My Lucky Stars (福星高照) (1985)


	My Lucky Stars		Return to Review Archive - M
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	(from left to right) Eric Tsang, Sibelle Hu, Sammo Hung, Charlie Chin and Stanley Fung.
	Chinese:	福星高照
	Year:	1985
	Director:	Sammo Hung Kam-Bo
	Writer:	Szeto Cheuk-Hon, Barry Wong Ping-Yiu
	Action:	Yuen Biao, Lam Ching-Ying
	Cast:	Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Yuen Biao, Sibelle Hu, Jackie Chan, Richard Ng Yiu-Hon, Eric Tsang Chi-Wai, Michiko Nishiwaka, Charlie Chin Chiang-Lin, Stanley Fung Shui-Fan, Lam Ching-Ying, Dick Wei, Bolo Yeung, James Tien Chun, Walter Tso Tat-Wah
	The Skinny:	Those who need even more Jackie Chan to satiate themselves could turn to this typical Lunar New Year film for a minor fix. Others might be completely turned off. However, Lucky Stars fans will probably go wild over this installment.

	Review by Kozo:	My Lucky Stars is the second in the all-star series of wacky action comedies centered around a group of ex-cons who band together for secret government missions and assorted hijinks. Jackie Chan is Muscles, some law-enforcement officer who goes into hiding after a bust on some secret evil organization goes wrong. The bad guys (including Lam Ching-Ying) kidnap Muscles' partner Ricky (Yuen Biao), so Muscles needs help. In response, his captain finds Muscles' ex-partners in crime. Led by Kidstuff (Sammo Hung), the mismatched group (Richard Ng, Charlie Ching, Stanley Fung and Eric Tsang) join forces with law enforcer Miss Woo (Sibelle Hu) to take on the bad guys. Then the film totally derails as the group manages to do nothing but act totally wacky and smarmy for the next hour. An extended sequence features the five Lucky Stars engaging in a juvenile game in order to grope the annoyed Sibelle. Also, lots of fun is made of Eric Tsang as the dim-witted Roundhead. Jackie Chan really has only an extended cameo in this flick, as he never participates in all the lame buddy-buddy antics and only shows up whenever there’s a fight to be had. That said, there is some cool fighting, including lots with Chan and Sammo Hung and even a brawl between Sibelle Hu and Japanese crunch princess Michiko Nishikawa. Fast forward to the fight sequences. (Kozo 1998)

	Notes:	• Reportedly, the Japanese cut of the film ends with the cast and crew mooning the camera. • The "subtitles" on the Fox disc are DUBTITLES, meaning they're a transcription of the rewritten English soundtrack AND NOT a pure translation. Since the English dub track includes additional expository voiceovers, those who watch the film in Cantonese with the subtitles turned on will be surprised to see subtitles even when nobody is speaking! • The phrase "Japanese crunch princess" should to credited to authors Stefan Hammond and Mike Wilkins of "Sex and Zen & a Bullet to the Head".
	Awards:	5th Annual Hong Kong Film Awards • Nomination - Best Action Design (Yuen Biao, Lam Ching-Ying)
	Availability:	DVD (Hong Kong) Region 3 NTSC Joy Sales (HK) 16x9 Anamorphic Widescreen Cantonese and Mandarin Language Tracks Dolby Digital 5.1 / DTS 5.1 Removable English and Chinese Subtitles Various Extras *Also Available on Blu-ray Disc
	Also see:	Winners and Sinners (1983) Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars (1986) Lucky Stars Go Places (1986) Return of the Lucky Stars (1989) Ghost Punting (1992) How to Meet the Lucky Stars (1996)

		image courtesy of Universe Laser & Video Co., Ltd.
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