By the end of the first film, while carrying on his apprenticeship as an eunuch in the Palace, the quick-witted and cunning undercover agent for the Heaven and Earth Society, Wai Siu Bo (Stephen Chow) soon earned the trust of the Emperor, after foiling a couple of schemes by rivals who tried to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. Furthermore, the forever lusty Princess Jian Ning (Chingmy Yau) is more than keen to share her chamber with Wai, the “Duke of Deer Cauldron” the highest position which he finally achieved apart from fame and fortunes.
Buy This Title
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Essentially a straight follow-up to the first film, the plot thickens and continues with the Empress Dowager impersonator Lung Er (Sharla Cheung Man) returning to the Dragon Sect headquarters after blowing her over and expecting severe punishment. Her dying Master made her the new leader instead and after they had a dip in the blood pool, she regained her original looks (now played by Brigitte Lin) and became even stronger. Besides taking revenge on Wai, she has to assist Minster Wu San Gui and his son Wu Ying Hung (Kent Tong) in their process of getting rid of the Qing.
Meanwhile, back at the Palace, Emperor Hong Hei is arranging the marriage of his sister Princess Jian to Wu Ying Hung and Duke Wai has to assort her to the Wu's household. Remarkably, Wai himself manages to escape being assassinated by the one-armed Devine Nun's disciple, Li Ming Ko (Michelle Reis). Then his Master, Chan Kan Nam (Damian Lau) leader of the Heaven and Earth Society, Lung Er, new leader of the Dragon Sect plus one evil kung fu expert Fung Sek Fan (Yen Chi Kwan) who works for Minster Wu all turn up and poor Wai soon finds himself halfheartedly caught up in the struggle for power once again.
Even though this is basically a comedy wuxia, viewers will undeniably benefit more in understanding the nature of “Royal Tamp” if they are familiar with the first film, because the political related plot can get complicated at times. Stephen Chow is wonderfully cast as the cowardly nobody from a whore house who becomes a hero and a kung fu extraordinaire through pure luck and wits plus winning the hearts of many women besides acquiring personal wealth and positions. As usual, his gag delivery and timing is perfect besides sharing great screen chemistry with his costars. This is Chow's movie and he excelled in his “mo lei tau” or “nonsense talk” kind of comedy which the Asian audiences absolutely loved.
Equally amazing though a bit subdued as Lung Er of the Dragon Sect, Asian cinema beauty, Brigitte Lin still holds the viewers' attention with her unique screen presence be it flying in slow motion in flowing silks or just standing still. In one of the film's funniest scenes and a typical Wong Jing situation, after being poisoned by the “Lecherous Slut” potion, she has to sleep with a man before sunrise else she will die. What follows in a gigantic silk cocoon tent with her chosen lucky man Duke Wai was hilarious. In fact this is how Wai became a kung fu expert because during sex, he actually received eighty percent of Lung's kung fu skill. Although Lung is trying to get even with Wai for exposing her, the revenge part sort of got lost in the political background.
It is a pity that the lovely Chingmy Yau's has less screen time, her exuberant Princess Jian character from the previous film was funny, perky and memorable. Conversely, Natalis Chan has a much meatier role as the cowardly Duo Lung, but viewers not familiar with his tasteless routines might find him annoying. Still, there is a wonderful collection of Asian beauties to brighten up the screen briefly like Michelle Reis, Fennie Yuen and Vivian Chen. Yen Chi Kwan is amazing playing the ruthless and evil villain Fung Sek Fan who controls his disciples like puppets by sticking strings into their necks.
The multi-layered plot also gave action choreographer Ching Siu Tung the chance to shine with his impressive wire heavy and incredibly creative action sequences, in which he had the combatants flying, spinning in the air and performing all sorts of stances and maneuvers. Even though the flying sequences of Brigitte Lin dressed in white silk recall those of Joey Wong in “A Chinese Ghost Story”, they are still a visual treat. Nonetheless, the highlight is Wai fighting against Fung using needles and threads, very much like Brigitte Lin did in the “Swordsman” series.
Visually, “Royal Tramp 2” looks more lavish and colorful, especially the detailed costume worn by the Palace officers, and besides, it has a more engrossing storyline and the addition of Brigitte and other babes is certainly a big plus. Overall, this is an entertaining sequel even though the wacky comedy is still apparent; the presence of Chow and his “mo lei tau” is a guarantee of a good time.
