La poursuite la plus folle au monde

Aces Go Places is the first in the series of the hilarious and stunt filled films that would be Cinema City's answer to Golden Harvest's 'Lucky Stars' series (with both going into production around the same time). Directed by the fantastic Eric Tsang - who ironically would go on to be a key player of the Lucky Stars - the first Mad Mission may lack the hard hitting martial arts action of its competition, but its certainly just as enjoyable!

What he lacks in kung fu skills, superstar Sam Hui makes up for in charm as diamond theif King Kong. Having stole his latest win, his loot is hid by close friend Gigalo Joe who is immediately tracked down and killed - in a crazy way - by Mad Max (Chen Sing) for having slept with his sister. Before he dies though, Joe is able to tell King Kong that he tattooed a map of where he hid the diamonds - on the asses of 2 women...

Now you know just how crazy this is going to get!

From there, we get introduced to the hilarious Karl Maka who plays Detective Baldy along with the always wonderful, Sylvia Chang - a Hong Kong cop who soon falls for Maka's odd ways and eccentric style. The 3 of them soon form a bond, eventually, after a host of wild chases, car stunts, fights and comedic situations all while trying to look at as many of Joe's girlfriends backsides for the map.

Of course, this is all while any number of well dressed bad-guys are chasing them down!

And that's what Aces Go Places is really all about... How many car stunts, action scenes, crazy gadgets and laughs can we fit in to 90 minutes? This in turn becomes the blueprint for the whole series, but I'm not complaining - they are all very highly entertaining.

Of course, we can't forget the memorable theme tune and song created by Teddy Robin Kwan and sung by Sam Hui - a tune I whistle often...

I still enjoy Aces Go Places today as much as I did when I first saw it. Although it may look a little dated, the film is still as wild and funny as ever and is a great start to the series that just got bigger with every sequel!

Overall: A lot of fun and a great example of what makes Hong Kong movies so different...

There are 3 great things about the first "Mad Mission" / "Aces Go Places":

1) The music score (you may find yourself whistling it)

2) The stunts

3) Sylvia Chang's legs

Other than that, this is a mildly funny - but rarely hilarious - action comedy. As I mentioned, many of the stunts (from motorcycle jumps to car crashes and from motorized gliding to tightrope walking) are WOW-worthy, and there are some clever comic ideas as well (thief Sam Hui and his partner failing to find a quiet place to discuss their latest job). However, much of the humor is simply juvenile (the bald cop played by Karl Maka is nick-named "Kodyjack", a fat Italian mafia boss makes someone "an offer he can't refuse", etc.), and the story is not all that engaging. Here's to hoping the next series entries are better. (**)

This Hong Kong action comedy film is titled Aces Go Places in Hong Kong and Mad Mission in the U.S. It is a story about an acrobat-skilled burglar named King Kong (Sam Hui), who ends up joining forces with Albert "Baldy" Au (Karl Maka), a bumbling police detective from the states, to try to track down stolen diamonds before it ends up in the hands of a notorious European gangster named "White Gloves."

The plot is fast-paced and full of excitement and adventure in every corner, providing lots of entertainment and fun. The film's beginning is set in Venice, where we are introduced to the Gangster White-Gloves, reminding you of a James Bond-type atmosphere. It then leads to Hong Kong, where all the action take place - from King Kong and Albert Au trying to find clues to the whereabouts of the diamonds to them trying to allude the pursuing gangsters.

Sam Hui and Karl Maka (in his thick Taishan-ese accent) make a hilarious duo and had great on-screen chemistry. And, Supt. Nancy Ho, a fiery-tempered policewoman played by Sylvia Chang, adds on the humor and fun to the story. Lastly, you get to see some of King Kong's toy gadgets, from machine kites to exploding miniature racecars!

Overall, it's a must-see action comedy that remains a favorite of mine dating back to my childhood.

Grade A

Famous Jewel Thief King Kong (Sam Hui) steals $30,000,000.00 in diamonds from the mob, who have mistaken him for another famous jewel thief "White Gloves". Now White Gloves must go to Hong Kong to find the diamonds and clear his name or the mob will kill him. Hearing that White Gloves is in town the Hong Kong Police hire a chinese american detective Albert "Baldy" Au (Karl Maka) (A spoof on Kojak) to find and capture White Gloves. Police Supervisor Nancy Ho(Sylvia Chang) is partnered with Baldy to catch White Gloves. Soon the two learn that King Kong is the one responsible for the heist and in exchange for the police dropping charges against him, he agrees to turn over the diamonds and help Baldy arrest White Gloves for crimes commited in the USA. This is a James Bond-ish style film with a lot of action and a lot of slapstick. The "Aces Go Places" music video is well placed in the middle of the film sung by Sam Hui himself. The movie spawned 5 sequels Aces Go Places 2, AGP 3: Our Man From Bond Street, ACE 4, ACE 5: The Terncotta Hit, and Aces Go Places 97, although ACE 97 is a sequel in name only, sort of what Halloween 3 is to that series.

One of the best comedies in history **********

April 2021

Here we have the first film in the amazing "Aces go places" series (Mad Mission is the american title).

Gadgets, comedy, more gadgets, more comedy, the films are heavily inspired by the James Bond films, and in truth this first one also borrows elements from the Dick Emery film, Ooh you are awful.

I think they are amazing , and in my opinion, each one gets better than the last, so number 5 is actually my very favourite.

10 out of 10.