BA_Harrison After saving the leader of revolutionary group The Heaven and Earth Society, lovable rogue Wilson Bond (Stephen Chow) is tasked with stealing a valuable book belonging to the Empress Dowager, mother of the King; it's a mission that sees Wilson almost turned into a eunuch, becoming romantically involved with Princess Jianning, saving the king's life, battling evil martial arts expert O'Brian, and uncovering a plot by the Dragon Sect to overthrow the Ching dynasty.Chinese humour often leaves me baffled and with my DeltaMac DVD having some of the worst subtitles imaginable (poorly translated and often on the screen for a fraction of a second) I fully expected Stephen Chow martial arts comedy Royal Tramp to be an extremely frustrating and ultimately disappointing affair; rather surprisingly, it wasn't quite as bad as I had feared.Even though I was often left confused by proceedings and much of the humour failed to make me laugh, I still had a reasonably fun time thanks to the totally bonkers nature of the film, the action kicking off in insane style with villain O'Brian (Sex and Zen star Elvis Tsui) laying waste to an army of assassins from the Heaven and Earth society, impaling them on sharpened bamboo poles, pulling them apart, and even ripping off one poor guy's cranium!This level of craziness continues throughout, with numerous gags about eunuchs and penises, a kung fu style that allows access to the victim's nipples, another that causes the victim's bones to dissolve, some very silly fight scenes with lots of flying through the air and flapping fabric, a pair of female bodyguards (the lovely Fennie Yuen and Vivian Chan) who used to be Siamese twins and who now speak and act in unison, an attack by flying death cymbals(!), and a suitably OTT death for the villain that sees him not only impaled on a statue (the tip emerging from his groin) but also skewered in the head by a sword.In addition to the lovely twin bodyguards, the film also features eye-candy in the form of the gorgeous Chingmy Yau (Naked Killer) as Princess Jianning, stunning Sharla Cheung as the Empress Dowager, and Brigitte Lin as her evil stand-in, who is seen escaping at the end of the film, but vowing to return (for Part II!).

evergreenoldboys Mo lei tau is a name given to a type of humor originating from Hong Kong during the late 20th century. It is a phenomenon which has grown largely from its presentation in modern film media. Its humor arises from the complex interplay of cultural subtleties significant in Hong Kong. Typical constituents of this humor include nonsensical parodies, juxtaposition of contrasts, and sudden surprises in spoken dialogue and action....Stephen Chow and Uncle Tat team up once again to bring you many moments of nonsensical hilarity in this classic period piece. I particularly like the musical sequence and bits of kung fu.

Joseph P. Ulibas The Royal Tramp (1992) was an epic film that was split into two volumes. The Wong Jing period action/comedy stars Stephen Chow in this all-star cast. Chow stars as Wilson Bond, an employee in a brother where her sister works. His job is to keep the johns entertained before they're serviced. One day, he's caught up in a web of political intrigue when a member of the Heaven and Earth Society (Damian Lau) sneaks into the brothel seeking refuge. In awe of this secret society member, he agrees to help him out. Sneak into the Empress' chambers and steal a book. An easy job, but Wilson Bond get's more than he bargains for. Will Wilson get the job done? Who's pulling the strings behind closed doors? Can Chow help the society achieve it's goals? To find out you have to watch this funny film THE ROYAL TRAMP VOLUME ONE.This odd comedy co-stars Nat Chan, Chingmy Yau, Sandra Ng, Ng Man Tat, Elvis Tsui, Paul (Chiang) Chu and Fennie Yuen. Featuring a guest spot by Brigette Lin. Directed and written by Wong Jing. Fight direction by Ching Siu-Tung. Immediately followed by VOLUME TWO. Highly recommended.

MikeA Slapstick Stephen Chow / Wong Jing comedy, which follows the exploits of hapless but well-meaning Wai Xiao Bao (or, er, Wilson Bond) as he manages to land himself in the middle of a power struggle between warring dynasties.The bawdy humour is purely physical enough for the movie to be enjoyed even if you have to rely on the somewhat flaky subtitles (I was watching the Deltamac version). Naturally, Chow's more verbal comedy doesn't translate well to English, but there's still plenty to enjoy in this lively spoof, including some surprisingly good kung fu, Chingamy Yau as a cheeky princess, and a cameo by Brigitte Lin to set up the sequel. Good fun.