If you know me, you know that I'm a huge fan of Alexander Fu Sheng. I am willing to watch any movie that he’s in. His charisma and comedic performances are the main things that set him apart from other actors at the time. He starred in many classics like New Shaolin Boxers, The Brave Archer, and The Avenging Eagle (which is one of my personal favorites). He was certainly an actor with a lot of potential, but, as you probably know, he had tragically died in a car crash in 1983. Before he died, he was in the middle of filming two movies. One of those being The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter which he was originally going to star in, but the script was rewritten and instead focused on Gordon Liu’s character. But no one seems to mention the other movie he made that came out a little later. That movie being Wits of the Brats.
Wits of the Brats is a very special film for Fu Sheng. It was the first movie that he had directed and it was also the last movie that he had appeared in (Eight Diagram was released about three months earlier). With such a seemingly important position in Fu Sheng’s filmography, you might expect something remarkable. But still, the fact that you probably haven’t even heard of this movie should be a bad sign.
Wits of the Brats is a very special film for Fu Sheng. It was the first movie that he had directed and it was also the last movie that he had appeared in (Eight Diagram was released about three months earlier). With such a seemingly important position in Fu Sheng’s filmography, you might expect something remarkable. But still, the fact that you probably haven’t even heard of this movie should be a bad sign.
This movie actually stars Fu Sheng’s brother, Cheung Chin Pang, as an obnoxious young scholar who is trying to find a wife in Beijing. Since he doesn’t have a great reputation there, he has to outsmart the Three Northern Witty Young Masters played by Fu Sheng, Nat Chan, and Wang Yu. While looking for a potential bride, his jealous uncle sends an assassin to kill him, played by Wang Lung Wei.
Fu Sheng’s screen-time is reduced to about 20 minutes due to his untimely death. But (of course) he gets top-billing anyway. Fu Sheng had started directing this movie, but Wong Jing was kind enough to take the film into his own hands. And, boy, can you tell. All you really need to know about this movie is that this is a Wong Jing movie. That doesn’t necessarily means that it’s bad, but that also doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s “good”.
Fu Sheng’s screen-time is reduced to about 20 minutes due to his untimely death. But (of course) he gets top-billing anyway. Fu Sheng had started directing this movie, but Wong Jing was kind enough to take the film into his own hands. And, boy, can you tell. All you really need to know about this movie is that this is a Wong Jing movie. That doesn’t necessarily means that it’s bad, but that also doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s “good”.
This movie features everything that you might expect in a Wong Jing production. Women? Check. A nonexistent story? Check. A pointless cameo? Check. Wong Jing’s name is all over this movie. And just like his other films, it features some gross and sometimes insulting humor, but it manages to be somewhat watchable and even sometimes surprisingly funny. If you’re not a fan of his films, then this movie is simply not for you. But if you do like his films, then this movie should be easy enough to stomach.
But what about the action? Well, there are plenty of action highlights choreographed by co-director, Lau Kar Wing, that are worth mentioning. My favorite scene in this movie is Wang Lung Wei’s first fight scene, which is very exciting and I would even say it’s classic material. The finale is extremely entertaining too with our five leading actors desperately fighting for their lives. As good as the action is, this movie is fraught with a lot of sometimes entertaining but mostly pointless filler. It doesn’t help much that the main characters aren’t especially noteworthy either, but...this is a Wong Jing movie.
But what about the action? Well, there are plenty of action highlights choreographed by co-director, Lau Kar Wing, that are worth mentioning. My favorite scene in this movie is Wang Lung Wei’s first fight scene, which is very exciting and I would even say it’s classic material. The finale is extremely entertaining too with our five leading actors desperately fighting for their lives. As good as the action is, this movie is fraught with a lot of sometimes entertaining but mostly pointless filler. It doesn’t help much that the main characters aren’t especially noteworthy either, but...this is a Wong Jing movie.
The sometimes annoying, but mostly funny comedy and the action only partially make up for the flaws in this movie. Since this is a Shaw Brothers movie and since it features one of my favorite actors, I almost feel bad that I don’t really like this movie. It’s simply entertaining, but nothing great. If you’re simply looking for a funny, but totally unimportant action comedy, I guess it could be recommended. But if you’re looking for a Shaw Brothers classic, a Fu Sheng film, or even a movie that isn’t a waste of time, then this is definitely and unfortunately a movie to skip.
Images from HK Cinemagic
Images from HK Cinemagic