L'Arnaqueur de Hong Kong

Chow was witty, funny and cool as cucumber. His whole charisma shows in this film. Under the jovial mask hides the God of Gambler. Force is just the means to an end, wits is the ultimate deciding factor.

I will have to say that this sequel is a step down from the original first movie. Why? Well simply because they put too much stupid comedy in it, which really worked as an anchor and dragged the movie down.

Sure it was good to see Chow Yun-Fat reprising the Ko Chun character, and he did act well enough. Unfortunately he wasn't joined by Andy Lau, which would have been a great addition to the movie having him reprising his character as well. Instead Chow Yun-Fat is joined by Tony Leung Ka Fai and Chingmy Yau on the screen.

Storywise, then "The Return of the God of Gamblers" wasn't as enjoyable as the first movie. There were some really great moments in the movie, sure, but in overall it was just not as good as the first movie. And I repeat myself again here, but the implemented attempts at bringing comedy into this movie was so poor that it made the movie suffer instead of improving it.

Don't get me wrong, "The Return of the God of Gamblers" isn't a bad movie, but personally I didn't think too much of it, especially not compared to the first "God of Gamblers" movie. They have strayed a bit too far into the comedy genre for my personal liking.

God of Gambler's Return (1994) was one of the last movies Yuen-Fat Chow made before he returned to the U.S. for good. After two sequels featuring Stephen Chow, Jing Wong wanted to make a big budgeted direct sequel to the first film with the original actor. Andy Lau wasn't available so he brought along Ka Fai Leung to take his spot. Elvis Tsui and Sharla Cheung Man co-star along with Chien-Li Wu and the ever hot Chingmy Yau. The God of Guns also makes an appearance reprising his role as the God of Gamblers bodyguard.

This film is pretty grim but it's also funny as well. The God of Gamblers is in retirement but the new Devil of Gamblers wants to play a game with him and he wont take no for an answer and makes life a living hell for the G.O.G.

To describe this film wont do it justice. But if you have seen a Jing Wong movie or the first film you wont walk away from this movie disappointed. The slapstick comedy and farcical elements along with a huge helping of bloodshed will keep everyone highly entertained and it's one hell of a ride.

Jing Wong made a lot of money with this series and the gambling genre in general. After this film he started up the Saint of Gamblers series, a prequel to the God of Gamblers and a new series called the Conmen. In many interviews that Mr. Wong has given in the past he's stated that The Cincinatti Kid, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad World and Die Hard are his favorite movies. After watching this flick you'll understand why. As always, the U.S. is slow on the poker phenomenon. But films like these make gambling not as fun as it seems.

Highly Recommended!

xxx

"The Return of God Of Gamblers" is one of the few sequels that manages to be better than the original film. Chow Yun-Fat returns as Ko Chun or "The God Of Gamblers" in a more action-packed film. This movie has plenty John Woo-style actionscenes that will please any old fan of Hongkong-actionfilms, and the acting and story is also good. As in all actionfilms from Hongkong, the theme is brotherhood, friendship, betrayal and vengeance. A superb movie that surpasses the original movie in every way, but be sure to watch the original "God Of Gamblers" before you see this. 9/10

After many sequels and spin-offs, this is the one true sequel to the original God of Gamblers, returning Chow-Yun Fat as the gambling master Ko Chun. This time, after living a seemingly quiet life, a new nemesis has murdered his family and he has vowed to seek revenge on those who did him and his family harm, while concealing his God of Gamblers identity for one year.

As a sequel, I think this film does not compare to the intrigue, charm, humor and drama as found in the original movie, as the action scenes were, in my opinion, overkill, and the characters weren't as memorable - even though some respected actors such as Tony Leung-Ka Fai and Chingmy Yau have starring roles.

The kid in the movie was a little annoying and the gambling scenes in the movie were over-hyped. There are some intense and suspenseful moments, especially when Ko Chun finally takes on his nemesis. There are also some funny moments from Leung-Ka Fai, but overall, it's not one of the more intriguing gambling movies.

Grade C-