| Overview: | SIXTY MILLION DOLLAR MAN is a combination of Rodney Dangerfield's BACK TO SCHOOL (a low budget comedy which found cult success in the eighties) and a heavy dollop of Tarantino's PULP FICTION and Jim Carrey in THE MASK.
Chow plays Shing, whose father's massive wealth seems to buy him anything including friends who tag along quite prepared to put up with being the butt of all his pranks, hoping to profit from his uncontrollable spending. But Shing's problems start when he craves the attention of his beautiful classmate Sylvia and bets his friends that she will be his girlfriend within a week. However, money can't buy you everything.
In a last ditch effort, Shing sneaks into Sylvia's house, only to discover that she is actually the mistress of a mafia boss, Roberto, who is discussing a huge project with his confidantes. Shing is discovered, and the gang decide they must terminate him to protect their secrets. He escapes, pursued by the gang who will not rest until he is dead. His time is up when he attempts to drive off in a car laden with explosives, and he is left severely injured, with only his mouth, brain and penis intact!
He is brought back to life by a mad scientist at the college, who gives him a new body which looks perfectly normal from the outside but gives Shing superhuman abilities, enabling him to change parts of his body into different objects. Unfortunately the downside is that when he uses these skills he is limited as to what he can change into, being restricted to household objects like a toaster, a vacuum cleaner and a giant tube of toothpaste, which takes the film into another gear of hilarious visual gags.
Watching this film with a Chinese audience, I could instantly appreciate the continual one liners and visual comedy, and with Chow borrowing more from American movies the film will have a wider appeal to western audiences who will appreciate the cash-in gags. One whole scene taken from PULP FICTION sees Chow take on John Travolta's role, with Sylvia in an Uma Thurman wig. They re-enact the scene from the theme cafe, first entering a dance competition, then going back to her place with Chow about to have a very large needle inserted in his chest, but ending up with it between his legs. The visual effects when transforming, although not as good as those used in THE MASK, are ridiculously funny.
Like FROM BEIJING WITH LOVE, this is one of the few Chow films that could reach an international audience.
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