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Cast:
Stephen
Chow
Sing Chi
Anita
Mui
Carrie
Ng
Ng
Man Tat
Eddie
Ko
Leung
Kar Yan
Yuen
King Tan
Paul
Chun Pui
Action:
Ching
Siu Tung
Producer:
Mona
Fong
Director:
Johnnie
To
Score:
  
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JUSTICE,
MY FOOT!
AKA:
N/A
Year:
1992 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
Hong
Kong's number one box-office draw, Chow Sing Chi, scored
another major hit in 1992 with a period comedy that made just
under HK$50million. If nothing else this proves that financial
success does not a good film make; there's no doubt that Chow
himself has made far better and funnier films in his career.
More about this very average production later.
Chow
plays famous barrister Sung whose reputation as a fast-talker
and slippery wordsmith are legendary. After taking a case that
finally twinges his conscience and at the bequest of his wife
(Mui), Sung decides to retire from the courtroom and
concentrate on family life. His peace and quiet is not long
lasting though as he is persuaded to take up the case of a
wailing widow (Ng) who wants to prove that her brother-in-law
murdered her husband. Unfortunately the odds are stacked
against them when the accused throws money at the corrupt
magistrate (Ng Man Tat) and persuades him to frame the justice
seekers. Therefore Sung finds himself framed for contempt of
court and possibly even the murder of his client's husband,
leading to his imprisonment by the enemy. The skilful barrister must now try to trick his way out of prison, clear
his name and win the case in quick succession.
It's
maybe a good thing to first try and think about the positives
that this film offers before concentrating on the numerous
criticisms. Foremost among the plus points is the excellent
chemistry between Chow Sing Chi and Anita Mui; as with his
partnership with Carina Lau in 'Forbidden
City Cop', the two performers have a wonderful spark as
the married couple who squabble, yet deeply love each other.
Seeing Chow play such roles is a pleasant sign of comic
maturity and something that seems to be becoming more
emphasised as time goes on. The film also boasts fine period
detail that effectively draws the viewer into the opening of
the picture. This leads nicely onto the many bad points that
sadly litter this big-budget comedy. As was said, the opening
gives the impression that this will be another enjoyable comic
romp from Chow, but it soon fizzles out. By the halfway mark
of 'Justice, My Foot', most of the interest has disintegrated and the viewer ends up sitting their hoping for something
special to happen; the wait proves to be in vain. It says
something for the comedy on display when director and star
have to rely on cheap flatulence gags for desperate laughs;
even the customary Cantonese patter that usually earns a
baffled laugh from Western audiences is incomprehensible here.
The impressive supporting cast are pretty much wasted as well,
with Carrie Ng in particular cursed with a hopeless role that
calls on her to cry and little else. 'Justice My Foot' is
mediocre and recommended only to strong Chow fans.
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