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ALTERNATE SYNOPSIS:
International action superstar Jackie Chan heads a cast of Asian cinema idols, including "Martial Law" star Sammo Hung. Director Hung defines a whole new genre of Hong Kong action-comedy with this electric blend of fast-paced gags and fearless stunts. "Rush Hour" hero Jackie Chan plays an indomitable Hong Kong cop on the trail of a ruthless gang of counterfeiters. He finds himself teamed with an oddball group of ex-cons, led by Teapot (Sammo Hung), a rotund figure of fun who becomes a fatty of fury when angered. Standout action set pieces include a furious fistfight in a fast food joint, a breathtaking road race in which Chan tests his luck under a speeding truck and a final reel showdown that proves why Sammo is "the Orson Welles of action". A record-breaking smash in Hong Kong and Japan, "Winners And Sinners" combines the Far East's finest exponents of fights, stunts and madcap comedy in one frantic feature. |
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Despite his top billing, Jackie Chan plays only a small role in this movie, which is probably most notable as the first film where all of the "three brothers" (Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao) appeared on-screen together. Most of this movie is dominated by the antics of Ng, Sham, Tien, etc. as a group of dim-witted crooks who try to go legit after getting out of prison. Most of the comedy in this movie wasn't all that funny to me (too "kiddie" for my tastes), and with the three brothers in here (and Sammo at the helm), it felt like there should have been better action sequences and more of them. Winners and Sinners isn't horrible, it's just a bit anemic compared to some of Chan and Hung's other movies. It's worth a rental on a rainy day when you don't have anything else to do. | | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
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| When five criminals are brought to jail for various crimes, they decide to form a union when they are released. However, it is the chubby Teapot always doing the work. The group are taken in by Shirley, whose brother Curley was one of the five. Theyn decide to go legit by formaing a cleaning witness. Meanwhile, a CID agent goes into hapless misadventures. When a top mobster, Jack Tar, is released, he sets up a plan with a big boss to counterfeit money. When the briefcase with the molds is accidentally placed in the cleaning business van, the group become targets of both mob groups.
This marks the beginning of the famed Lucky Stars series, a series of films more concentrated on comedy than martial arts action. Of course with the inclusion of Jackie Chan in an extended and Yuen Biao in a small cameo, there is bound to be martial arts action. And there is plenty of it. The film also has some hilarious comedy, one scene involves comedian Ng naked in front of the group, believing that he is invisible. The film spawned 3 sequels, from 1985-1996. |
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| This is the first of the "Lucky Stars" movies. The Lucky Stars are a group of bumbling thieves that always seem to get themselves into trouble no matter how good their intentions are. Amidst all of their goofing around and skirt chasing they get their hands on a briefcase full of counterfeit money and printing plates. After being chased around by two different crime bosses, they manage to round everyone up and escape unscathed. Sammo once again plays the runt of the group who always gets teased and picked on, but he ends up with the girl at the end. Jackie Chan is a hot tempered cop on the trail of the thieves and he performs some truly amazing rollerskating stunts, including skating underneath a speeding semi-truck. Yuen Biao and Moon Lee sadly have the tiniest of cameos, but at least he and Jackie have an energetic exchange. There's also a small amount of delicious kung fu served up Sammo style, and one of the most outrageous car pile-ups ever captured on film. But, like the other Lucky Stars movies, it's mostly tiresome sit-com material. |
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| This is one of the funniest Hong Kong movies ever made. Although Jackie plays a secondary role, some of his stunts are incredible. In one scene, Jackie roller-skates from one car to another, beneath a moving truck on a crowded highway, which results in a 50-car accident.
QUICK TAKE:
Although Jackie Chan does not have a dominant role in this film, it is definitely worth seeing for one stunt alone: A car chase with Jackie Chan on roller skates. This scene is absolutely spectacular. The DVD is well worth the price just for seeing that unusual stunt alone. Aside from that scene, the rest of the movie is also very good and extremely funny. I thought Sammo Hung did a very good job. It's amazing how quick that guy is (considering his size at least). One of the funniest scenes involved a man who thinks he's invisible. Absolutely hilarious.
In terms of martial arts...
One of Jackie's "caper" films, featuring the "Three Amigos" (Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao), who are all opera-trained acrobats with (form) training in many styles. The martial arts in this film are comparable to the following films which all feature the "Three Amigos" in some capacity: My Lucky Stars, Dragons Forever, Wheels on Meals and Project A.
MARTIAL ARTS RATING 4/5 |
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