Yam yeung lo 17: Gam fong yau gwai

The Troublesome Night series goes to prison in this episode, about a wrongly accused man (Sam Lee) who hangs himself in prison to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, his girlfriend (Theresa Mak), in despair, kills herself in her apartment. Now the prison has two ghosts wandering around, and they aren't very happy. The young Bud Gay gets wrongly busted for cocaine possession and sent to jail, where he meets the ghosts. It's up to Helena Law-Lan and the rest of the regular cast to come up with a way to save the prisoners and calm the ghosts. The gang leader in prison is played by Lee Siu Key, one of the guards, Baat Leung Gam, rounding out a strong ensemble cast. The TN series is on a roll -- this one was pretty entertaining, too. And if Bud Gay has annoyed you for all these movies, at least check out the scene where he gets his head shaved -- for real. I appreciate his dedication. Most of the same cast, the same costumes, and the same sets are recycled for this year's PRISON ON FIRE -- PREACHER.

Number 17 of the Troublesome Night movies is probably the better of the later ones. Here, Bud Gay (Tong Kai Fai) was wrongfully arrested for possessing drugs and is sent to prison. There, he is haunted by the ghost of a woman whose husband was wrongfully imprisoned there.

The usual cast from the last few previous sequels return once more, but most of them, including the annoying Brother Eight (Oni Tsuka) and Brother Nine (Mr. Nine), took on more supporting roles, while the main characters were the prison inmates. Them dealing with their harsh lives behind bars and them suddenly facing ghosts give a pretty unique and intriguing plot element, which was actually quite suspenseful.

The acting was quite good, but the plot, though better than some of the previous movies, was a little slow at times.

Series regular Teresa Mak returns playing another ghost, and Lan Law continues her role as the powerful Mrs. Bud Lung. Siu-Kei Lee plays a gang leader in the prison and is a welcome additional the the cast. Overall, not too bad of a ghost comedy.

Grade C