The films produced by Jackie Chan have kinda been a mixed bag. There have been good films like The Gold Hunters, The Inspector Wears Skirts, and Rouge. But he’s also produced movies like The Inspector Wears Skirts 2. Then came Naughty Boys. Not to be confused with any homoerotic documentary, Naughty Boys is an action comedy which is notable for being Carina Lau’s debut film and for being produced by Jackie Chan. This movie has a lot of people split. Some people think it’s a great action comedy, some people think it’s came, and others think it’s both. I really didn’t like this movie when I first saw it a few years ago. I recently bought it on VCD (because it cost 30 cents) to see if my opinion’s changed at all.
Naughty Boys stars Mars as Sheng. Sheng and his friends are thieves who are sent to prison, but when they’re about to be released, his friends get into a fight which delays their release. Once Sheng is released, he goes to retrieve the diamonds that they stole, but they end up missing. When he tells his friends, they don’t believe him and think that he stole the diamonds for himself. Sheng meets a girl named Bonnie (Carina Lau) who he think is trying to help him, but is oblivious that she’s actually a cop. Also starring Kara Hui, Clarence Ford, and Billy Lau.
Naughty Boys stars Mars as Sheng. Sheng and his friends are thieves who are sent to prison, but when they’re about to be released, his friends get into a fight which delays their release. Once Sheng is released, he goes to retrieve the diamonds that they stole, but they end up missing. When he tells his friends, they don’t believe him and think that he stole the diamonds for himself. Sheng meets a girl named Bonnie (Carina Lau) who he think is trying to help him, but is oblivious that she’s actually a cop. Also starring Kara Hui, Clarence Ford, and Billy Lau.
Even though I disliked this movie the first time I saw it, I now think think this is a pretty decent action comedy after re-wathcing it. It’s still crap though and it has a few flaws. There are some fun characters, but there’s very little development for some of them. Mars comes off as kinda a jerk in some scenes and whenever Kara Hui isn’t beating someone up, she’s getting treated pretty badly by the other characters. Clarence Ford is also sometimes annoying.
I thought Lo Mang was fine in this movie, but that’s only because of my slight bias towards him. Carina Lau was probably the most entertaining actor in the film. She's very likable and she does a good job playing a strong-willed cop. It also helps that she’s not difficult to look at, but I digress. Also, cameos galore, including Ricky Hui, Lui Fong, and Jackie Chan who doesn’t say a single word in this movie.
I thought Lo Mang was fine in this movie, but that’s only because of my slight bias towards him. Carina Lau was probably the most entertaining actor in the film. She's very likable and she does a good job playing a strong-willed cop. It also helps that she’s not difficult to look at, but I digress. Also, cameos galore, including Ricky Hui, Lui Fong, and Jackie Chan who doesn’t say a single word in this movie.
The comedy in this movie also falls flat. Simply put, this movie isn’t very funny. The most I’ve laughed at this movie is maybe a chuckle here and there. There are some slapstick that I thought was pretty funny though. The scene where Mars, Kara Hui, and Clarence Ford are all trying to fight Philip Ko had some decent slapstick and some pretty cool stunts. I actually think that the plot is kinda clever, but the storyline goes all over the place. There’s also some awkward pacing in this movie.
The only reason why you'd want to watch this movie though is for the action. The action in this movie is undeniably amazing. All of the fights and stunts in this movie look extraordinary. The climax in the factory is easily the highlight of the film. The stunts are enhanced with wires, but they still look incredibly painful. The movie is full of very creative set pieces. The action is definitely deserving of the Jackie Chan name. I might even argue that the finale from Naughty Boys is better than some of Jackie’s fights from other movies at the time.
The only reason why you'd want to watch this movie though is for the action. The action in this movie is undeniably amazing. All of the fights and stunts in this movie look extraordinary. The climax in the factory is easily the highlight of the film. The stunts are enhanced with wires, but they still look incredibly painful. The movie is full of very creative set pieces. The action is definitely deserving of the Jackie Chan name. I might even argue that the finale from Naughty Boys is better than some of Jackie’s fights from other movies at the time.
In all, Naughty Boys isn’t a terrible movie, but it’s got some pretty noticeable flaws. But still, I fortunately think the excellent action and star power partially make up for it. I can see why people may hate this movie, but I also see why people might like it. If you’re looking for some cool action scenes or if you’re a fan of the some of the main actors, then you might have fun with this movie. I might be the only person to say this, but I would be happy to see more movies like this. Naughty Boys could've been much better, but it succeeds at being a fun time-waster.
Images from HKMDb and HK Cinemagic
Images from HKMDb and HK Cinemagic