Biao ge dao

As I stumbled upon the 1987 fantasy comedy "Biao Ge Dao" (aka "My Cousin, The Ghost") here in 2022, I had never heard about the movie, so I didn't know what I was in for. But that hardly mattered, as I love the Hong Kong cinema, so of course this movie from writers Lai Ling Cheung and Cheuk-Hon Szeto was given a chance.

The storyline in the movie is pretty straight forward, if not actually on the generic and somewhat monotonous and dull side of the aspect. The movie pretty quickly fell into a monotonous slump of a pace, from which it never recovered, and the movie suffered from that.

The acting in the movie was adequate, despite the fact of the script being somewhat bland and generic. It was nice to see Richard Ng and Kenny Bee on the screen here.

All in all, then "Biao Ge Dao" was not a particularly outstanding movie, and nor is it a movie that I will be returning to watch a second time. It wasn't a memorable movie, so I hadn't been missing out on a gem in Hong Kong cinema.

My rating of director Wu Ma's 1987 movie "Biao Ge Dao" lands on a four out of ten stars.

I grew up watching Hong Kong movies, most in the comedy and ghost genre, and this film features a good dose of both.

Richard Ng plays a ghost who visits his cousins and is unaware that he has died in a drowning accident days before. The other cousins want to inherit his wealth, but are soon suspicious of Ng's character and the suspense built up as the movie goes on. Added in the story are two female ghosts who are dueling each other for a groom.

Great comedy that flows naturally, and not childish/slapstick and overdone. The characters are delightful and entertaining, making you laugh your hearts out. And, there are enough supernatural and mysterious scenes that does not make you forget you are watching a ghost movie. A must-see for any fans of movies made in Hong Kong.

Grade A

This was supposedly the "sequel" to Wu Ma's film "The Dead And The Deadly" but they have just about nothing in common! (aside from the supernatural references.) Oh well. A very interesting film about shocked spirits who have no idea that they are dead (and found floating in the Thames) and the cousins in HK that have to keep that fact hidden or the spirit will never reincarnate. Some very funny moments and Richard Ng brings a lot of charm into this...so if you want a dose of gallows humour, HK style, this is a fine example.