Skinny Tiger and Fatty Dragon

SKINNY TIGER, FATTY DRAGON is a film that's made in the mould of the LUCKY STARS movies, featuring plenty of comedy mixed with action spills on the frenetic streets of Hong Kong. This one features genre stalwart Sammo Hung as a by-the-book cop who teams up with maverick Karl Maka (MAD MISSION) to tackle a ruthless criminal gang who have a habit of bumping off anybody who dares to cross them.

What this all leads to is a series of set-pieces, some of them martial arts focused, some of them featuring some very broad comedy indeed, and others that successfully mix the two genres in one (the car chase, for instance, which is very well achieved). Some of the gags are a little too much for Western audiences (the violence and sexual assaults against women in particular) but others hit the spot nicely.

The martial arts stuff is inevitably fine, most of it left to Sammo who wipes the floor with his enemies with a level of finesse that most slim martial artists would struggle to achieve. I could have done without the silly dubbed-in Bruce Lee noises on the soundtrack every time he fights, but there you go. Karl Maka is on strong form here too, not too annoying as the dedicated cop determined to sort out both the bad guys and his love life along the way.

All in all there's little to dislike, whether it's the familiar faces (including femme fatale Carrie Ng) to the explosive stunts and high class fisticuffs. It all works to a formula but it's an effective formula and one that's guaranteed to wring every drop of excitement and humour from the premise. Not one of the genre classics then, but not bad at all either.

Another Sammo film that is a fitting tribute to Bruce Lee. Sammo's chemistry with Karl Maka is great and the action is top-notch.

A fun movie but not one of Sammo's best!

Sammo Hung plays 'Fatty Dragon' a thrill seeking, crime fighting martial arts expert who is partners with the conniving and fast talking 'Skinny Tiger'(Karl Maka), together they take down criminals in their own compromising style.

One day they are assigned to one of the biggest cases in their careers, they must take down an known drug baron(played by the wonderful Lau Kar-Wing) and bring him to justice.

The Plot is very basic, with a rather pointless sub-plot in Singapore involving the two main characters and two local girls wanting to open a karaoke bar, but apart from that the rest of the movie is an extremely enjoyable action romp.

Sammo displays his skills proving once again why he's the best in the business, adding this time a little Bruce Lee flavour into the mix, with each fight scene having Sammo performing signature moves from all of Buce's films, it's also worth noting he's one of the best Bruce Lee imitators despite his large physique .

Karl Maka however provides most of the movies comedy, as he talks his way through out the film in a rather manic manner.

All in all this film really should be viewed for the action, not the story or acting. Also watch out for a fast and furious confrontation between a lightening paced Sammo Hung, and a knife wielding Lar-Kar Wing.

This movie is great! In this one Sammo,once again, does his best Bruce Lee impression. You may laugh reading this but I'm serious:this guy is the best Bruce Lee impersonator ever!There are maybe four great action scenes that involve Sammo(who cares about Karl Maka???).He does his Wing Chun to perfection!!He truly is one of the best screen fighters in history: that guy doesn't care about his size: he just goes at it and this has to be seen to be believed!! He goes against Lau Kar-Wing in the finale: I was breathless! And once, he falls on the floor so violently that he literally bounces on the floor TWICE, it is so funny!! Anyways, you have to see this one to fully understand what Sammo Hung can do(you can also watch Magnificent Butcher, Pedicab Driver and Odd Couple to capture this legend at his top! Sammo's the man!!Overall this movie deserves................................................9/10

'Shou Hu Fei Long' (a.k.a. 'Fatty Dragon Skinny Tiger') is pretty much the traditional Hong Kong buddy action comedy. The comic tracks work very well and the action sequences are brilliantly choreographed. Sammo Hung is a skilled fighter and has a gift for comedy and his Bruce Lee impression is hilarious. Karl Maka does a fine job matching wits and step with his on screen buddy. Lau Kar Wing too is terrific in the fight scenes and an amusing villain. It is really the on screen buddy-friendship and the action sequences that are the highlights of 'Shou Hu Fei Long'. Otherwise the film is not without its share of flaws. The story lacks structure and the cinematography is dull. The dialogues are funny and there's plenty of slapstick and situational humour to keep the viewer entertained. Some of the hilarious touches include the transvestite transporter, the holiday sequence (as out of place as it is) and the sequences with skinny and his tall girlfriend. For an action buddy comedy 'Shou Hu Fei Long' is amusing to watch as long as one does not expect more.