Deviating even further from its inspiration, the third God of Gamblers film takes Stephen Chow's Saint of Gamblers and sends him back in time. The plot device which enables his time travel is a cadre of psychic kung-fu warriors who do battle with Sing (Stephen Chow) over the last film's victory. The concentration of wacky ESP types sends the Earth's magnetic field into a tizzy, and Sing gets sent to 1937. There, he encounters an effeminate ancestor (Ng Man-Tat), and even hangs out with Shanghai Beach regular Ding Lik (played by the TV Ding Lik, Ray Lui). Then there's assorted wacky episodes involving Mainland acting goddess Gong Li as identical twins. One is a haughty ice princess, but the other is a sweet, lovable retarded girl who Sing falls for. Plus gambling and fighting.

For a Wong Jing picture, this film turns out to be tamer than Wong's later, more hyperactive works. There's a good deal of hyper stuff here, but Wong gives Chow room to react to his strange surrounds with the usual assortment of facial expressions and physical comedy. Sing gets to practice the "kung fu of in-between", as well as engage in a McDonalds-parodying musical number set in a 1930's fast-food joint that sells pork buns. What all this means is anyone's guess, but those who tune in for a Stephen Chow fix should go home happy. His supporting cast (Ng Man-Tat, Sandra Ng and Charles Heung, among others) is sharp, with Ng Man-Tat leading the way as the effeminate ancestor. The usual doses of wordplay and Hong Kong in-jokes can occasionally confound, but much of Chow's comic charm still comes through. And, seeing Gong Li in an unpretentious Wong Jing comedy is quite refreshing. (Kozo 1995/1998)

image courtesy of Mei Ah Laser Disc Co., Ltd.