When the producers of Charlie's Angels needed someone to train the film's trio of starlets Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu in performing credible fighting moves, they called on Cheung-Yan Yuen, a veteran martial-arts instructor who, with his brother Yuen Wo-ping of Matrix fame, has helped shape the look of Hong Kong's action movies.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Giving the Angels Wings

The principal (Marcia Gay Harden) is being fired, and her faculty (Christina Hendricks, Blythe Danner, William Petersen, Lucy Liu, James Caan) look hollowed out and spent.

NEWYORKER: Not Child��s Play

Actors Cameron Diaz, Salma Hayek, John Krasinski, Forest Whitaker, Meg Ryan, Terrence Howard, Lucy Liu, Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale and Selena Gomez were among the stars joining in CNN's tribute to the top 10.

CNN: Heroes honored in Hollywood

Amid the overkill, there are scenes of a sudden and startling beauty, and the impotent ranks of teachers are played by a cast of surprising (if underused) power, including Marcia Gay Harden, Christina Hendricks, Blythe Danner, William Petersen, Lucy Liu, a tweedy Tim Blake Nelson, and, best of all, James Caan.

NEWYORKER: Movies

Lucy Liu, flinging her black hair around like a weapon, is the most imperious and beautiful of the three.

NEWYORKER: Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle