Wong Jing has made a bit of a name for himself as one of the 'go to guys' when it comes to Hong Kong based gambling films. 1989's God Of Gamblers starring Chow Yun Fat and Andy Lau is a pretty well regarded film, even if some of the sequels, also directed by Wong Jing, aren't so much. Interestingly enough, this time around he's added some martial arts to the mix and kind of shakes up the formula of his earlier gambling movies with a healthy dose of Stephen Chow's uber-popular Kung Fu Hustle.

Wah Yuen (Landlord from Kung Fu Hustle) plays Chi Mo Sai, a man getting on in years who just can't say no to a good game of chance. It seems like luck is shining on him when we first meet him, however, as he's just hit it big at the horse track, the card table and at Mahjong. You'd think he would spend his money wisely, but no, he proves that a fool and his money are soon parted and before you know it the local triads are out to make his life more difficult.

As Chi Mo Sai is busy hiding out from the gangsters, he ends up meeting a waiter named Ah Wong (Roger Kwok of Once Upon A Time In China V) who has what is essentially a photographic memory – you can give the guy any information and he's able to store it up there in that giant brain of his for all time. Chi Mo Sai recognizes that this keen ability would allow them to team up and become the greatest Mahjong players in the world and earn them oodles and oodles of cold hard cash. Ah Wong is open to this idea but his boss, Auntie Fei (Qiu Yuen, Landlady from Kung Fu Hustle), strictly forbids her employees from gambling while in her employ.

Eventually, Chi Mo Sai is able to convince Ah Wong to head out with him and learn the art of Mahjong playing, promising him riches and popularity beyond his wildest dreams. After he's learned the ropes, the two rascals head out to the biggest casino in the area to try their luck and of course, they rake it all in. This turns out to be the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship for our two heroes – Chi Mo Sai figures he'll be able to make enough money off of their earning to retire and Ah Wong starts to build some self esteem and learns that there's a lot more to life than just waiting on people at the restaurant. He even works up the nerve to make a move on Cheryl (Theresa Fu), the daughter of a triad boss and a Mahjong player himself.

Ah Wong's happy new life grinds to a bit of a halt when he finds out that Cheryl isn't really the mobster's daughter but is in fact his mistress. When he finds out what she's been up to, he puts out a hit on Ah Wong and on Chi Mo Sai, and when the mobsters catch up with the two men, Ah Wong gets the living tar beaten out of him to the point where Chi Mo Sai thinks that he might have some serious brain damage. His dreams crushed, Chi Mo Sai withdraws their entry from the upcoming Mahjong tournament, until Auntie Fei steps in, determined to help the pair out.

First things first, if you don't understand Mahjong, parts of this film will be impenetrable to you. The big finale, the ultimate showdown, the scene that the entire film builds towards, is very Mahjong specific and without at least a basic understanding of how the game is played, you're not really going to 'get it.' Other than that, though, Kung Fu Mahjong is a reasonably entertaining movie that doesn't break any new ground and plays by a well established formula, but manages to serve as a decent time killer.

Fans of Kung Fu Hustle will enjoy seeing Qiu Yuen and Wah Yuen play more or less the same characters that they're known for from Chow's blockbuster. They've got a great chemistry on screen together and there are a few moments where they're a lot of fun in the movie. A cute Kill Bill parody involving Qiu Yuen is a clever touch, even if it does play out a little longer than it probably needed to, and some of the martial arts worked into the script, though all rendered in CGI, are a fun touch.

Video:

Tai Seng's 1.85.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is quite nice. There aren't any problems with compression artifacts, the image is strong and clean from start to finish, and print damage is not an issue either. Some mild edge enhancement is noticeable as is some line shimmering along the edges of the buildings in the movie from time to time but other than that, this is quite a solid presentation. Skin tones look lifelike and natural, color reproduction is very good, black levels are strong and stable. There's a pretty strong level of both foreground and background detail in the picture and generally, aside from a little bit of grain, the image is very clean and quite crisp.