My Lucky Stars is one of those Kung Fu films that western audiences are unfamiliar with. There have been serious hard-hitting martial arts flicks; namely Enter the Dragon, Police Story and yet there are also comedy based Kung Fu movies, such as 'My Lucky Stars', the sequel to 'Lucky Stars: Winners and Sinners'. It combines slap stick comedy with martial arts action, though the humour isn't exactly as silly as that of Kung Pow or Beverly Hills Ninja. It is Hong Kong Chinese humour but with a touch of Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy and Marx Bros thrown in for good measure.
The film is mostly set in Japan and there is a lot of Japanese being spoken, although this is still a Hong Kong production. Jackie Chan plays a cop and he and Yuen- the other cop are on a mission to Japan to get hold of a former cop turned thief. When Yuen's character is captured, Chan enlists the help of his friends to rescue Yuen and to recapture the diamonds. Joining the guys is a female cop named Barbera, who apparently takes no prisoners and puts up a decent fight.
Most of the scenes feature lesser known names such as Sammo Hung- who later on went to make his US TV debut in the CBS show, Martial Law-, Yuen Biao and Hong Kong comedy actors, Eric Tsang, Richard Ng and Charlie Chin, who are well known faces on Hong Kong television, all interacting with one another and making silly banter.
Depending on how receptive you are of the humour, it can take a while getting used to; being Chinese and with Cantonese as my dialect, I understand it better than I do speaking it myself and so I had no difficulties adapting and assimilating to it. Yes it is different but the quicker you get used to it, the more you'll enjoy this movie. It is funny in places and the fight sequences as ever, are excellent.
One of the highlights of the film is the battle between the two Chinese and Japanese female characters; it is brilliant to watch and a complete contrast to see women squaring off each other in unarmed combat; not like Police Story where the females such as Maggie Q gets seven shades knocked out of them by the villains.
Despite Jackie Chan's appearance being relatively limited in contrast to the other cast members, this doesn't dampen the film's interest. The other characters all play their part; thus for once, Jackie doesn't dominate this movie, as he does with his other efforts.
I think that it's a tad shame though that the Hong Kong film industry, thanks to the likes of Raymond Chow and Leonard Ho, no longer churn out these types of movies. The Kung Fu genre began in the 70s with Bruce Lee, continued with Jackie Chan in the 80s and then eventually it died by the 90s, after the efforts of Jet Li and Stephen Chow, only to be replaced by the likes of Hollywood blockbusters, The Matrix and China's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Hero. Chinese cinema, well make that Far Eastern cinema's reputation, laid bare the foundations of Hong Kong film making and it was a reputation that was once lauded by many as one of the very best that ranked alongside the US and Hollywood.
'My Lucky Stars' is one of Chan's under rated hits- which spanned a follow-up titled: 'Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars', released in the same year as its predecessor, and yet if you want to see him in a comedy- based role, then you can do no wrong with this effort. I enjoyed it very much and if you're a fan of his, then so will you. Highly recommended
The film is mostly set in Japan and there is a lot of Japanese being spoken, although this is still a Hong Kong production. Jackie Chan plays a cop and he and Yuen- the other cop are on a mission to Japan to get hold of a former cop turned thief. When Yuen's character is captured, Chan enlists the help of his friends to rescue Yuen and to recapture the diamonds. Joining the guys is a female cop named Barbera, who apparently takes no prisoners and puts up a decent fight.
Most of the scenes feature lesser known names such as Sammo Hung- who later on went to make his US TV debut in the CBS show, Martial Law-, Yuen Biao and Hong Kong comedy actors, Eric Tsang, Richard Ng and Charlie Chin, who are well known faces on Hong Kong television, all interacting with one another and making silly banter.
Depending on how receptive you are of the humour, it can take a while getting used to; being Chinese and with Cantonese as my dialect, I understand it better than I do speaking it myself and so I had no difficulties adapting and assimilating to it. Yes it is different but the quicker you get used to it, the more you'll enjoy this movie. It is funny in places and the fight sequences as ever, are excellent.
One of the highlights of the film is the battle between the two Chinese and Japanese female characters; it is brilliant to watch and a complete contrast to see women squaring off each other in unarmed combat; not like Police Story where the females such as Maggie Q gets seven shades knocked out of them by the villains.
Despite Jackie Chan's appearance being relatively limited in contrast to the other cast members, this doesn't dampen the film's interest. The other characters all play their part; thus for once, Jackie doesn't dominate this movie, as he does with his other efforts.
I think that it's a tad shame though that the Hong Kong film industry, thanks to the likes of Raymond Chow and Leonard Ho, no longer churn out these types of movies. The Kung Fu genre began in the 70s with Bruce Lee, continued with Jackie Chan in the 80s and then eventually it died by the 90s, after the efforts of Jet Li and Stephen Chow, only to be replaced by the likes of Hollywood blockbusters, The Matrix and China's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Hero. Chinese cinema, well make that Far Eastern cinema's reputation, laid bare the foundations of Hong Kong film making and it was a reputation that was once lauded by many as one of the very best that ranked alongside the US and Hollywood.
'My Lucky Stars' is one of Chan's under rated hits- which spanned a follow-up titled: 'Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars', released in the same year as its predecessor, and yet if you want to see him in a comedy- based role, then you can do no wrong with this effort. I enjoyed it very much and if you're a fan of his, then so will you. Highly recommended