Daai laap mat taam Ling Ling Fat

This movie is one of those which I can't decide whether I like or not.

It has some crazy fight sequences (verging on ridiculous) which are great, and some really impressive p**s-takes of james bond, butch cassidy etc... the action is great if you like over-the top silliness.

However, after about the first hour, the plot takes a turn and when 'inspector gadget' goes off to find a new concubine for the emperor pretty much nothing happens for about half an hour.

This is made up for in the final sequence which seemed surprisingly high-budget.

You should see this film if you are willing to accept that it is not to be taken seriously - and do not despair if you think they 'used up' all their action when the first few fights were over - be patient.

This is a pretty off-beat sort of HK film with a fair share of action and a lot of silliness. Our hero may be incompetent at Kung Fu, but his gadgetry reminds me of Q from the Bond films, whose music is ripped off and whose sexy introductions are parodied at the start of the film. The usual HK blood spilling, a very twisting and contorting (and even surprising in its predictability) plot and a sentimental thread of the happy couple make this worth a look. It kind of sits between Jackie Chan and the Chinese Ghost Story series.

Many of the same sort of visual gags found in Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle get their first sparks here. The comedy is very broad, as usual for an HK production, and the production is uneven at times. The kung-fu is more crazy-fu and shot in dizzying super wide angle close- ups. In contrast the non-fighting portions are photographed nicely.

Chow is a good comic actor following in the footsteps of notable actors like Fu Sheng, Jacky Chan and others. The relationship between Chow's character and the wife is very well done for this type of film. There are lots of anachronistic media references and sometimes the film seems more like a TV show. Much of the action seems to be influenced by Ng See Yuen's Shaolin Drunkard films of the 1980's, not that that's bad at all.

Not as polished as Chow's later films but good fun.

Well, if you are familiar with Stephen Chow, then you should definitely watch "Forbidden City Cop" (aka "Daai laap mat taam Ling Ling Fat") from 1996. Now, with my interest in Hong Kong cinema, I oddly enough had managed to not watch this movie before 2020. Actually, I hadn't even heard about it prior to sitting down to watch it.

Which was a mistake on my behalf, because "Forbidden City Cop" was entertaining and enjoyable, and it was a very archetypical Stephen Chow movie, for better or worse. I enjoy his movies and his comedy, so this was a nice treat for me to watch.

The storyline is actually good, and it is laced with a good amount of action and comedy. Of course it is, this is a Stephen Chow movie after all. And directors Stephen Chow and Vincent Kok managed to put together a very enjoyable movie.

The movie offers a wide variety of genre mixes, such as comedy, martial arts, drama and mystery, so there definitely is something for just about anyone sitting down to watch it.

If you haven't already seen "Forbidden City Cop" then you should do so if you get the chance, especially if you have an interest in these types of Asian movies.

My rating for this movie lands on a six out of ten stars.

Forbidden City Cop was a movie that suprised the hell out of me. When i first saw a copy of the thing, i twisted my face up in confusion, not knowing what the hell i was in for. Lucky, i picked up a copy and about an hour and a half after chucking it into my vcr, i was still laughing my ass off.

This film is the perfect mix of comedy, corruption, and sheer lunacy. The fight scene with the magnets had me in tears, and the amount of golden one-liners in the film was hilarious.

In the immoral words of the Faceless Ninja: "BLAND AND FACELESS, MY SKILLS ARE UNFATHOMABLE!"