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Cast:
Michael
Hui
Sandra
Ng
Alfred
Cheung
Simon
Lui
Peter
Lai
Chan
Hui Man
Action:
Dion
Lam
Tony
Leung Siu Hung
Producer:
Thomas
Ng
Director:
Anthony
Chan
Score:
  
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HERO
OF THE BEGGARS
AKA:
Hero Of Beggars
Year:
1992 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
It's
almost a waste of a sentence to recall just how pivotal
Michael Hui was to Hong Kong cinema, but with the re-release
of this hitherto under-appreciated film, it's probably worth
the boring repetition. As Hui returned to the screen last year
with a fine cameo in 'Fantasia'
and a leading role in the woefully mundane 'Three
Of A Kind', the legendary comic is reaching a new
audience, a fact that may have persuaded Universe to remaster
this enjoyable caper.
Ma
Wai (Hui), Chief Commander of the Chinese People's Liberation
Army, enjoys his relative authority over the five members of
his small squadron. Despite his glowing reputation though, Wai
is made redundant when the military cuts its budget and the
proud commander and his underlings are sent back to their home
village. Frustrated by the downturn in status, Ma dreams of
saving up his funds to open a racecourse in the region, though
while he works in the stable this seems unlikely. When Ma's
cousin visits from Canton and makes no secret of the wealth he
has accumulated while away, the former military chief decides
to seek his fortune with his amiable band of ex-soldiers. On
arriving in Canton though, Ma is dismayed to find that his
affluent cousin has made his money through gun smuggling, a
crime that carries the death penalty. Although Ma escapes this
punishment, he is still relieved of his money and left to roam
Canton without a cent to his name. As he and his former
underlings use their wiles to scrape together a living, the
money begins to trickle in and a local crime boss (Chan Hui
Man) takes notice of their ingenuity. When the slimey triad
chief offers the put-upon workers a chance to join his gang,
Ma finds his tenuous authority over his troops finally
stretched beyond breaking point.
While
newcomers to Hui's body of work may not fully appreciate
what's on offer in 'Hero Of The Beggars', those initiated in
his brand of mirth may find plenty to savour here. Surrounded
by a cast of familiar comedy performers, Michael Hui shows his
subtle balance of grumpy curmudgeon and good-hearted soul to
an impressive degree; the material here is infinitely more
appropriate to his particular skills than Joe Ma's 'Three Of A
Kind' was, even in its less appealing moments. The trademark
dead-pan humour, stone-faced slapstick and carefully
constructed touches of surrealism all add up to the expected
Hui performance - assured and in total control of the screen every
time he appears.
Michael
Hui's comedies have always tried to retain a social
undercurrent that elevates them above a typical Hong Kong
comedy, a feature that is present here once again. If
anything, though, 'Hero Of The Beggars' is occasionally a tad
too bleak and unrelenting in it's dystopian view of China and
Hong Kong. The portrayal of the Chinese people, those from
Canton and the Hong Kong residents are all distinct though
hardly flattering. The Chinese are bureaucratic, the Cantonese
are money-grabbing and the Hongkies are manipulative, hardly a
great advertisement for either group. That said, at least such
characterisations are more balanced than the usual vision of
the Chinese mainlanders being so unrefined as to be oafish.
Despite
a fairly miserable series of events befalling our heroes and a
few off-colour comic routines that are unworthy of Hui's
reputation, Anthony Chan proves himself to be a director who
fully understands his star. As with Philip Chan ('Chocolate
Inspector'), Anthony Chan has the confidence to know how
much time should be afforded to each comic interlude. Though
there are no classic moments, the director is nevertheless
able to squeeze ample mirth from even the most potentially
depressing episode. Chan also knows when certain scenes are
dragging on too long and keeps the pace moving at a steady
speed, a lesson that quite a few aspiring directors could take
on board.
'Hero
Of The Beggars' is not a patch on 'Security
Unlimited' or the many other classic Michael Hui hits, but
it still achieves its simple edict of entertaining the
audience. Whether he's fighting Chan Hui Man with a pair of
fish heads on his hands (!?) or just brow-beating his
underlings, Michael Hui is a performer who shines in nearly
every production. Add to his abilities such seasoned
performers as Sandra Ng, Alfred Cheung and the aforementioned
Chan Hui Man and 'Hero Of The Beggars' becomes a comedy that
rarely stalls. It is, therefore, a worthy purchase.
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