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Cast:
George
Lam
Maggie
Cheung
John
Shum
Paul
Chun Pui
Eddie
Ko
Elvis
Tsui
Lau
Kong
Action:
Blackie
Ko
Producer:
Sammo
Hung
Director:
David
Chung
Score:
  
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IT'S
A DRINK, IT'S A BOMB
AKA:
Christmas Romance
Year:
1985 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
David
Chung - seemingly one of the forgotten directors of the 80s
despite his work on such minor gems as 'I
Love Maria' and 'Magnificent
Warriors' - added a zany comedy to his eclectic canon with
this cheerful 80s hit. Filled with notable faces of the era
(George Lam, John Shum and a pre-arthouse Maggie Cheung),
'It's A Drink, It's A Bomb' is saddled (or blessed depending
on your perspective) with one of the strangest titles in
cinema history. Thankfully, it also serves as a useful
synopsis of the basic idea behind this slapstick flick.
Three
unlikely allies - Cat (Cheung), Bobo (Lam) and Lionhead (Shum)
are thrown together when they come into possession of a new
experimental explosive. On their trail are a pair of Japanese
assassins (Tsui and Ko dressed like they'd just come off a
'Human League' tour) who will stop at nothing to get their
hands on the highly-prized weapon, while an apparently
friendly police inspector also has an interest in the device.
It's left to the trio of hapless to evade both the criminals
and the police in a bid to survive until they can discover
just who can be trusted.
An
unapologetic slice of the beloved insanity of 80s Hong Kong
comedy, 'It's A Drink, It's A Bomb' is far less interested in
developing a logical plot and far more devoted to the
increasingly bizarre situations our protagonists find
themselves in. However, such a shameless exercise in fun and
frivolity is difficult to criticise due to its repetitive
storyline - admittedly, Chung's film does repeat the same
predicaments for its heroes and strays towards losing the
vibrancy of the opening half hour, but the director admirably
manages to reign things in towards the end.
Enjoyment
of 'It's A Drink, It's A Bomb' and its ilk is very much
dependent on the following... Can you tolerate the airy tones
of a hysterical John Shum? Can you forgive George Lam's less
than electrifying presence? Can you sit through the most
blatant piece of sustained product placement (in this case
soft drink Sarsae) since 'Mac And Me'? If the answer is yes to
these questions, this is an undemanding 90 minutes that never
alludes to high art and will be enjoyed by most of those who
see it. David Chung may still be a name that is barely
recognised these days, but his ability to helm consistently
entertaining features from unlikely ingredients is sorely
missed in this supposedly more cultured day and age. A blast
from the past, pure and simple.
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