From Vegas To Macau
Wong Jing
The story: Master gambler Ken (Chow Yun Fat) is rumoured to be able to tell the value of a playing card just by touching it. He is roped in by the police to bust money-laundering mastermind Ko (Gao Hu). Ken in turn enlists Cool (Nicholas Tse) and his cousin Karl (Chapman To) for the scheme. It so happens that Cool’s half-brother Lionel (Philip Ng) is an undercover cop investigating Ko as well. When Cool’s father (Benz Hui) is harmed and Ken’s daughter Rainbow (Tong Fei) is captured, things get personal.

Gambling is part and parcel of Chinese New Year for many people – nothing like a little vice to spice up the occasion. And considering the popularity of gambling flicks in the past, it is a no-brainer to release one in time for the holiday.
Director Wong Jing and actor Chow Yun Fat previously teamed up for action comedy God Of Gamblers (1989). It was a huge success and spawned several sequels, spin-offs and comedies, including Stephen Chow’s All For The Winner (1990).
While this film reunites Wong and Chow and also features a familiar theme, it is not a God Of Gamblers sequel. Instead of world-famous gambler Ko Chun, Chow plays a character named Ken here, although he is once again a legendary figure.
Sequel or not, it does not matter very much as plot and continuity have never been Wong’s strong suit. The prolific but wildly uneven film-maker has helmed fare running the gamut from appalling – Treasure Inn (2011) – to entertaining – Treasure Hunt (2011). He is in decent form here, with a few tricks up his sleeve when it comes to the gags. There is the inane sight of Chapman To having two hairy circles on his chest to Nicholas Tse mouthing rude nonsense to keep Rainbow at bay.
The likeable cast keep one watching as well.
Of late, Chow has tended to appear in serious, dramatic fare, such as The Last Tycoon (2012) and Confucius (2010), but let us not forget that he is one of the best comic actors around, with delirious turns in movies past, such as The Diary Of A Big Man (1988) and Let The Bullets Fly (2010). He gets to have some fun as Ken and gamely throws himself into the role, be it trading Cantonese couplets in song or holding court at the gambling table.
And it has to be said that even though you know it is all accomplished with sleight-of-hand editing and computer effects, it remains mesmerising to watch cards being shuffled and mahjong tiles being manipulated as the masters reveal their winning hands with a flourish. Wong even pokes fun at the cliched set-up with some unusual, and funny, winning hands.
Throw in truth serum, an artificial eyeball containing crucial evidence, disguises and some green-screen trickery for an important football match, and there is more than enough here to keep the movie moving along.
And in the tradition of Chinese New Year flicks, there is a festive greeting right at the end, as well as an unexpected cameo.
If you are looking for a bit of silly fun for the festive season, the odds are, this could be just the ticket.
(ST)