God of Gamblers

Do you play the gamble? While the British release is marred by terrible subtitles, this is still a great film. It isn't John Woo-style action all the way, but has so cool gambling, and John Woo playing a character who isn't just an action hero, but becomes an idiot, obsessed with chocolate. And, regardless of everything else, the entire film is made near-perfect by the character of Dragon, the bodyguard of the God of Gamblers. He's the man we all would like to be. If you like gambling, Honk Kong movies, or Chow Yun Fat, give it a try... you may like it...

Okay so I didn't understand a word of the movie, but thank god for subtitles! Summary: Ko Chun is the master, the god of gambling, no one can beat him at card games and dices. He is hired by a guy to take his place on a high-stake gambling circuit only Ko Chun ends up having an accident by a couple who had set up a trap for somebody else. They take him in and take care of him, but when he wakes up he has no memory of who he is except that he has a fondness for chocolate and starts behaving like a little child! Great movie, brilliant performance by Chow Yun-Fat as Ko Chun, I rate this movie 10/10!

If this is inspired by "The Color of Money" then Andy Lau would be Tom Cruise .. Three part movie: First part introducing Ko Chun and getting gambling proposition from Wang to take down Chan .. Second part Ko Chun gambling adventures with Knife, whom is responsible for Ko Chun's memory loss .. Third part Ko Chun getting his sauce back and reestablishing himself as the God of Gamblers Fun gambling movie with some action scenes and slapstick comedy sprinkled inbetween 8.5/10

One of Wong Jing's better directorial efforts, GOD OF GAMBLERS sees man-of-the-moment Chow Yun Fat playing an ultra-slick gangster/gambler who has a kind of supernatural ability to win at gambling. His activities soon bring him into contact with small-time crook Andy Lau, and after a bout of amnesia he finds himself caught up in a completely unpredictable adventure. GOD OF GAMBLERS is a bit of an odd movie, plot-wise. Part of it feels like a slick John Woo thriller, complete with a lengthy and violent shoot-out in a multi-storey car park which wouldn't be out of place in the likes of THE KILLER. The other part of it is a more traditional Hong Kong comedy, a bit like the Jackie/Sammo flick HEART OF THE DRAGON, with some low brow humour and lots of situational stuff mixed in. I have to say that I found the amnesia sub-plot to be overlong; it dragged the pacing of the film down as a whole, so my favourite parts were the first and final thirds. Saying that, it's still a pretty good little movie, with strong acting from Yun Fat and Lau, who make a good tag-team. The best bits are inevitably the stylish gambling sequences, which are funny and exciting in equal measure, filled with neat twists and some wonderful card tricks. Given this film's success at the box office, numerous sequels followed.

Inspiring and often hilarious, this movie should not be missed by anyone. Gasp in amazement as Chow Yun showes his 'mah jong' opponents no mercy! Laugh as Chow's head is beaten again and again! Grab your wallet and puchase a copy! This movie is great - action, storyline, step-in part by the director, comedy: God of Gamblers has them all. Make sure you watch the dubbed version or the ending will not be the same... (you'll see what I mean) Watch out for the product plugs for Disney and the blatent disrespect showed to Masterfoods corp. as Chow yun refuses to eat m&ms in stead of his 'favourite' Now sit back and enjoy as Chow Yun and Andy Lau take part in one of HK's finest.

No, not much is missing at all. The movie has great actors performing great all around whether it is comedy or action. The action wasn't much emphasized as in rather friendship, but when the action does kick in, it brings you to the same level as John Woo's bullet exchange, and heck, even Dragon (the bodyguard) knows some kick ass moves when he fights. I did not expect much of this movie at first knowing it wasn't john woo who directed it, but after just the first 5 min i was totally into the movie and had forgotten who directed the movie, because it was equally great, and i couldn't ask for more get this movie! i can't wait til i get my hands on it's sequels

Part of the reason why I was a little confused about the plot of Wong Jing's "Du shen" ("God of Gamblers" in English) is that the copy that I watched cut off most of the subtitles at the bottom of the screen. From the amount that I could understand it was a very entertaining movie, casting Chow Yun-fat as a gambler with an almost supernatural gift. One of the best scenes takes place on scaffolding. Even if you can't read all the subtitles it's still a pleasant romp. Partially a study of the underbelly of gambling and partially a look at Hong Kong during its final years as the last British colony on Earth, the flick is a fun ride. Maybe not to the extent of a Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan movie, but enjoyable nonetheless. You'll probably like it.

