God Of Gamblers 3: Back To Shanghai: Viewer Comments

The best of the Stephen Chow/Wong Jing do hap collaborations, God of Gamblers 3 manages to compact Chow's trademark mo lei tau wordplay into a package boasting exciting action, a jovial cast, Back to the Future-style time travel predicaments, and hilarious physical comedy. However, knowledge of the storyline to the legendary Shanghai Beach (aka The Bund) TV series is required in order to get a lot of the jokes (most notably the casting of Ray Lui as Ding Lik, the same character he portrayed in the television series). Despite this obstacle, there is plenty on hand to enjoy in this entertaining production. Most significant is the presence of Mainland Chinese actress Gong Li, who turns in an uncharacteristically comedic performance as a pair of twin sisters. She and Chow have wonderful on-screen chemistry, and the two would reunite later on for Chow's 1993 vehicle, Flirting Scholar. In addition, the occasional fight sequences are well choreographed, the gambling scenes are ingenious, and there is a joyfully infectious musical number (dedicated to steamed buns, with the world's first McDonald's serving as the backdrop (?!)). Very much recommended.