Film Name: 整蛊王 / Tricky Business / Jing goo wong / 整蠱王
Phrase 1: No comparison
Even when tackling the same theme of pranks, no matter how Liu Qingyun acts, he just doesn’t come across as someone who could pull off pranks on others. Stephen Chow, however, effortlessly exudes a mischievous edge. While I’ve always found Chow genuinely handsome, that particular brand of mischief is truly unmatched. Take Michael Kwok, for instance—he comes across as a bit of a goofball, completely lacking the devious aura a prankster should possess. As for Lam Hoi-fung in this film, he’s reduced to nothing more than a sleazy caricature.
The actual prank content in this film is pitifully scarce. Even when the opposing factions finally face off, it never feels like a showdown worthy of pranking royalty—more like national-level childish shenanigans. The entire plot is stale and uninspired. Watching just one clip on Douyin, I mistakenly thought it was a hidden gem. But after watching the full movie, it’s clear this is just a low-budget trash flick. What baffles me is how these actors could deliver such earnest performances. How should I praise them? For professionalism? Or have they simply grown accustomed to making trashy movies? Sigh, even during Hong Kong cinema’s golden age, there was only one Stephen Chow!
Phrase 2: “If you want scatology, go find Wong Jing.”
This line rings true, haha. Most of Wong Jing’s films from the 1990s were crass, overflowing with scatological humor, catering to audiences with a taste for the grotesque. This film is relatively tame, with fewer prank-based gags and less comedic impact than Stephen Chow starring in and Wong Jing directing “Tricky Brains.” If forced to choose, pick the latter. But if you’re watching out of nostalgia for old Hong Kong cinema, both are worth seeing.
It depicts two rival prank-playing factions—the Open-and-Honest faction and the Sneaky-and-Underhanded faction—who become embroiled in the affairs of the villainous Mr. Shi and clash with each other. During a fight between the leaders of the two factions, the Open-and-Honest faction leader, Gao Xing, accidentally collides with a blind woman, delaying her cornea transplant surgery. Consumed by guilt, he begins caring for her long-term and develops feelings for her. Emotional attachment is a cardinal sin in pranking circles. Sure enough, it turns out the blind girl is the daughter of Liu Jialing, the leader of the underhanded faction, who has been faking her blindness. Gao Xing suffers a crushing defeat. Yet the blind girl has genuinely fallen for Gao Xing and works to reconcile the conflict between him and Liu Jialing. The villainous Shi Gongzi, meanwhile, is subjected to merciless pranks.
Please specify：Anime Phone Cases » Tricky Business 1995 Film Review: Short Review