Plot: Muscles (Jackie Chan) and Ricky (Yuen Biao) are two Hong Kong policemen sent to Japan to extradite a cop turned criminal (Lam Ching Ying). When the seemingly simple job goes wrong the criminal escapes and Ricky is taken hostage by the gang helping their quarry. Muscles is left with no way to get close to the gang without being recognised and Ricky killed. A plan is hatched to use the old orphanage buddies of Muscles to help bring the criminals to justice and free Ricky. The orphanage buddies are Kidstuff (Sammo Hung), Sandy (Richard Ng), Rawhide (Stanly Fung), Roundhead (Eric Tsang) and Herb (Charlie Chin). They are not keen to help, but after some underhand blackmailing by the Police Superintendent (Walter Tso) and also being introduced to the attractive Inspector Woo (Sibelle Hu) who will go with them, the boys all agree to help. With a bag full of money and no sensible plan of action the friends and policewoman head for Japan. Will the gang of misfits be able to help, or are they going to be even more trouble for Muscles to deal with?
Review: This action comedy with a pleasant lean towards the comedy is a follow up to the very enjoyable “Winners & Sinners”. Our five leading characters now have an official name in the title, but there have been a few changes since the last outing. Sammo’s character is stronger here, acting as more of a leader to the group. We also have Eric Tsang added to the cast, replacing John Shum, but in a completely different role. In fact it is Eric Tsang’s “Roundhead” character who is now the main foil of the jokes due to his extreme stupidity. Stanly Fung is one of the boys again after the surprise revelation in “Winners & Sinners“ while Charlie Chin returns playing the womanising smoothie. Richard Ng as the completely insane “Sandy” completes the motley crew. As a change from trying to make himself invisible, this time around he has become obsessed with the possibilities of mind control. The scene where he tries to drive the car without the use of his hands is just one of many gags using his current obsession.
This film begins with an incredible action sequence that incorporates a car chase with some breathtaking stunts, followed by a foot chase and a frantic martial arts fight with some well armed Ninjas at a fairground. Actually filmed in Tokyo we have the snow capped Mount Fuji nicely framed in the background. This opening sees Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao as two policemen failing to get their man, setting up the premise to bring Sammo and the rest of the Lucky Stars into the proceedings. From this point on the film slips into comedy mode, and pretty much stays there for the next forty five minutes. We are re-introduced to the inept law breakers as they go about their various crimes. In these scenes we get an amusing cameo from tough guy Bolo Yeung, and James Tien also appears as a prison officer.
I would have to admit that the comedy this time around is not always as sharp as in the previous outing, but there is still plenty to enjoy. Sibelle Hu gets to be the object of the five men’s lustful attentions and juvenile pranks. The best of which has them contriving to be tied to her during a robbery, but this wears a bit thin after the third has taken his turn. For a police woman she does not appear to be very intelligent. I must confess to enjoying the scene when the Lucky Stars have a communication problem with a Japanese waiter so they have to mime their food choices. Eric Tsang’s meal is particularly amusing when it arrives. The five animal styles of fighting used by the Lucky Stars also manages to amuse, especially Richard Ng’s comical Snake Fist, with his tongue darting as he fights, while Eric Tsang’s bomb technique is something I haven’t seen before, but where this film really excels is the fight choreography. Along with Sammo Hung we have no fewer than four helping with the action. With names like Yuen Biao, Lam Ching Ying, Yuen Wah and Billy Chan all doing their part to help, it is no wonder this film was nominated for the best action at the Annual Hong Kong Film Awards the year of its release.
Jackie Chan once again spends a considerable amount of time off screen but he does get a lot more action in this outing. The sequence when he is being attacked by assassins as he is going through the Funhouse to get into the villains lair is entertaining and truly original. One of my favourite images from the film is when he enters the inverted room. Sammo initially filming this sequence upside down to disorientate the viewer, then, as the camera spins the correct way around you realise exactly what you are watching. A nice touch, and something unexpected in a film of this genre. Seeing Jackie fighting side by side with Sammo always manages to bring a smile to my face and for fans of The Three Brothers we even get Yuen Biao thrown into the action mix. The all action finale sees Jackie fight Dick Wei while Sammo fights Lau Kar Wing and Yuen Biao fights Lam Ching Ying. Each contest manages to have some great moments of timing and dexterity, displaying both physical skill and ingenuity of movement. Exactly why I enjoy these films to begin with. We also get to see Sibelle Hu and Michiko Nishiwaka in an all female fight interspersed with the guys fighting. Look out too for blink and you’ll miss them appearances by Chin Kar Lok and Yuen Wah during the last twenty minutes.
I think I would have to class this as my personal favorite of the Lucky Stars series, though each film in the series has some great moments. The comedy to action mix is as perfect as you can get and it certainly contains some of the best action sequences of the series. The characters are well developed so we know what to expect before it even starts. I’d go as far as saying this is almost worth making the effort to see just for the “one punch” joke. This is as good as eighties Hong Kong cinema gets. Exciting, fun and without doubt another shining jewel in Sammo Hung’s crown.
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