A crazy spoof movie from Hong Kong, taking a Louis Cha novel and using it to go way over the top in its satire of the Hong Kong wuxia genre from the 1960s onwards. Apparently shot while on a break from ASHES OF TIME, this features an all-star cast in a cheaply-shot and quickly-made fantasy story which adopts a scattershot approach that won't be for all tastes. All becomes apparent when you realise this quirky comedy was a Chinese New Year celebration film. Various characters come together in a battle against evil royal usurper Tony Leung: there's Leslie Cheung as the goofy hero, Brigitte Lin as the princess he loves, the other Tony Leung as a weird monkish figure, and finally the great Jacky Cheung as a kung fu-fighting hobo. The OTT action scenes are a hoot, employing madcap choreography by one Sammo Hung, and the special effects are a real wonder (!),but the gurning, grinning, over the top portrayals of some of the cast were just too much for me to handle at times.

There are comedies out there that are so out-of-this-world and wild that you would have fun with, but they at least have somewhat of a plot or story that you can follow. This film is such a fantasy mess with childish acting and a script that goes no where that I couldn't find myself to finish it.

Never mind that this film features a prominent Hong Kong cinema cast, including Leslie Cheung, Carina Lau, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung and Veronica Yip. It's such a nonsensical and dumb movie that you would find even Saturday morning cartoons have more meaning than this.

Do yourself a favor and stay away from this movie! There are a lot of better stuff from Hong Kong cinema.

Grade F

This comedy from Jeffrey Lau is supposed to be a parody of Louis Cha's novel. When it comes to the plot, it's impossible to synopsize, but that's not a problem, because it's really about people acting in silly fashions, mockery of normative and romantic sexual relationships, and Sammo Hung's comedic fight choreography. A lot of it seems to be modeled on the Three Stooges.

There are comedies in which no one does anything funny. It's simply that things turn out well, according to the classical distinction between Comus and Momus. Then there are a lot of comedies in which people do lots of funny stuff, until someone says "This is all well and good, but we're ignoring the story." So they stop being funny to show us how things turn out well according to the classical distinctions between etc. and the change in tone makes me yawn. The boy gets the girl? Well, I'm glad you told me. Sorry I nodded off there.

This movie works at keeping you laughing through the end. Some of the boys get some of the girls and some of the boys get the boys in the next life, when it will be all right, and some of the boys get to go to Heaven, even if they don't get the girls, so that's all right too. And the baddies get their butts kicked. Is it a well told tale? No. But it was funny through the end.