Eric Tsang Chi-Wai, Jason Siu, Ren Yue, Zhang Hao, Karen Fu

Chin Kar-Lok, Wong Wai-Fai

Bosco Wong Chung-Chak, King Kong, Kate Tsui Tsz-Shan, Charmaine Fong Ho-Man, Eric Tsang Chi-Wai, Bob Lam, Gordon Lam Ka-Tung, Stanley Fung Shui-Fan, Elaine Kam Yin-Ling, Jordan Chan Siu-Chun, Candace Yu On-On, Lo Hoi-Pang, Angela Tong Ying-Ying, Alice Chan Wai, Candy Yuen Ka-Man, Sammy Sum Chun-Hin, Vivian Yeo, Lo Meng, Joe Junior, Jin Au-Yeung, Jason Chan Chi-San, Otto Wong Chi-On, Eddie Peng Wai-On, Bella Lam, Ricky Yi Fan-Wai

Long-delayed buddy cop comedy channels occasional old-time HK Cinema charm but mostly it's a tired mess. Equal parts funny, interminable and inane.

Besides partnering at work, Fai and Johnny become half-brothers when Fai's dad (Stanley Fung) marries Johnny's mom (Elaine Kam). The whole group moves into the same flat together, leading to awkward family dinners, talky verbal jousting, and the sight of King Kong masturbating to Fai's porn DVDs. Plot kicks in when Fai's triad pal Lau Jing (Jordan Chan) is killed, with the culprit most likely being snotty businessman Hung Cheung-Hing (Gordon Lam). Luckily, Fai's ex-girlfriend Bessie (Charmaine Fong) works for Hung, which gives the cops an avenue of investigation. Unluckily, Bessie is unbalanced and possessive, and cuts herself with a razor to keep Fai on a leash. Bessie's self-mutilation is intended to be funny but upon closer examination it’s actually horrific. The same can easily be said for Buddy Cops.

Johnny Li also has a love interest, an ugly girl named Petite Princess (Kate Tsui) who possesses an astounding olfactory sense (note: plot device). Kate Tsui plays the character with quirky, dopey affectations that are grating rather than amusing, and her scenes with King Kong are largely interminable. One could blame the actors but it may be smarter to blame everyone involved. Despite employing professionals, Buddy Cops is lacking in nearly every respect, with drawn-out scenes, flaccid jokes, spastic editing and inconsistent cinematography that mars whatever entertainment value exists. On the plus side there's one decent car chase that places a compact car on a pedestrian flyover, while the action climax channels old-time Hong Kong Cinema choreography. At times, Buddy Cops is reminiscent of crappy but enjoyable commercial cinema of years past.

That positive feeling only exists in the concept, however. The idea of a nostalgic buddy cop comedy is a great one but not when the execution is this bad. The action, while evocative of old-school stuff, is brief and a mere shadow of the hard-hitting spectacles of old, and everything else in the film is below par. The actors are decidedly B or C-level and won't move the needle for anyone outside TVB diehards. Bosco Wong acquits himself the best, while King Kong and Gordon Lam overact mercilessly. Kate Tsui overdoes her character's quirks to an annoying degree, while Charmaine Fong's screentime if not actual performance should be enough to placate her fans. To elaborate further on this mess would be fruitless. Buddy Cops kills time but also brain cells. Skip it and you can save both. (Kozo, 8/2016)