Film Review: Kung Fu Mahjong (2005) by Wong Jing and Billy Chung

After Stephen Chow's amazing “Kung Fu Hustle” came out in late 2004 and became a massive hit, Wong Jing wasted no time and recruited its two favorite leads to have them repeating their roles in yet another gambling themed movie but with more kung fu mayhem thrown in. If that's not enough, he's shamelessly copying his own material from “God of Gamblers” (1989) which starred Chow Yun Fat and Andy Lau. Welcome to the world of movie recycling, the Wong Jing way.

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Anyhow, the story here is about a loser, the compulsive gambler Robert Chi Mo Sai, wonderfully played by the landlord from “Kung Fu Hustle” Yuen Wah. While running away from debt collectors one day, he takes shelter in a small restaurant run by Auntie Dorlina Fei (Yuen Qiu) where he encounters a very smart waiter Ah Wong (Roger Kwok Chun On) who's gifted with a photographic memory. Seeing this is a good opportunity to make money through playing mahjong by using him, he's keen to team up. Even though Auntie Fei is not happy with the consequence of him getting into gambling for a living, Wong eventually takes off with Robert.

Remarkably, this strange partnership seems to work wonders and they soon become celebrated in the mahjong circuit. But they also come into the attention of crime boss Tin Kar Ko (Wong Jing) who wants a slice of the action. In the meantime, Wong makes the grave mistake of getting involved in a love affair with Tin's mistress Cheryl (Theresa Fu) and gets beaten so badly that he loses his memory which reduces him to behave like a child Upon hearing about Wong's misfortune, Auntie Fei steps in to help out and with her unique “Mahjong Shock Therapy” she manages to nurse him back to his old self. Meanwhile, Tin is throwing a “King of Mahjong” competition and with the help of Chi, Wong is planning to take revenge on boss Tin while making a comeback simultaneously. 

As one can imagine, plot wise, Wong offers nothing new here and that goes for all the characters too, they're merely doing the same things as they did in previous movies. Furthermore, Roger Kwok is mimicking his role from his TV series “Square Pegs” in which he was the village idiot and of course Chow Yun Fat's character from “God of Gamblers” after he takes a beating to his head but without the chocolate this time. Attractive Cantopop singer Theresa Fu from the girl band “Cookies” is the eye candy and she seems to be having fun here nonetheless. Jade Leung, who plays the Queen of Gamblers, Phoenix Girl; is a delightful character who stands out.

Obviously, the main attraction here is again the pairing of Yuen Wah and Yuen Qiu, if you love them in “Kung Fu Hustle” you'll love them here right down to Auntie Fei's cigarette hanging from the corner of her mouth. Moreover, they are such a joy to watch, full of charisma with amazing screen chemistry and total cinema cool. One highlight has Yuen Qiu in the Bruce Lee lookalike yellow tracksuit while beating up a bunch of thugs and a male version of Gogo Yubari from Tarantino's “Kill Bill”. Of course the fun is seeing her beating up Yuen Wah's character Robert and the way they interact with each other.

Consequently, this movie profoundly highlights the game, particularly at the end during the King of Mahjong Competition. Viewers with some knowledge of mahjong will get more out of it while others will probably find it boring. Overall, this is no doubt a typical Wong Jing movie, there is some fun and laughs scatted around but it's still an unoriginal parody without much charm or wit. However, viewers who manage to watch till the last round of the tournament is played might even pick up a few tricks about winning at the game