Jackie Chan as a hard-assed American cop, a naked Chinese guy who thinks he's invisible, Lam Ching Ying as the strictest butler in the world and a multi-car pile-up to rival Grand Theft Auto are the ingredients of this comedy yarn from Hong Kong, shot in the streets with that raw low-budget look. In fact the title is misleading when packaged as a Jackie Chan film, as the superstar only appears in a minor supporting role with about twenty minutes of screen time. The rest of the movie really belongs to Sammo Hung (once again flexing his directing muscles) and the rest of the five-strong team of leads, all of whom are given equal screen time as criminals-turned-cleaners who find themselves up against some serious muscle when they decide to rob a guy working for a local crime boss.

At first, I thought this film wasn't up to much, and was a little disappointed by the first hour which stresses comedy over martial arts action. In fact, there's only one major fight scene, in a fast-food restaurant, that I can think of. Instead the film slows down and takes time out to introduce the leading characters and put them through many comedic situations, most leaning towards the slapstick end of the genre and appealing to the low-brow crowd. At around the hour mark, suddenly the film kicks into gear with a major chase (on roller-skates, no less!) and then doesn't let up until the exciting finale, expertly mixing laughs with thrills into another winning combination that left me smiling at the end of it all.

As for Jackie Chan, his main contribution is participating in the roller-skating chase, where he performs some of his usual dangerous stunts (jumping over cars and sliding literally between the wheels of a speeding truck) to the awe of the watching viewer. The major thing that sticks in my mind about the film is this chase scene which is top-notch stuff, climaxing in a slow-mo car pile-up packed with fantastic stunts of cars flipping and flying through the air, all captured lovingly on camera.

Central performances from the leads are good, and mostly played for laughs (understandable when the character names are 'Teapot', 'Exhaust Pipe', and 'Vaseline'); in fact all of the five actors as an ensemble are excellent and have some great comedic interplay which keeps the film going through the slower moments. Sammo Hung is underused, but gets some great martial arts action at the finale, set in a warehouse, where he takes on dozens of villains (including veteran James Tien) and the like. Although the film is frequently silly, it's also innocent and the comedy is likable, with fast-paced humour and jokes that don't outstay their welcome, although the long-running "invisible" situation is a goodie. Fun, unserious, forgettable but entertaining laughs and thrills from our Chinese friends.

This Hong Kong movie was one of my favorites from my childhood and still remains a definite must for pure entertainment after all these years. It features an all-star cast, including Sammo Hung, Richard Ng, John Sham, Stanley Fung and Charlie Chin, who star as five reformed criminals that open up a cleaning business. While on the job, they are caught in the middle of a deal-gone-bad between rival triad gangs bent on controlling the counterfeit currency market. Soon, they find themselves having to deal with these bad guys and bring them to justice.

The main plot is loosely tied together and not very solid; however, what you get throughout the movie in addition to the main counterfeit currency plot is interesting subplots one after the other, from the five friends' hilarious trip at an outdoor market to Exhaust Pipe's (Richard Ng) embarrassing attempt at being invisible, and from CID 07's (Jackie Chan) pursuit of two petty thieves to the massive car pile-up you would ever see on screen.

It's nonstop laughs and gags from start to finish, with a good helping of Kung-Fu action, especially during the well-choreographed and funny ballroom showdown at Jack Tar's (James Tien) mansion, and excellent acting by all the actors involved. In addition to the starring roles of the five friends and the co-starring role of Jackie Chan, you also get a wide range of cameo appearances from Yuen Biao, Moon Lee, Lam Ching-Ying, Wu Ma and the team of stunt-men who appear on screen from Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan's team. And, the beautiful Cherie Chung starring as the female lead is definitely a treat.

Any fan of Hong Kong movies would appreciate the action and HK humor this movie has to offer. It's a great good guy vs. bad guy story that all would find very entertaining.

Grade A

More comedy than kung fu, Winners and Sinners is a crazy Hong Kong caper that follows the antics of a bunch of likable ex-convicts as they become unknowing recipients of a briefcase of missing counterfeit money and some printing plates—items much sought after by two gangs of criminals.

The first in the 'Lucky Stars' movies, this good-natured and silly comedy succeeds in being very entertaining (despite not really being THAT funny) largely thanks to its charismatic cast. Sammo Hung, Richard Ng, Charlie Chin, Jackie Chan, Shui-Fan Fung, John Sham and (token beauty) Cherie Chung all have starring roles, and even Yuen Baio and Lam Ching Ying pop up in cameos.

Of course, how funny you find this film will depend entirely on your sense of humour (let's say that the laughs are not that sophisticated); the quality of the action, however, cannot be disputed.

Jackie has only a couple of brief fight scenes, but truly shines during a roller skating sequence in which he performs some amazing stunts—first partaking in a competition, and then pursuing a couple of thieves. And if you're not gob-smacked when he skates under a moving lorry and then causes a multiple pile-up, then you should give up watching films altogether.

This being a Sammo Hung film, however, it is the portly one that takes centre stage when the real fighting begins, and fans of his work will not be disappointed. I always find Sammo incredible when he lets feet and fists fly, and in the warehouse-set finale, he delivers some amazing moves. Even if Hong Kong humour is not your cup of tea, Winners and Sinners is worth watching for the end battle alone.