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| In The Sixty Million Dollar Man, Chow plays his usual ne'er-do-well spolied brat, who is attending college in Hawaii and gets away with all sorts of hijinks because his father is the director of the school. After he has a rendezvous with the wife (Paulyn Sun) of a Yakuza boss (Cheng Cho), he is shredded to pices by a bomb. A mad scientist (Elvis Tsui) manages to save Chow's brain and creates a new body that has the abilty to morph into anything, that is, if they're household objects. Chow uses his new abilities to try and tame a school full of unruly kids and woo the woman of his dreams (Gigi Leung) in the process, all the while staying a step ahead of the Yakuza who have returned to finish the job.
Even though he is considered box office gold, Stephen Chow has not been immune to some clunkers, and The Sixty Million Dollar Man is one of them. It's not a horrible movie by any means -- there are some very funny bits during the proceedings -- and the picture's HK$35 million box office take would be envied by many Hong Kong film-makers. It's just that it lacks that certain spark of inventiveness and manic energy that marks Chow's best work.
Most of the comedy in The Sixty Million Dollar Man just seems forced. There are a few sequences which come off a just plain derivative instead of the parody the film-makers were supposedly going for. Of particular note is a long scene where Chow plays off Jim Carrey's The Mask. Even though Jim Carrey is a talented comedic actor, The Mask worked more because of the special effects rather than Carrey's trademark "rubber face". The problem with The Sixty Million Dollar Man is that the special effects, for lack of a better work, suck. I realize that this is a ten-year-old Hong Kong movie, but to call some of the special effects here "amateurish" would be an understatement. With the lack of quality effects, a lot of the scenes (including a Terminator 2 bit) come off as cheap imitations. Even the parts (such as a Pulp Fiction take-off) that don't depend on special effects come off feeling flat.
Still, The Sixty Million Dollar Man does offer a few good laughs during its' running time (mostly with Chow's interactions with his long-running sidekick, Ng Man-Tat), and fans of Stephen Chow should enjoy the proceedings. But, ultimately, The Sixty Million Dollar Man lacks the spit-and-polish (or just outright chutzpah) that Chow's stronger work demonstrates, and it's for that reason that this reviewer marks it as a stunningly average entry in what has for the most part been one of the stongest outputs from a Hong Kong actor over the past twenty years. |
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| | | | ALTERNATE SYNOPSIS:
Shing (Stephen Chow) was from a rich family and studied abroad, but he was so spoiled that he could never concentrate in his study instead he spent most of his time flirting with girls. One day, he met Slivia, a secret lover of a gang and gang bombed Shing for revenge. Shing was severely injured and the remaining part of Shing's body that still function were (a) the mouth, (b) the brain and (c) the penis. The doctor proposed to Lee about the "Sixty Million Dollar Man" plan... | | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
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| Shing is a rich college student in Hawaii who everyone somewhat fears because his father is the director of the school, or so we think. When Professor Chung arrives to give a lecture on artificial human organs, he learns of Shing's reputation. The only one who doesn't respect him is Chung's niece, Chung Chung. One night, the new next door neighbor, Bonnie, arrives at Shing's house. The two go on a date, only to be caught by her husband, the leader of the Yakuza. When the husband leaves to find out that someone in the group betrayed him, Shing apparently had a drug overdose and ends up at Bonnie's house. When he awakes, he accidentally witnesses a murder. Worse yet, he learns that his father is really his servant, Tat. When Shing's "father" Lee leaves on business, the Yakuza set a bomb for Shing and Tat. Tat is protected by of all things, a toilet, while Shing is dead. However, Professor Chung learns that the artifical organs are made and Shing can be rebuilt. Only one catch: It costs 60 million dollars. Chung only does the job for 6,000. However, Shing must fake his death and move to Hong Kong. Two years pass, Shing becomes a teacher who is picked on every day, but Chung returns with a new chip that can transform Shing into anything possible, well, not everything. He gets his revenge on the Yakuza, the students, and he gets the girl, who is a prettier Chung Chung.
Once again, the hilarious Stephen Chow is at it again!!! This time, we have a spoof of both The Six Million Dollar Man and Inspector Gadget. Stephen Chow is one guy who always cracks me up. His use of forms is hysterical, including a giant toothpaste!!! The best had to be a giant toilet, where a lady was about to go to the bathroom on him!!!! Of his so-called "bionic" organs, he used a gardenhose for his private area!!!! Wondering why I'm writing all this in exclamations? Because it's so funny---that's if you like that kind of humor. If you like Stephen Chow, you gotta see this film!!! |
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| Cinema_Potato: Barely two months after Out of the Dark, Stephen Chow returns in Sixty Million Dollar Man (literally "Hundred Changing Star Person"). It may sound like just a "Six Million Dollar Man" pisstake adjusted for inflation, but being a Stephen Chow (actor)/ Wong Jing (director) film, it throws in allusions to all and sundry. This time the main targets are Pulp Fiction (a deliriously goofy take-off) and The Mask, as well as a very parochial reference in the final reel (who the heck is Mrs. Wong?).
The story? Let's see...Chow is a rich, obnoxious college student who gets blown to bits (punishment for defying a criminal, you see) as he commits the first decent act of his life. A mad scientist rebuilds him (with slightly cheaper parts) and he ends up as a teacher in Hong Kong's worst school. Things improve when he takes a pill enabling him to take on any form he wishes; a power he readily uses to bring his class under control and finally get around to romancing the dotty scientist's daughter. Then the criminal arrives with a tougher, meaner rebuilt thug in tow and the battle's on...
Hawaiian locations, clever and genuinely funny effects, heaps of Chow mugging (both alone and with perennial offsider Ng Man-Tat), and a decidedly sick sense of humour make Sixty Million Dollar Man one of the better ways of whiling away the time.
Sort of The Six Million Dollar Man meets Pulp Fiction and The Mask told by someone who's high on something. The imagination on show makes up for lapses in budget. (Rated M: nothing all that mature, but some tasteless gags and a bit of violence there) |
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