Movies
A Michael Hui film, with writing, directing and acting credits to his name. It pays off, because The Private Eyes is a sort of Jackie Chan film avant la lettre. The stunts are not as spectacular, but the comedy is much better. Very amusing and entertaining, if you like Hong Kong cinema that is.
The more films I see from Michael Hui, the clearer it becomes that he was one of the pivotal figures in the Hong Kong comedy scene. Security Unlimited looks like a Hui family project, with Michael, Samuel and Ricky all joining forces to deliver what feels like a template Hong Kong comedy/police flick. I'm not the biggest fan of Hui's comedy. There are some decent jokes scattered throughout the film, but most of them are quite predictable and reliant on gross overacting. The plot is merely an excuse to cram in some sketches and though I haven't seen too many of his films yet, they do seem quite samey. That said, the pacing and runtime are perfect, and the film isn't exactly boring either. Decent filler.Read all
Early Michael Hui comedy. Hui is probably the most famous Hong Kong director I've yet to truly discover, somehow his particular style of comedy doesn't really do it for me. The Last Message is a much-lauded film in Hong Kong, personally I prefer John Woo's comedy films from that same era. Performances aren't spectacular, the comedy isn't that funny, the styling is bland and uninspired. There are a handful of memorable moments and the pacing is decent, making sure it never becomes too dull, but overall the film fails to leave an impression and I'm quite puzzled by its reputation.Read all