God of Gamblers
Ko Chun/"Chocolate": Chow Yun-Fat
Knife: Andy Lau
Jane: Joey Wong
IMDb link: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0097244
other links: the opening theme is available in
.mp3 format.
other links: an addendum for the uncut version of this film as well as a separate deleted scenes image gallery
Version reviewed: DVD
Ratings:
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DVD Audio: 4 of 10
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DVD Video: 3 of 10
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Subtitles: 4 of 10
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Story: 9 of 10
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Performances: 10 of 10
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CYF: 10 of 10
One of the fun parts of being a fan of Chow Yun-Fat is spreading the gospel, and
there is no better movie to turn an ordinary movie-lover into a certified CYFanatic
than God of Gamblers.
A happy mix of action and gentle comedy, God of Gamblers should appeal to
anyone who is interested in gambling, good movies or just having a good time. A
perennial favorite of fans, I have yet to meet anyone who has seen this film and
didn't like it on at least some level.
Chow Yun-Fat pulls out all the stops in his performance as Ko Chun, the man known
in the gambling world as Du Shen or God of Gamblers. Sleek and sophisticated,
he is seemingly invincible at the gaming table; women want him, men admire him and
casinos fear him.
With his beautiful girlfriend Janet and his lieutenant Yee, Ko Chun travels the world
gambling for money and fame. After besting the renowned Japanese gambler Wang (and
his startling Yakuza female cohort Miss Chi, played by Michiko Nishiwaki), Ko Chun is begged by Wang-san to represent him in a
card game with the gambler Chan, who was responsible for the death of Wang's's father. Taking
up the challenge as much for the opportunity to play Chan as for the US$3,000,000 that
he is offered, Ko Chun seems as confident as ever he will win. Even knowing Chan's reputation
for cheating and underhanded activities, Ko Chun smiles as he declines the offer of
the services of Dragon (played to perfection by Charles Heung), the world's best bodyguard
and general fixer. Later on however Dragon proves his inestimable worth, and it's a happy
chance that Ko Chun, not wishing to be impolite, accepts Dragon's phone number printed on
a plain white card.
Through a sequence of events, Ko Chun is injured by a terrible fall and a few subsequent
injuries sustained while being "helped" by a trio of bumbling bumpkins led by a Du
Shen-wannabe called Knife (Andy Lau in a charming role). With his sidekick Crawl and
girlfriend Jane (Joey Wong, who positively glows in this role) Knife takes the unconscious
and bleeding Ko Chun to his nanny's house, where she gives him a traditional treatment for
his injuries and put him to bed on a cot.
When he awakes, Ko Chun has lost his memory of being the God of Gamblers, and has in fact
regressed to the mind of a child. At first suspected of deceit by Knife and company, they
soon learn that he is indeed suffering amnesia. At
a loss to find out his identity, they finally nickname their new charge after his one true
obsession in life: Chocolate. By chance they learn of his uncanny ability with cards,
and seeing this as their opportunity to make it big, Knife and Crawl take Chocolate around to
various gambling dens and start scooping up the dough, courtesy of what the locals are
now calling "The Retarded King of Gamblers".
From this point we are taken on a wild ride through gambling dens, brothels (the scenes
in which Chocolate makes fun of the moans of the patrons is truly hysterical), fights
with toilet plungers while hanging on the side of a building, shoot-outs in parking
garages, and all the while we're treated to the incredible portrayal of Chow Yun-Fat as he
swings between the elegant God of Gamblers, eight year-old boy, eight year-old boy
pretending to be the God of Gamblers (this alone is worth the price of the entire
disc) and a few stops along the way. The humor goes from broad to exquisitely pointed
parody and back again, with some really tender moments as the audience as well as Knife, Crawl
and Jane come to love the ever-adorable Chocolate.
There are some violent moments in the film - this is, after all, partly an action picture in
the Hong Kong tradition. The violence only serves to make the comedy all the more refreshing and
the transformation of Chocolate all the more interesting. There is plenty of card tricks, gambling
greatness, treachery, deceit and the triumph of the Good Guys over adversity. The heartwarming
ending is like a cherry on top of a delicious layer cake - an extra little treat that makes
the confection all the better.
This is a great date movie, or one to watch again and again on rainy afternoons or when you just
want to watch a movie that is pure fun. Wong Jing's direction is a little strange at times, but
with a cast like this one it really doesn't matter. The storyline is not complex but that's an asset
to this film, as you learn everything you need to know from the interaction of the characters who are
all played so well that even if you miss a few details, you will still enjoy yourself immensely.
If you're a fan of CYF, this will be one
which you will want in your permanent collection not only for yourself, but to show others just
what they've been missing, but you knew about all along.
One drawback to this film is its technical merit, or rather the lack thereof. All of the versions
(VHS, DVD, VCD, laserdisc) have a relatively poor audio/visual quality and the subtitles range from
imprecise and visible to unintelligible and invisible. White subs on white backgrounds make for
frustration, and sometimes they meander off the bottom of the screen entirely. There are some gambling
terms which apparently the translator was not certain of in English and instead of trying to find
the equivalent, just romanized them instead. There are also quite a few instances in which dialogue
of twenty or thirty Chinese characters is condensed into a few English words; either the translator was
unsure of the translation or was just late leaving work that night.
In any case, be prepared for a
picture which is not clear, audio which is not crisp, subtitles which are frustrating and a few plot points
which never seem to have made it into the subtitles at all. Nonetheless, this is a top-notch film and
no matter how bad your copy or how exacting your standards for film, this is a great movie and
shouldn't be missed!
This story is loosely based on the life of a real person. For a small anecdote about this which was
told to me by a friend from Hong Kong, click here.
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