King of Beggars (1992)

Good concept, poorly executed.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

*** minor spoilers *** I've seen most of Stephen Chow's movies and would rank "King Of Beggars" among his better works. I thought it was a really hilarious film, with a good plot and premise, although the ending feels a bit rushed and sloppy.Basic plot: Chow plays "So Chan", the very spoiled son of the governor of Canton. He meets a courtesan, Yu-Shang, who tells him she will only have him if he becomes a great kung-fu master. Inspired, So Chan signs up for a "Kung Fu Scholar" tournament, but certain events lead to him being banished and sentenced by the emperor to be a homeless beggar. Chow is particular adept at playing characters who fall from great height only to rise up again, and this is what he does here. When Yu-Shang is kidnapped by a corrupt official in the emperor's cabinet, So Chan attempts to learn kung fu seriously to rescue Yu-Shang.This is a very funny movie, featuring more of Chow's "moleitau" (nonsense) humor. One of the funniest scenes in the movie is So Chan learning the "sleeping disciple" stance, where he dozes off in between throwing punches and kicks! That really is as funny as it sounds. The fight scenes in this movie are quite good as well. Chow has some martial arts training (due to his admiration of Bruce Lee) and he's really quite convincing in his fight scenes. It's also a nice coming-of-age movie, especially when we see how So Chan deals with his guilt and embarrassment of having fallen to such low depths.My only problem with the movie is that the ending feels a little rushed. But it still ends conclusively and it's a great ride throughout. This was one of the biggest box office winners in HK when it came out in 1992. It was a very enjoyable film. 8/10

Something of a departure for Stephen Chow, as he drops the zany over-the-top humour of his more well known comedies to play a real legendary figure, So-Hat-Yi a.k.a the "King of Beggars". Although you wouldn't notice its not supposed to be a typical Chow comedy until well into the second half, because the convoluted, meandering story allows Chow to do all his usual comedy gimmicks before turning into a more serious historical action adventure.There is plenty to admire here: a fun cameo from directing legend Yuen Woo Ping, the "sleeping fist" kung-fu style, some well mounted large-scale battle scenes, and the usual fantastical action sequences typical to the fantasy/swordplay genre.Unfortunately, its all a bit baffling, the plot is uninvolving, and its all rather inconsistent in tone (one minute Chow is a bumbling idiot, the next he's a stoic hero).Worth a look, particularly if you prefer martial arts to comedy, but not Stephen Chow's best.