Behold, Wong Jing's directorial debut for Shaw Brothers... and it's as ridiculous as you'd expect a movie from Wong the schlockmeister to be.
Wong Yue, the Shaws' response to Jimmy Wang Yu jumping ship from the studios, shows up in a modern-day film for once, as a slacker detective, Inspector Kwan, in 1980s Hong Kong. Investigating a series of murders, Wong ends up working alongside Master Thief and modern-day Robin Hood, Shi Ka-Lok (Patrick Tse) to take down a Yakuza leader (Chen Kuan-tai) and his army of ninjas (led by Michael Chan).
What ensues is a series of ridiculous gags involving mahjong-playing robots (who cheats at games), jousting on jetpacks, yoyo-vs-nunchuck battles, freezing chamber of deaths, and stuff that barely makes sense, cobbled together in one incoherent (but still tolerably entertaining) mess of a film.
Incidentally, the film is released the same year as Aces Go Places. No surprise there, is it?
Winner Tropes All:
- Absurdly High-Stakes Game: The Mahjong game at Miyamoto's parlour where Kwan and Shi faces off against a rival Yakuza gambler... and Miyamoto's robot henchman. As soon as the game begins, all four of them are strapped to their seats, and a set of spinning blades desceneds from the ceiling, getting closer to each losers' heads after each round. Whomever lose the final round gets scalped. Spoiler: It’s the robot.
- Affectionate Parody: Of spy capers and heist films.
- Booby Trap: The vault in Miyamoto’s mansion is filled with these, from floor traps to electrified panels and robot probes.
- Do-Anything Robot: Miyamoto's robot is an expert mahjong player. Yes, for real.
- Gentleman Thief: Shi Ka-Lok is an honourable master thief who envisions himself as a modern-day Robin Hood.
- Gratuitous Ninja: The Yiho clan have ninja mercenaries serving as thieves and assassins. Makes sense since they're the Yakuza.
- The Ground Is Lava: The finale has Inspector Kwan and Shi Ka-Lok forming an Enemy Mine to infiltrate a yakuza vault, where they can only cross by jumping from one suspended platform to another due to the floor being high-voltage panels. But while they're partway through, they're ambushed by the Yakuza's lead assassin leading to an intense fight atop panels while trying not to fall on the ground.
- The Heist: Inspector Kwan Yuan Cheung and Shi Ka-Lok's attempt to break into Miyamoto's vault. Loaded with electrified floor panels, hovering drones, and all kind of traps.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Miyamoto have a personal freezing chamber that he used for disposing his failed underlings by turning them to Human Popsicle. In the final battle, Inspector Kwan and Shi Ka-Lok ends up throwing Miyamoto into said chamber, which is set to activate by motion sensor, freezing Miyamoto into a solid block.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Miki's fate at the end of the Air Jousting duel. But since he's on jetpacks, he remains afloat with a pole shoved through his guts in mid-air.
- Jet Pack: Inspector Kwan and Ka-Lok attempts to infiltrate the Yiho Clan's vault by using jetpacks to float over the electrified floor panels. But alas, the Yiho assassin, Miki, is waiting for them with his own jetpack. Cue Air Jousting duel.
- Killer Yoyo: Kwan vs. the ninjas near the finale. The ninjas are armed, so Kwan whips out a pair of yo-yos and wipes out all the ninjas in one fight scene. There's even a moment where the ninja leader who uses dual nunchucks goes into a weapon-posing contest with Kwan before fighting him.
- Overly Long Gag: After the mahjong scene, Inspector Kwan accidentally drank from a champagne glass spiked with laxatives planted by Miyamoto's men, and ends up stumbling all over the place to look for a toilet to do his business... which lasts for 3 minutes onscreen.
- R-Rated Opening: The film opens with the Yiho clan ninjas ambushing a studio in the middle of a photoshoot, killing security guards and staff, including unarmed civilians like the photographer and two lady models. The rest of the film however is a silly screwball mo lei tau comedy and nowhere as violent or graphic.
- Something about a Rose: The calling card of Shi Ka-Lok, and the rose MacGuffin in Miyamoto’s vault which Shi Ka-Lok and Inspector Kwan have to retrieve.
- Tin-Can Robot: Miyamoto's Robot Buddy during the Absurdly High-Stakes Game of Mahjong, where the loser gets decapitated by a descending blade. Miyamoto reveals that he's letting his robot assistant (who is programmed with the brains of six different mahjong champions) to play in his stead. No, the movie doesn't really make any sense.
- Wall Crawl: In the opening scene, the Yiho clan ninjas are capable of running alongside walls while evading fire from security guards. The surprised guards can barely respond enough before they end up being cut down by the ninjas.
- Yakuza: The Yiho clan which serves as the film's main villains, led by their boss Miyamoto, and having a personal assassin Miki.
