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THE
MAGIC TOUCH
AKA:
Gameboy
Year:
1992 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
Cantonese
comedy legend Michael Hui teams up with the then up-and-coming
Cantopop/actor Leon Lai for this consistently funny and
sometimes hilarious film.
Hui
takes the lead role as a phoney fortune-teller who reads the
bones in people's hands and gives them cleverly thought out
advice. This scam also involves his dutiful assistant (Ricky
Hui) and his daughter who help the operation run without a
hitch. Enter a young tax inspector (Leon Lai) who finds
himself on the wrong side of his superiors when his attitude
gets in the way of his work and also sees straight through
Hui's lame bag of tricks. Hui then needs another series of
tricks as Lai comes looking for thousands of dollars in unpaid
tax and sees the charlatan for his real self. However, a
sudden change comes when Hui receives a knock on the head and
finds, on his recovery, that he really can tell people's
fortune and read their minds. Lai strikes a deal with this new
found friend and the two set out to uncover the corrupt
accounts of a shadey businessman who has constantly evaded the
authorities.
A
common storyline is injected with vitality by another winning
performance by Michael Hui. The veteran comedian is constantly
watchable when he's on the screen and his reaction to the
circumstances he finds himself in is simply priceless.
Alongside such a screen master, Leon Lai cannot compete, but
does give one of his better performances. Lai is sometimes
uncharismatic or simply cold, but 'The Magic Touch' is a
positive change for the Cantopop idol as he is allowed to flex
his somewhat limited comic skills.
'The
Magic Touch' features a constantly watchable narrative and a
number of hilarious scenes; foremost among these is Hui's
attempts to feel the villain's knuckles in a number of
different and highly amusing situations. The film saw Hui
return to the financial clout he once commanded as it drew
over $30 million HK at local cinemas and reminded audiences of
the genius that is Michael Hui. To western audiences there
will still be dialogue-focused comedy that will simply not
translate, but there is still much to recommend this excellent
production.
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