My Lucky Stars, the sequel to hit HK comedy Winners and Sinners, is another huge serving of not-so-funny slapstick humour and irritatingly puerile hi-jinx from Sammo Hung and pals; nevertheless, its still worth persevering all of this silliness for the outstanding martial arts action sequences that bookend the film.
The movie opens in excellent style with kung fu cops Muscles (Jackie Chan) and Ricky (Yuen Baio) on the trail of Japanese gangsters. After an exciting car chase with an amazing jump over a transporter lorry, and a fight against ninjas in a theme park, Ricky is taken hostage by the gang. Afraid that he will be recognised if he attempts to rescue his partner, Muscles decides to enlist the help of his old orphanage pals, most of whom are now petty criminals.
There then follows a tedious hour or so of lame comedy, in which the reunited childhood friends play repetitive practical jokes on pretty cop Barbara Woo (Sibelle Hu) and generally act like immature morons. If you can make it past this laugh-less garbage without switching off, then your patience will be rewarded with a terrific finalé in which Chan fights a series of foes in a haunted house, Sammo and friends take on the nasty gangsters (including martial arts veteran Lam Ching Ying), and a memorable moment where Sibelle Hu has a scrap with a musclebound geisha, played by Michiko Nishiwaki.
Whilst I'd happily recommend My Lucky Stars to fervent fans of fight action (and of Chan in particular), those looking for a laugh might be advised to seek their entertainment elsewhere (unless, of course, they think that curly haired bus-drivers, jokes about rape, and silly song and dance routines are incredibly funny).
6.5 out of 10, but just not good enough for me to round my rating up to 7.
The movie opens in excellent style with kung fu cops Muscles (Jackie Chan) and Ricky (Yuen Baio) on the trail of Japanese gangsters. After an exciting car chase with an amazing jump over a transporter lorry, and a fight against ninjas in a theme park, Ricky is taken hostage by the gang. Afraid that he will be recognised if he attempts to rescue his partner, Muscles decides to enlist the help of his old orphanage pals, most of whom are now petty criminals.
There then follows a tedious hour or so of lame comedy, in which the reunited childhood friends play repetitive practical jokes on pretty cop Barbara Woo (Sibelle Hu) and generally act like immature morons. If you can make it past this laugh-less garbage without switching off, then your patience will be rewarded with a terrific finalé in which Chan fights a series of foes in a haunted house, Sammo and friends take on the nasty gangsters (including martial arts veteran Lam Ching Ying), and a memorable moment where Sibelle Hu has a scrap with a musclebound geisha, played by Michiko Nishiwaki.
Whilst I'd happily recommend My Lucky Stars to fervent fans of fight action (and of Chan in particular), those looking for a laugh might be advised to seek their entertainment elsewhere (unless, of course, they think that curly haired bus-drivers, jokes about rape, and silly song and dance routines are incredibly funny).
6.5 out of 10, but just not good enough for me to round my rating up to 7.