God of Gamblers Return
Chow Yun Fat returns in his role as the GOG and
though this movie is structurally a bit of a mess, it is very entertaining
and much more high octane than the first GOG.
CYF is now retired, living in a chalet in France
with his new wife who looks exactly like his old one. Wong Jing, the director,
must enjoy doing bad things to Cheung Man. Early in this film, she meets
a horrible fate at the hands of a gambler who wants to force CYF to come
out of retirement and gamble with him so that he can claim title to GoG.
Before she gasps her last breath, Cheung Man makes
CYF promise that he will not gamble or seek revenge for one full year.
I don't know why, but she does. In the ensuing year, CYF wanders the world
and bides his time. In his journey he meets up with Tony Leung and Wu Chien-lien
who help him escape from the mainland and then later with Chingmy Yau as
the daughter of a Taiwanese triad member and she too is seeking revenge
against the same man as CYF is.
The big gambling showdown does come and it is
wonderfully staged. Lots of action and great performances from Wu Chien-lien
as the woman in love with her fantasy GOG - but not knowing that CYF is
in fact that man; Chingmy as the seductive, but deadly women out to revenge
her family and of course CYF - always playing it cool but looking for revenge
as well. Tze Miu the amazing kid from My Father is a Hero is in this one
as well.
My rating for this film: 8.5