Years before Stephen Chow became a full time film director
stepping out from in front of the camera to behind it, making his international
breakthrough with the films Shaolin Soccer followed by Kung Fu Hustle,
the former slapstick comedian martial artist actor broke Hong Kong box office
records initially with the comedy films All for the Winner and Fight
Back to School. A prolific action-comedy
movie star who began his career in 1987 before working his way up through the Fist
of Fury and God of Gamblers films.
Around this productive timeframe, the actor featured in none other than
his recurring creative collaborator Gordon Chan’s 1992 martial arts dramedy King
of Beggars. From the man who directed
Fight Back to School and the Royal Tramp films, King of
Beggars officially makes its stateside Blu-ray disc debut outside of Asia
in a new 2K restored collector’s set from Eureka Entertainment in one of the
most satisfying and thoroughly entertaining action comedies with some heavy
heart string tugging afoot too.
During the Qing dynasty, So Chan (Stephen Chow), a beloved character
played over the years by everyone from Yuen Siu-tien, Lau Kar-leung, Philip Kwok,
Chow Yun-fat and Gordon Liu, is a skilled martial artist who also suffers from
arrogance after being spoiled rotten by his rich parents. After bumping into another beggar on the
street, he happens upon a young prostitute named Yu Sheung (Sharla Cheung) whom
he falls in love with upon first sight.
Hoping to marry her, she gives him an ultimatum that he must enter into
and win in an upcoming martial arts tournament.
However, despite winning the competition, it backfires when it arises he
cheated on the literacy entrance exam, spurning the wrath of an enraged
emperor. Meanwhile scheming government
officials spearheaded by the nefarious Chiu Mo-gei (Norman Chiu) who has ideas
of his own for overthrowing the government later single out the well to do So
Chan. Condemned by authorities to spend
the rest of his days wandering the alleys of Hong Kong begging for food or
money and often beaten into submission, So Chan’s existence seems grim and
hopeless when another fellow beggar he bumps into on the street whips him into
martial arts shape with the Sleeping Arhat Skill where he seemingly lays down
to sleep but in so doing winds up out maneuvering his opponents.
Stephen Chow’s screen presence and comic
energy is wonderfully compelling, so we feel it when he falls onto hard times
including some particularly degrading endurances that were a little hard to see
our beloved hero stoop to. Sharla Cheung
initially exudes sass and struts her stuff but over time seeing what’s become
of So Chan her own sense of compassion becomes overflowing. Norman Chiu especially makes the film’s
bloodless yet cunning antagonist a superhuman and near indefatigable opponent,
as close to a human character in a film has come to having scales.
At once funny and
compelling for its mixture of comedy and drama including seeing Chow go through
the gamut of being forcibly humbled into begging before reemerging as a
formidable fighter, though King of Beggars is far from the So Chan film
it is absolutely one of the most enjoyable and entertaining. Eureka Entertainment’s disc as always comes
stacked with extras including a running audio commentary with Frank Djeng and a
newly filmed interview with director Gordon Chan as well as a limited-edition
slipcover. Fans as well as newcomers to
Stephen Chow will most certainly come away delighted by this one.
--Andrew Kotwicki