06-19-2025, 02:39 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-19-2025, 02:40 PM by Drunk Monk.)
This is a classic Sammo Hung flick back when he was deep in his Kung Fu horror comedy period. It's goofy with that pre-mo lei tau humor, and Sammo was a master of that genre. Plus he was just under 40 then, still in his fighting prime, and as always, gets the crap beaten out of his face yet delivers some spectacular fight sequences and fall stunts.
Sammo plays 3 roles here: a ne'redowell gambling son who is always running (or trying to run) scams, a stern yet loving father, and a dead grandfather with a hairy facial mole - the titular gambling ghost. The father reminds me of one of my Lam Kwoon Kung Fu brothers, something I'd never tell him because Sammo bears the brunt of many fat jokes here (this is true in almost every Sammo film - he owns his fatness). this was recommended by another Lam Kwoon brother, and he came to the same conclusion. I'm curious if the craneflies will arrive at the same conclusion if they ever watch this.
Also in the cast is Meng Hoi, who I frequently mistake for Yuen Biao, as son Sammo's accomplice. Nina Li Chi is the hottie, another scammer, and the wife of Jet Li IRL. There's several appearances by other noted actors in Sammo's circle - Wu Ma, Corey Yuen, Richard Ng, James Tien. The best cameo is from Mr. Vampire himself, Lam Ching-Ying, playing an exorcist because that's just what he does.
This film was in the wake of Chow Yun-Fat's God of Gamblers, and parodies that blockbuster on many levels. It takes a while to build up momentum with some sophomoric Hong Kong humor, but once it gets going, it's fairly amusing. The final fight is Sammo and Meng doing what they do best with some solid HK fight choreo. It's a big fight in a shipyard full of containers (always a good battleground) where everyone is coming for Sammo but he's got some cartoonish super powers lent to him by his grandfather's ghost including the ability to catch bazooka shells and throw them back at his attackers.
Good stuff. D00M recommended but only if you're familiar with the Kung Fu horror comedy genre already. If not, there are other films I'd recommend first.
Seen on YouTube here:
Sammo plays 3 roles here: a ne'redowell gambling son who is always running (or trying to run) scams, a stern yet loving father, and a dead grandfather with a hairy facial mole - the titular gambling ghost. The father reminds me of one of my Lam Kwoon Kung Fu brothers, something I'd never tell him because Sammo bears the brunt of many fat jokes here (this is true in almost every Sammo film - he owns his fatness). this was recommended by another Lam Kwoon brother, and he came to the same conclusion. I'm curious if the craneflies will arrive at the same conclusion if they ever watch this.
Also in the cast is Meng Hoi, who I frequently mistake for Yuen Biao, as son Sammo's accomplice. Nina Li Chi is the hottie, another scammer, and the wife of Jet Li IRL. There's several appearances by other noted actors in Sammo's circle - Wu Ma, Corey Yuen, Richard Ng, James Tien. The best cameo is from Mr. Vampire himself, Lam Ching-Ying, playing an exorcist because that's just what he does.
This film was in the wake of Chow Yun-Fat's God of Gamblers, and parodies that blockbuster on many levels. It takes a while to build up momentum with some sophomoric Hong Kong humor, but once it gets going, it's fairly amusing. The final fight is Sammo and Meng doing what they do best with some solid HK fight choreo. It's a big fight in a shipyard full of containers (always a good battleground) where everyone is coming for Sammo but he's got some cartoonish super powers lent to him by his grandfather's ghost including the ability to catch bazooka shells and throw them back at his attackers.
Good stuff. D00M recommended but only if you're familiar with the Kung Fu horror comedy genre already. If not, there are other films I'd recommend first.
Seen on YouTube here:
Shadow boxing the apocalypse