Naughty Boys
Reviewed by YTSL
As unlikely as it may seem to some people, when
I first heard the news a couple of months back re this not particularly well
known 1986 movie having received a (budget) DVD release, I actually was gripped
with a fairly high degree of excitement. This was primarily due to
it being so that, for all of this Jackie Chan production being a minor entry
in her filmography, that which is unlike such as “Shanghai, Shanghai” and
“Stagedoor Johnny” in not being a period piece -- but similar to them in
terms of it boasting kinetic action sequences and stunt work galore (by members
of Jackie Chan’s stunt team and others who have been professionally associated
with the “Big Brother” of Hong Kong cinema) -- has been touted as being former
TVB actress Carina Lau’s maiden entry into the world of Hong Kong films (even
while she also may have previously appeared, albeit in a much minor capacity,
as one of the back up singers for “The Losers”, in “Armor of God”).
Other casting choices that made NAUGHTY BOYS a “must check out” in this prepared-to-be-indulgent
fan girl’s admittedly quirky book included those that resulted in the awarding
of prominent roles to: An easily recognizable stunt veteran of many of Jackie
Chan’s star vehicles (including “Project A” I and II, “Police Story” I and
III) but also decades older works like “Come Drink With Me” (The uniquely
monikered Mars was a member of the Drunken Beggar’s youthful troupe); a former
Shaw Brothers movie personality who was a HKFA Best Actress winner back in
1981 for her portrayal of the titular “My Young Auntie” (in the seemingly
criminally under-rated -- by fans of post 1980 Hong Kong cinema -- Kara Hui
Ying Hung); and a fellow whose most major claim to fame surely is for being
the director of “Naked Killer” (i.e., the attractively boyish looking Clarence
Fok). If nothing else, there also was the -- pretty fully fulfilled,
as it turned out -- promise of its featuring a number of celebrity cameos
(including by the film’s producer as well as Ricky Hui) along with appearances
by many with familiar faces but less well known names (e.g., character actors
Stanley Fung, Dennis Chan and Charlie Cho, and Jackie Chan’s former bodyguard,
Ken Lo).
Considering the number of main plus minor characters that there are in NAUGHTY
BOYS, it’s a wonder that its story -- which has a whole bunch of people seeking,
for various reasons, to get their hands on a cache of diamonds (which Mars’
Sheng character and three of his buddies -- who are played by Tai Bo, Lo
Meng and Phillip Ko Fei -- were sent to prison for stealing, and whose whereabouts
they had never revealed to the authorities) -- was as intelligible as it
was. Similarly, upon bearing in mind that the bulk of filming time,
energy and budget probably was spent on the copious amounts of often very
imaginatively choreographed fight and related scenes that are the visual
highlights of this action plus comedy oriented movie, this (re)viewer is
wont to look upon this offering’s script as having been serviceable enough,
even if obviously being not all that well crafted or polished.
After all, it did fairly logically establish connections between NAUGHTY
BOYS’ main male protagonist Sheng and Kara Hui’s Chuan character (a loyal
childhood friend of his whose fighting abilities men underestimate at their
peril), two private investigators (The capable, including in gymnastics,
Bonnie is portrayed by Carina Lau (and an obvious stunt double!) while her
more bumbling partner -- whose personal name is Kuang and surname is Fu --
is played by Billy Lau) plus the manager of what turned out to be a fraud-incurring
travel agency (named Liang and essayed by Clarence Fok). And while
this Wellson Chin directed effort’s characters’ courses of action often aren’t
too clever plus advisedly orthodox (E.g., Bonnie’s engineered first encounter
with Sheng involved her running her car into the less than fortunate man!),
they do provide the reason for the occurrence of those encounters on places
as varied as someone’s apartment, a rooftop, a junkyard and a godown that
involve the kind of expertly enacted as well as designed action that distinguished
many a 1980s Hong Kong action film (and are missing from those contemporary
plus bigger budget actioneers that are over-reliant on CGI, wires and fancy
camera -- as opposed to honest stunt -- work).
As one might expect, Kara Hui, Mars and his Jackie Chan’s Stuntmen Association
cohorts are the individuals who provide the bulk of NAUGHTY BOYS’ action
highlights while Carina Lau, Clarence Fok and Billy Lau have greater comic
responsibilities. Something that came as a bit of surprise though was
the far from ugly, to my eyes, Kara Hui having the role of a plain Jane who
the fellow her character appears to have carried a flame for for some years
-- the hardly handsome Sheng -- overlooks in favor of a newer plus admittedly
more buxomly female friend. With regards to this offering’s other leading
lady: For all of Carina Lau being cast as the physically attractive woman
of more than one man’s fantasy in the film, this early work of hers -- that
involves her being lasciviously ogled, groped and having cockroaches thrown
onto her person as well as taking her share of knocks -- is one more entry
in the evidence list for this Suzhou-born beauty really having had to pay
her dues in order to become as established and respected as she now is as
a Hong Kong film personality.
My rating for this film: 6.5
