Zui jia pai dang 3: Nu huang mi ling

This third Mad Mission film continues the adventures of King King (Sam Hui), Albert Au (Karl Maka) and Superintendent Nancy Ho (Sylvia Chang). The films had become an institution in Hong Kong at the time, and Maka and co-producer Dean Shek knew that they had a ready-made audience.

Whether this led to a weaker script is not known but it is, apart from the fifth and last instalment, the weakest of the series penned by Maka and company. But the first two were hard acts to follow and there was always a risk of comparison.

For a start, you need to have seen the first two to understand the development of the characters. Nancy has married Albert, and have a bald son, who is introduced in this outing. King Kong receives a mission from Her Majesty the Queen (remember, this was in colonial Hong Kong) and along the way meets certain characters who resemble Sean Connery, Oddjob and Jaws.

The silliness of the film is not helped by Maka's willingness to make a fool of himself. This may be part of his humour and style but here it is taken to tiresome extremes. Certain ingredients from the earlier films are taken and exaggerated too greatly: Au's stupidity and suggested infidelity, Nancy's tough-cop routine, and King Kong's cad, James Bond-like attitude. The plot is extremely thin and at best confusing. Even by early 1980s Hong Kong standards, it leaves a lot to be desired.

It has its moments: Albert Au trying to use the police computer; the interrogation of King Kong by a police detective (played by Sam Hui's real-life brother, Michael); and the 'Aw, how cute' factor provided by Au's screen son. Mission: Impossible's Peter Graves makes a brief appearance in a scene which is entirely in Chinese (Graves is dubbed - badly). Some of the lines are not too bad, but one wonders how well they hold up in the dubbed English versions.

There is some poor dubbing in the Chinese original, with non-Chinese actors sounding typically bad. I suppose it's pleasing to know that the tables can be turned from time to time.

Fans of the series would be advised to go straight to the fourth instalment, which is far superior in humour and pace.

Oddly enough, then "Mad Mission 3: Our Man From Bond Street" (aka "Zui jia pai dang 3: Nu huang mi ling") was actually a lot more entertaining that I had initially anticipated it to be. I mean, the title of the movie wasn't really all that great. But for an action comedy that spoofs on other movies - thought mostly on the "James Bond" movies - then it actually fared quite well.

Needless to say that "Mad Mission 3: Our Man From Bond Street" is a blatant cash-in on the "James Bond" franchise, or perhaps even an homage. But director Hark Tsui actually managed to mix in a good amount of traditional late 1980s Hong Kong comedy to make it an interesting movie to say the least. And there is also a good amount of action, much akin to the Jackie Chan movies.

Now, I must say that I was impressed with the cast that they had managed to get together for this movie, especially with the likes of the non-Asian cast that made appearances in the movie.

While "Mad Mission 3: Our Man From Bond Street" was by no means a groundbreaking movie, it definitely provided for some adequate entertainment. And my rating of this 1984 movie is a six out of ten stars. However, keep in mind that the movie is much like a spoof in a way, so you shouldn't expect it to be a full-blown serious movie.

Tsui Hark's entry into the mad mission series takes things to the next level with a hilarious riff on infamous James Bond films. Kicking off in Paris, we see King Kong on his holidays only to be suddenly attacked by a mysterious girl, followed by the hat throwing Odd-Job, before getting into battle in an elevator on the Eiffel Tower with Bond villain, Jaws himself!

After a crazy parachute jump, King Kong hits the water - although is lucky enough to have a mini-oxygen tank and propeller shoes to help him. And thankfully too, as a huge submarine designed to look like a shark comes after him. Once swallowed, Kong is introduced (hilariously) to James Bond and Queen Elizabeth who want to hire him to steal back the Queen's crown jewels...

Obviously, all is not as it seems, and so it begins!