Chow Yun Fat is one of the coolest actors to have ever come out of Hong Kong cinema, his roles in films like The Seventh Curse, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, City on Fire, and Tiger on the Beat establishing the actor as the Chinese equivalent of Clint Eastwood, Cary Grant, Harrison Ford, Charles Bronson, and Robert De Niro all rolled into one. God of Gamblers looks set to continue this tradition, introducing Chow as Ko Chun, a suave, sophisticated gambler who has a seemingly supernatural ability to beat the odds, much to the chagrin of various underworld types. All seems set for another Chow classic until writer/director Wong Jing decides to try out a little role reversal with his star, staging an accident that turns his super-smooth character into an irritating childish simpleton, a combination of Forrest Gump, Simple Jack from Tropic Thunder and Dustin Hoffman's character from Rain Man (a film that Wong Jing seems to have taken just a little 'inspiration' from); at this point God of Gamblers becomes a far less enjoyable affair, the sight of one of Hong Kong's most iconic actors bawling like a child and continuously stuffing chocolate in his mouth not nearly as much fun as him cutting a swathe through Triad baddies with guns a-blazing. A wonderfully staged and extremely violent shootout between a confused Ko Chun and a gang of criminals briefly reminds fans of what they are missing, but it's the only decent scene in this otherwise rather boring and not-in-the-least-bit-funny caper. The only other thing about the film worthy of any praise is the lovely Joey Wong, who plays Jane, girlfriend of Little Knife (Andy Lau), the small-time hustler who takes advantage of the mentally challenged Chow: Wong wears some iffy late-'80s fashion but still manages to look fabulous throughout. Rather incredibly, this film was a massive hit on its home turf, spawning several sequels, and seems to have a pretty strong worldwide following judging by its high IMDb rating; I don't get the appeal, but then I never understood what was so great about Forrest Gump either—I guess imbeciles just aren't my thing. 4.5 out of 10, generously rounded up to 5 for the (implied) necrophilia scene, which at least caught me off-guard.

With a Hong Kong viewing challenge coming up,I started keeping a look out for films from the country on DVD. Mesmerised by his performance in John Woo's The Killer,I was happy to find in a local DVD shop another Chow Yun Fat title from the era,which led to me going on a gambling spree. View on the film: Hitting the tables in the Heroic Bloodshed era, writer/director Jing Wong folds the stylisation of the genre into the most striking scenes of the film, via a weaving camera following the moving of cards around the tables building up tension towards Chun's next gamble, along with bursts of slow-motion in pans around Mexican stand-offs and short hits of Gun-Fu. Placing these elements to the side for a big chunk of the flick, Wong aims for zany Comedy that zips along Chun's screwed-up face,which becomes grating as glimpses of flashback show the thrilling part of the tale the film should be focusing on. Picking up Chun's cards, the opening 30 minutes is given an enticing slickness in Jing Wong's screenplay, as the calculation Chun puts towards his card playing has the thrill of a heist movie,and swift setting up of ruthless gangsters (backed by the chimes of Lowell Lo's score.) Knocking Chun out and giving him memory loss, Wong attempts to play frantic slap-stick Comedy for the next hour,but unveils a bad hand as the repetitive "wacky" antics become increasingly grating, and undermine the build-up,which is just about saved by a return to the wheel of fortune gambles in the ending. Bringing a feeling of Heroic Bloodshed loyalty in his scenes with Andy Lau's Little Knife,Chow Yun-Fat gives a terrific performance as Chun,who retains a blazing charisma even when stuffing his mouth with chocolate, which melts as Yun- Fat gets Chun to reveal himself to be the god of gamblers.

...but the subtitles on the DVD I rented were totally unreadable. They are burned directly into the film (unlike properly formatted DVD subtitles), and sit much too low on the screen, resulting in the English being cropped off. The VHS version might be better. Be warned!