| We went into this film expecting a funny martial arts flick. What we got was a lot of laughs and just a few really nice fights. Nothing wrong with that, in fact, this film was one of the funniest we've seen in months.
Dean Shek Tin--who (to be totally honest) really annoyed us in "Odd Couple" and "Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog"--puts in another way-over-the-top physically comedic performance here, only somehow he's able to pull it off. We dare you to find one single frame of this film that shows Dean Shek Tin's face in a non-contorted state--impossible. Sammo, as the would-be Robin Hood, is amiable and lightning fast as always. His "strong fat guy" and Shek Tin's "weasely little guy" characters complement each other very nicely.
Along their travels they bump into assorted oddballs: Eric Tsang makes a small appearance as a flamboyantly-dressed gun-slinger (in one particularly hilarious scene when Sammo refuses to duel with Tsang because he believes him to be retarded, Shek Tin reassures Sammo that Tsang isn't retarded--despite his looks!); Lam Ching Ying makes a quick appearance in his underwear; and Wu Ma plays a bumbling ex-Robin Hood with eyebrow bows and a ridiculous curly mustache.
While there are several very nice fight scenes--vintage Sammo Hung material--the real joy of this film is its physical comedy. Some of the costumes alone had us on the floor. We recommend this film without hesitation to fans of Sammo and old school martial arts, as well as fans of Stephen Chow-type comedy. A very fun and memorable film. |