Its clear that director Tsui Hark (along with co-director Yuen Kwai) wanted to deliver the biggest and funniest chapter of Aces Go Places when he made this one. Slickly directed, although never taking itself seriously of course, Hark swaps the crazy OTT gadgets and toys for a more advanced, hi-tec array as seen in the Bond films of the same era, complete with giant super computers and sets.

The slapstick is far from gone - but it does have quite a different tone at times to the first two films. It still has many laugh-out-loud moments, and of course by this stage the main cast is very comfortable in their roles. The added story of King Kong trying to pull of such a heist without betraying his friends helps mature things a little more also.

The cast is just as much fun as the film itself. The wonderful Ricky Hui (from Mr. Vampire and brother to Sam) gets more than an extended cameo as a cop, as does the hilarious John Sham (Winners and Sinners). Karl Maka just always cracks me up and I love watching the roller-coaster of a relationship between him and Sylvia Chang. The one-and-only Peter Graves (Mission Impossible; Airplane) also pops up which just adds even more of an international flavour to the film!

Another addition is that of Baldy Junior. The poor child of Maka and Chang! I'm sure this actor has been scarred for life after his experience on this film... Aces Go Places 3 is seen by many as the weaker of the series, but I have to disagree. It's quite different yes, but something well needed in terms of keeping things fresh for fans of the films. After all, the 2 previous chapters were so similar, I don't know if a third would have worked using the same formula. So, boring - it most certainly is not!

Overall: Slick and ambitious, part 3 is crazy fun and takes the series in a whole new directions!

The second sequel to Hong Kong's Aces Go Places, it is a story about King Kong (Samuel Hui), while vacationing in Paris, being kidnapped by a British agent called James (Jean Mersant), who wants to recover one of the stolen crown jewels, the Star of Fortune, supposedly at the request of the Queen of England. King Kong attempts to steal the jewel at the Hong Kong Police Headquarters without his partner-in-crime, Detective Albert "Baldy" Au (Karl Maka), knowing.

Like the previous movie, the plot is fast-paced and full of adventure. the story has slightly less corny jokes and silly action than the previous movie, and incorporates some slick and daring cross-culture references, like the appearance of James Bond villain actor Richard Kiel and Mission Impossible actor Richard Graves. There are also characters named James Bond and Oddjob in the movie - obvious references to 007 films. King Kong trying to pull off a heist while not betraying his partners is a pretty captivating plot.

There is wild action in abundance, but still doesn't quite capture the fun of the original film. Still, it's worth a watch.

Grade B-

Our Man From Bond Street, the third in the Mad Mission series, sees Tsui Hark taking over directorial duties from Eric Tsang, but fans of the films needn't worry, 'cos pretty much everything else stays the same: Sam Hui, Karl Maka and Sylvia Chang all return for more daft comedy/action and spy-spoofery; there are tons of crazy stunts and silly gadgets; and the whole effort has a chaotic, shambolic feel to it that makes one suspect that they made everything up as they went along.

Part 3 sees Sam Hui's affable thief duped (by a faux British secret agent, his beautiful partner and a Queen Elizabeth II lookalike) into stealing the Crown Jewels. When he is made aware of his mistake, he is convinced by a real British agent (played by Peter Graves, star of 60s TV series Mission Impossible) to team up with his Hong Kong police buddies and get the valuables back.

As much as I like daft films with shonky effects (there are dodgy models, bad mattes and visible wires from start to finish), I do find the Mad Mission movies leaving me distinctly unimpressed thus far. There's only so much awful slapstick comedy that I can take (and that theme tune is also starting to grate).

However, with totally whacked-out action featuring such jaw-dropping sights as a gang of jet-pack wearing Santas staging a heist, a huge shark-shaped submarine (complete with teeth!), and a crazy fight atop an Eiffel tower elevator (between Sam Hui, and genuine Bond villains Richard 'Jaws' Kiel and Harold 'Oddjob' Sakata), those who have enjoyed the previous installments will no doubt also find this one enjoyable.