector Ng (Michelle Yeoh), a policewoman who discovers that her good friend’s murder is connected with a major corporation forging contractual documents. The key to cracking the case lies with three small-time thieves (John Sham, Mang Hoi, and Tsui Hark). Ng works with Scotland Yard inspector Carrie (Cynthia Rothrock) to put the bad guys behind bars.

Corey Yuen Kwai and Mang Hoi designed broadly comical choreography for the three thieves running for their lives, while at the same time custom-tailoring physical combat scenes, gunfights, car chases, and explosions for Yeoh and American action actress Cynthia Rothrock. The interaction of the two actresses, a study in contrasting styles, brought a freshness to the genre. The stunt team successfully exploited Yeoh’s background in dance, highlighting the beauty, ferocity, and power of her movements. In the final showdown, Yeoh shows off her flexibility and accomplished legwork with difficult and eye-catching moves, performing full splits, hanging upside down, and crashing through glass panes. Yes, Madam! made her a household name and firmly established her as an action star. The film spawned multiple sequels, and heavily influenced the Inspector Wears Skirts series, harkening the arrival of the era of the action heroine.

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