Casino Raiders: Quick Takes

Reportedly released just a few months before God Of Gamblers made the gambling genre take off in the late 90s, Casino Raiders has the upper hand because of a more consistent tone throughout. One that is unexpectedly dark coming from Wong Jing (who co-directed with Jimmy Heung). Character- and melodrama is certainly not handled with the grace and subtlety that's up there with the best of them but overall the directors manage to involve and have a likable pairing in Andy Lau & Alan Tam. The women, especially Rosamund Kwan, get less stellar development though (and less stellar treatment physically) but with Casino Raiders, after its well staged gambling finale, Wong Jing has excised a few dark demons and displayed the filmmaking skills that rarely are allowed to breathe. God Of Gamblers will always remain a more dear favourite to me because of Chow Yun-Fat but this effort deserves an honorable mention as well.