The Top Bet
Reviewed by YTSL
The gambling movie is a genre of a film that
looks to be peculiar to Hong Kong cinema. Among the more “classic”
efforts of this group of works is the multiple sequels spawning “All for
the Winner”. Like with the particular production credited with having
made Stephen Chow Sing Chi the King of Comedy that he undoubtedly now is
(at least in East Asia, even if not yet globally), “God of Gamblers II”
and “God of Gamblers III: Back to Shanghai” star the talent affectionately
known to his fans and many others as Sing Jai. Consequently, those
two offerings came to be linked to that Jeff Lau and Corey Yuen Kwai co-directed
work (as well as the first “God of Gamblers” that had the also popular
Chow Yun-Fat in the title role)...despite their having been helmed by Wong
Jing.
Although THE TOP BET is lesser known than many
of the other works (no doubt because Stephen Chow only has a cameo part,
and Chow Yun-Fat never makes an appearance, in it), this film may well
have the best claim for being the follow up to “All for the Winner”.
For one thing, it is like that 1990 hit in having Jeff Lau and Corey Yuen
Kwai at the helm. For another, this familiar face filled offering
boasts (re-)appearances -- albeit often only in the forms of cameos and/or
flashbacks -- by the likes of Cheung Man, Sandra Ng, Corey Yuen Kwai along
with Stephen Chow as well as Ng Man Tat (who once more plays the Uncle
San whose body parts are apt to react adversely when addressed as such
by his biological relatives) and Paul Chun Pui (who reprises his villainous
Hung Kwong role).
For a third, THE TOP BET’s story looks to start
where “All For the Winner” ends, albeit with Stephen Chow’s Ah Shing character
deciding to reward himself by going off on a world tour. Accordingly,
the champion gamester was not available to compete in the Super King of
Gambling Competition that a disgruntled Hung Kwong decides to stage in
order to regain the gaming crown that he had recently lost to the self-anointed
Saint of Gamblers. Furthermore, as Ng Man Tat’s character initially
proclaimed to no avail to Jeff Lau’s deranged but powerful Taiwan Chung
character, Shing had not left his uncle with any means to contact him during
the time that he was away from Hong Kong (and his native Mainland China).
Faced with the options of being paid with HK$10
million if he came up with someone who would win the gambling championship
or getting killed by Taiwan Chung’s men if he didn’t, a desperate Uncle
Tat decided to put his life into the hands of a self-proclaimed Queen of
Gambling (The irrepressible individual named as Fanny as well as Yau Hei
is essayed by the Carol (AKA Dodo) Cheng). As the not exactly consistently
canny man belatedly discovered though, the woman who he had seen depriving
some fishermen of their precious fresh catch -- in a gambling den whose
currency of choice came in the form of edible marine life! -- turned out
to be a fraudster rather than genuine gambling genius.
As she showed at a tension fraught -- but still
pretty funny to witness -- meeting with Taiwan Chung, however, Fanny turned
out to not be entirely bereft of luck. Similarly, Uncle Tat ended
up having the good fortune of being paid a visit during his time of need
by Ah Shing’s equally special powers endowed sister (Mei is portrayed by
a show-stealing Anita Mui). This anti-capitalist woman actually had
been sent across the border by her superior security officer (who is played
by Yuen Wah) to arrest her brother and bring him back to their Communist
motherland. Expectedly however, and even after displaying a considerable
amount of reluctance to get her relative out of the bind that he had effectively
gotten himself into, Mei ends up assisting Fanny in competing against the
likes of the nefarious Hung Kwong (who, this time around, also has psychic
assistance of his own courtesy of Lau Shun’s Yim Chung character).
Lest there be any doubt re THE TOP BET not being
able to rival a Wong Jing gambling movie in terms of weirdness, here’s
pointing out that Mei has the ability to do such as make a man vomit up
mahjong tiles and another to expel the contents of a fish bowl out of his
mouth as well as turn a woman into a bearded hermaphrodite! Also,
while this “Fairy of Gambling” is apt to be on the ignorant side when it
comes to being able to tell the difference between volcanic ash (that is
supposed to act as a facial cosmetic) and quick drying cement, she’s no
slouch either in a fight. Additionally, after Mei embeds a giant
acupuncture needle into her head, Fanny becomes one other “only in Hong
Kong movies” gambler whose bag of tricks includes the so important magical
art of “card rubbing”... ;)
My rating for this film: 6.5