| Michael Hui did three films at Shaw Brother's for director Li Han-Hsiang and he instantly proved to be box-office draw in his feature film debut, The Warlord. For his feature film directing debut, this time at Golden Harvest, Michael brought in his brother Sam to co-star and the rest is Hong Kong comedy cinema history. Games Gamblers Play not only was a successful Cantonese language film (Mandarin cinema dominated at this time) but the start of a series of box-office successes for the Hui brothers (Ricky began participating more and more as the years rolled on and he has a cameo in this film). For newcomers and fans of the Hui's, Games Gamblers Play is uneven though. While Michael's terrific reacting is on display, the comedy isn't as frequently hilarious as later films. Just like Cat III has flashback structure for most of its efforts, Michael Hui's films have very little plot. They're more episodic in approach and that is a criticism even if The Private Eyes is a classic despite the thin story. By the time The Private Eyes was made, he had found his flow and the knowledge of how to fill the entire running time with consistent gags though. Games Gamblers Play is a must for the fans but not the one you want to start with. Sam Hui's theme song is wonderful and repeatedly is heard in different versions during the film. |
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