They Call Her…Cleopatra Wong (1978)

Bobby A. Suarez isn’t mentioned in the same breath as other genre directors, but if I have anything to say about it, that’s going to change. The One-Armed Executioner, two Bionic Boy films, Warrior of the Apocalypse — the guy has made some interesting films. Perhaps none as wonderuflly odd as this one — which somehow synthesizes the best parts of James Bond, martial arts films and the sheer insanity that is at the heart of all great movies from the Phillipines.

Cleopatra Wong (Marrie Lee, who also played the same role in two more films) is an Interpol agent who is a master of martial arts, archery and shooting guns. She’s ambushed by three clowns and escapes with a teleportation device — yes, Cleopatra’s world is much stranger than outs — and regroups.

Soon, she’s on the trail of a counterfeiting plot, which means that she must battle pro wrestlers and sniff out the fake money in jars of strawberry jam headed for Hong Kong. This all brings her to a strawberry plantation, where she assembles a team of four other female agents known as The Super Sirens to battle evil nuns and monks.

This movie is everything that I love in one package: fisticuffs, spy action and craziness. If it had a black gloved killer and better fashion, it might be the best movie ever made. You can watch it on Amazon Prime.

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