Following the modern day martial arts comedy LEGEND OF THE DRAGON, Stephen Chow leapt into the wire-fu frenzy that dominated the early ’90s in Hong Kong. With choreography by Yuenn Cheung-yan and direction by Gordon Chan (FIST OF LEGEND), both of whom have worked with Chow previously, KING OF BEGGARS is a large scale costumed affair with outrageous action and an epic story. Chow’s comic touches get a little lost in the shuffle of spectacle, but this proves to be an advantage as the story remains the main attraction.

Chow plays a popular folk hero of China named So Chan, aka Beggar So. This character has appeared in Hong Kong film numerous times with Donnie Yen’s performance in Yuen Wo-ping’s HEROES AMONG HEROES (1993) being one of the more notable.

So Chan starts out as the son of the wealthy General of Canton, played by Chow’s longtime acting partner Ng Man-tat (SHAOLIN SOCCER). He’s great at kung fu but lazy and illiterate like his father. If ever there was a better example for kids to stay in school, this is it.

Bewitched by the lovely Yu-chang (Sharla Cheung), So decides to prove his worth by entering a competition to choose the next national Kung Fu Scholar. Only the brightest and most adept martial artists stand a chance. So Chan barely overcomes a grueling test of martial skills but has his hopes dashed when it’s discovered that he not only cheated on the written exam, but cannot even write his own name. The Emperor takes away everything in the So family estate and makes a decree that So and his father shall be beggars for the rest of their lives.

A new chapter in So’s life begins as he is faced with the hardships of finding food. He makes the mistake of performing kung fu to make money and has his hands and legs broken by a vicious and ambitious official named Chiu (Norman Chu).

Wounded, sick and reduced to eating dog’s food, So and his father get a second chance when they meet Yu-chang who invites them to join the Beggar’s Association. This group is made up of homeless patriots who are aware that Chiu is plotting to kill the Emperor and take his place. But before they can act, they must choose a new leader. So Chan becomes that man after learning a sleeping kung fu technique from Yuen Cheung-yan, who plays another beggar. After Yu-chang is taken prisoner by Chiu and forced to be his assassin, So Chan and his followers rush to where the Emperor and his troops are camped. Chiu releases deadly “unicorn gas” that decimates the Imperial forces, leaving So Chan and his fellow beggars to save the day.

Despite its offering of few real laughs, KING OF BEGGARS is still an entertaining film. The action features heavy wire use that is as energetic and spastic as just about any Hong Kong action movie.

Norman Chu does his menacing evil song and dance with a high level of proficiency. You can expect to see him fly through the air like a rocket, lop off heads and drink the blood of infants, all without being gratuitously violent if such a thing is possible. This is a comedy after all!

The square-jawed Sharla Cheung (FIGHT BACK TO SCHOOL) has never been one of my favorite leading ladies but she does alright opposite Chow and also delivers a few kung fu moves. She is still one of Chow’s least interesting female co-stars, perhaps due to a lack of artificial deformity, a comic element Chow has taken to in his more recent films.

Chow himself delivers a good performance, more so on the dramatic side. Some of his long-running gags like the nose-picking transvestite are in place, but these jokes seem isolated and loose much of their comedic impact. The one exception is the kung fu scholar competition. Chow is in top form as he floors opponents and immediately follows with macho mugging to the audience. Here he also sneaks in another Bruce Lee tribute with nunchaku. Most of the other jokes seem like prototype versions of what he would come to perfect in successive films.

Beyond the comedy, Chow seems quite comfortable with the role and infuses the character with a lot of personality. One of Chow’s gifts is the ability to teeter between a snobby and obnoxious ass and a sensitive and likable hero. He makes both character traits work for him. The one aspect that was a little disappointing was his kung fu work. He’s not a martial artist but he is quite flexible. Much of his martial arts in the film is portrayed as a supernatural skill, such as the sleeping kung fu. In addition, he learns this style while dreaming. So Chow and the filmmakers basically gloss over the martial arts aspect of the film. Also, aside from the competition, there isn’t much comedy mixed in with the action. The sleeping kung fu stuff sounds better than it actually is. As one of Chow’s most involved wire-fu films, this seems like a missed opportunity to lampoon the genre.

The final battle is also a let down. There are a load of extras to form impressive armies, but the lame use of deadly gas basically solves the problem of having to choreograph a large battle. The only real fight takes place near the Emperor’s tent and its all excessive wire-fu nonsense and last-minute scrambling to figure out an esoteric 18th stance to finish off Norman. The real fun in this film is not the action but in watching Chow’s character fall and slowly regain his self respect. It’s a formula he uses time and again to sell his films and admittedly it works as long as he keeps coming up with new twists.

KING OF BEGGARS is a solid period offering from Chow with a fair share of broad humor, drama and exaggerated martial arts action. It’s more well-rounded and easier to follow than his slapstick ROYAL TRAMP films but some viewers may still be put off by the occasionally juvenile comedy unevenly mixed in.

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