A hundred and eighty degrees from Tsui Hark's film of the previous year, the grimly realistic and uncompromisingly violent Don't Play with Fire, 1981's All the Wrong Clues is a cartoonish comedy-mystery-thriller set in the 1930s.

Starring Hong Kong singing stars George Lam and Teddy Robin Kwan as childhood buddies and rivals who have become, respectively, a police inspector and a private eye, the story follows their alternately bumbling and ingenious adventures in relation to a convoluted con game involving a big time gangster played by Karl Maka. Along the way there are slapstick shootouts, romantic foolishness, and twists to maintain interest. (Also, watch for the ubiquitous Hong Kong heavy Bolo Yeung as a thug in a barroom brawl.)

Ultimately frivolous, but fun and stylish enough to be worthwhile.

This film stars George Lam and Teddy Robin Kwan as a private investigator and a police detective, assigned to prevent a notorious gangster from taking money and stocks from an old millionaire. Along the way, they meet some off-the-wall characters like femme fatales and slapstick gangsters. Made in the style of film noir, the story is set in Hong Kong, circa 1930s-40s. Although the cinematography is good and gives you an old-Chicago-mobster like atmosphere, the story is pretty boring and acting is sub-par. Slapstick and childish humor from the supporting and extra characters try to help to make this into an enjoyable comedy, but, unfortunately, they didn't deliver an exciting movie. Therefore, I prefer to watch this film's sequel, the more funny and intriguing All The Wrong Spies, over this one.

Grade D-

ALL THE WRONG CLUES FOR THE RIGHT SOLUTION is another oddball movie from Tsui Hark, taking a break from his grim thrillers and outlandish martial arts fables to deliver an inane comedy that quickly loses steam after it opens. It's the kind of film which is mired in mindless rather than witty humour, with random jokes throughout. I'd say about half of them work but it's the other half that seem to go on interminably; when he's good, Eric Tsang is on fire, but here he's just an annoying dim-witted idiot.

The film is posited as a detective spoof but instead plays out as a gangster comedy, with everyone overacting and mugging for the limelight. Of the cast, I found George Lam a bit staid as the straight man lead, Karl Maka goofy as the baddie, and Teddy Robin Kwan a delight as the diminutive, butt-kicking chief inspector. Stick around for a bar brawl/custard pie fight featuring cameos from Bolo Yeung and John Sham, no less.