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Review
by Kozo: |
Stephen Chow ridicules inferior folk - that is, anyone
not named Stephen Chow - in the chaotic, but still
somewhat entertaining Mad Monk. A 1993 comedy
directed by Johnnie To, Mad Monk features Chow
in one of his typical roles. He plays the arrogant,
but amusingly mischievous god Dragon Fighter Lo Han,
who spends his time in Heaven revealing the petty
hypocrisies and ridiculously self-important ways of
his fellow gods. Either that, or he simply likes being
a smartass, a talent that eventually gets him in trouble.
Thanks to his wacky ways, Lo Han is sentenced to spend
his next ten lifetimes as an animal, but the Goddess
of Mercy Kuan-Yin (Anita Mui in a cameo) commutes
Lo Han's sentence with certain conditions.
Here's the deal: Lo Han must
go to Earth as a mortal monk, and must convince three
eternally cursed individuals to give up their dead-end
ways and change their fates. The three charity cases:
an incorrigible prostitute (Maggie Cheung), an eternal
beggar (Anthony Wong), and a brutal killer (Kirk Wong,
director of Crime Story). If Lo Han can save
them, i.e. alter their fate such that their next reincarnation
is not the same profession as their last, he'll earn
his way back to Heaven. Lo Han isn't supposed to use
any magic on Earth, but thanks to the collusion of
a couple of Heavenly buddies (Ng Man-Tat and Wong
Yat-Fei), he gets a magic fan that can access magical
powers three times daily. The problem: the three individuals
are tough nuts to crack, and there are supernatural
(read: evil) forces working against him. Can Lo Han
save these souls, fight off giant demon Heh Lo-Sha,
and still spend time needling everyone else?
This is a Stephen Chow
movie, so of course he can! As usual, Chow is at his
best when he's haranguing and harassing, and generally
acting superior to the lesser beings around him. Those
who enjoy watching Chow bully his way through a motion
picture should be pleased by his Mad Monk antics.
What isn't so pleasing is the film's seemingly haphazard
plot, which relies heavily on wordplay, cultural references,
and a breakneck pace that puts Initial D to
shame. The occasional break for some fantasy action
(courtesy of Ching Siu-Tung) helps a bit, but overall Mad Monk is one chaotic motion picture. Chow
is less charismatic than usual, as his character lacks
the human foibles that make him an endearing comic
wiseacre. Thankfully the film possesses some solid
performances (especially from the delightful Maggie
Cheung), and some effective emotion that makes the
cheapo-SFX finale an oddly satisfying blowout. Mad
Monk is unfortunately not one of Stephen Chow's
greats, as it possesses less charm and comic surprise
than many of his more agreeable works. Still, those
hankering for a Stephen Chow fix - and have seen everything
else available on DVD - might find Mad Monk to be required viewing. (Kozo 1996/2005) |
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