Leofwine_draca
The first in a series of high-profile, hugely-popular Chinese comedies, this broad spoof mixes general Hong Kong weirdness, plenty of slapstick comedy, and a few decent fight scenes into a largely derivative and nonsensical plot. Crucially, this is a film which hinges on the humour – you either find it hugely funny or totally awful. Sadly, I fell into the latter camp, and for me the jokes fell flat every time. The film became largely pointless as soon as I realised this and what followed as an hour and a half's worth of boredom. Camp star Karl Maka, imitating Telly Savalas' Kojak, plays Babyjack, an investigating detective, and he teams up with a short-haired, kick-ass female cop – the character already a cliché even by this early point. There are minor appearances from the likes of Dean Shek and Tsui Hark, and Sam Hui, a low-rent Jackie Chan lookalike, provides some charisma in a heroic role.Various scenes in the movie include: the hero firing a grapple and sliding down a wire before jumping through a window; a series of booby-trapped toy cars that blow up genuine vehicles (an idea ripped off in Grand Theft Auto), a series of bizarre car chases that are played for laughs, and more boring chases than you can shake a stick at. Four sequels followed, with varying degrees of success, but I have to admit that I'm not too excited about watching them after sitting through this debacle. For Chinese comedy, I much prefer the hijinks of the LUCKY STARS films...
OllieSuave-007
This Hong Kong action comedy film is titled Aces Go Places in Hong Kong and Mad Mission in the U.S. It is a story about an acrobat-skilled burglar named King Kong (Sam Hui), who ends up joining forces with Albert "Baldy" Au (Karl Maka), a bumbling police detective from the states, to try to track down stolen diamonds before it ends up in the hands of a notorious European gangster named "White Gloves." The plot is fast-paced and full of excitement and adventure in every corner, providing lots of entertainment and fun. The film's beginning is set in Venice, where we are introduced to the Gangster White-Gloves, reminding you of a James Bond-type atmosphere. It then leads to Hong Kong, where all the action take place - from King Kong and Albert Au trying to find clues to the whereabouts of the diamonds to them trying to allude the pursuing gangsters.Sam Hui and Karl Maka (in his thick Taishan-ese accent) make a hilarious duo and had great on-screen chemistry. And, Supt. Nancy Ho, a fiery-tempered policewoman played by Sylvia Chang, adds on the humor and fun to the story. Lastly, you get to see some of King Kong's toy gadgets, from machine kites to exploding miniature racecars! Overall, it's a must-see action comedy that remains a favorite of mine dating back to my childhood.Grade A
suchenwi
"Zuijia paidang" might be translated as "The best pairings", and if so, the first four films (this being the very first) can be interpreted, besides all the stealing, kicking, shooting and car-crashing going on, as an extended saga of three main persons in the following pairings:Nancy + CodySam + X (a different X adored but never consummated, in each of the 4)The rough but always again deep relationship of Nancy and Cody can be sketched as follows over the four films: #1: Getting to know, instinctive dislike, getting closer, sharing one pyjama #2: Wedding #3: Baby Junior is born (and joins his parents in weirdest adventures) #4: Junior is a pre-schooler now, his parents are separated, but in the end...Seen like this, it appears like a soap opera. It's of course a lot more, but I liked this continuing storyline quite much, as I watched all four films on one weekend. Altogether about 6 hours that I didn't regret. :^)One extended scene that I really enjoyed was the ballet gone wrong, and yet receiving so much applause by the audience.
gridoon2018
There are 3 great things about the first "Mad Mission" / "Aces Go Places":1) The music score (you may find yourself whistling it)2) The stunts3) Sylvia Chang's legs Other than that, this is a mildly funny - but rarely hilarious - action comedy. As I mentioned, many of the stunts (from motorcycle jumps to car crashes and from motorized gliding to tightrope walking) are WOW-worthy, and there are some clever comic ideas as well (thief Sam Hui and his partner failing to find a quiet place to discuss their latest job). However, much of the humor is simply juvenile (the bald cop played by Karl Maka is nick-named "Kodyjack", a fat Italian mafia boss makes someone "an offer he can't refuse", etc.), and the story is not all that engaging. Here's to hoping the next series entries are better. (**)
AD
