Hero of the Beggars (1992)

This is one of Michael Hui's comedies, full of slapstick humor, action and a bit of drama. Here, Hui plays Chinese General Lin, who and his four troops journey to Guangzhou in attempts to earn cash through selling turtles in order to build the largest horse racetrack back home. However, when one of the troopers joins a triad for money, Lin and the remaining troops attempt to compete for their own wealth in Hong Kong.

There are some creative comedy sequences, from Lin getting his finger caught in an electric pencil sharpener to the gang beating up, comically, on a corrupt businessman. But, you still get a taste of drama, as the plot shows the seriousness of the Mainlanders' struggles in Hong Kong to find wealth, after sacrificing friendship and earnings in Guangzhou to move to the big city. Even the gang's pitifully sorrow version of a song they sang illustrates the suffering they encounter.

This movie provides Hong Kong's unique brand of comedy, including Michael Hui's witty dialog and Sandra Ng's slapstick humor. You also get plenty of laughs from Simon Lui and Bei-Dak Lai - they help keep this film going and going, eventually leading up to the grand, action-packed finale. Even the music score is worth a mention, as Romantic Composer Franz Schubert's March Militaire is played in the movie - catchy, excellent and toe-tapping music! It's one of my favorite classical musical pieces.

It's fun stuff here - great entertainment for fans of Hong Kong cinema!

Grade A