REVIEW:
This sort-of-sequel to From Beijing with Love finds Stephen Chow as a superspy in Ancient China. As Ling Ling Fat (008), Chow must protect the Emperor (Cheung Tat-Ming) from evil invaders from the Gum province. First they try to do in the Emperor by kidnapping him and stuffing him in an E.T. suit. Ling Ling Fat arrives to save the day, with help from some of his fancy inventiolns. Then the dastardly Gum guys change tactics: they present Gum Tso (Carman Lee), the most gorgeous prostitute in China to attempt a seduction of the Emperor. However, first they decide to take out Fat.
A huge hit in HK, this film is atypical Stephen Chow, which means it plods along aimlessly to hilarious effect. The new twist occurs with Chow's character, who is no longer an idiot-savant or a megalomaniac who fals from grace. This time out, Chow is simply a nice guy. Ling Ling Fat cares about his job, the emperor, the country, and most of all his loving wife (Carina Lau). Watch for references to other Chow films (From Beijing with Love and Out of the Dark get cited), and the opening bit (which spoofs classic wuxia characters) is drop-dead funny. While a bit uneven at times, the film still manages to cohere into one of Stephen Chow's best in quite a while. [REVIEWED BY KOZO 1996]
