Fung yue tung lo

I happened to stumble upon the 1990 Hong Kong movie "The Unmatchable Match" (aka "Fung yue tung lo") here in 2021, and I noticed that it starred Stephen Chow. And given this being a Hong Kong movie that I hadn't already seen and it having Stephen Chow on the cast list, of course I found the time to sit down and watch it; as if there was any doubt about that happening.

Initially it was a bit odd to watch Stephen Chow in a serious movie; and in a crime action drama, nonetheless. But once you get past that he is actually not going to be pulling his usual slapstick routines here, then it was actually enjoyable enough to see him in a role such as this.

Sure, the storyline told in "The Unmatchable Match" was a bit generic. I mean writers Parkman Wong, James Fung and Andy Chi Keung Liu followed that heavily used formula of an undercover cop forming a friendship with a gangster and putting friendship above duty. So it was not something new and innovative that this 1990 movie had going on for it.

The acting in the movie was adequate, although there weren't really any outstanding performances throughout the course of the movie. Now, don't get me wrong here, because the actors and actresses were putting on good enough performances, just nothing memorable or outstanding.

If you are familiar with the Hong Kong cinema of the 1980s and 1990s, then you will most definitely recognize the likes of Michael Wai-Man Chan and Fui-On Shing. And of course Stephen Chow himself.

While "The Unmatchable Match" was watchable and entertaining enough, it just isn't a movie that really inspires you to watch it more than a single time. My rating of "The Unmatchable Match" lands on a six out of ten stars.

The Unmatchable Match (1989) was one of the few attempts that Danny Lee made when he tried to turn Stephen Chow into an action star. After a few tries, he finally realized that he was a comedian at heart. This was another one of Magnum's attempts to market Stephen Chow as an action star. In this movie, he plays a lowly ranked officer who wants to rise in rank. The only option he has is to become an undercover cop. But the assignment he's giving is a very risky one. All attempts to have a cop infiltrate this powerful triad have all ended in tragedy. Will Chow make inside without being spotted? Can he topple this crime lord and juggle a relationship with his hot girlfriend? To find out watch THE UNMATCHABLE MATCH!! Co-stars Danny Lee, Shing Fui-On and Vivian Chow.

Recommended for Stephen Chow fans.

This movie has undercover cop Stephen Chow trying to catch the bad guy by joining his gang. It's ultimately a forgettable movie. It's nice while you watch it - there are a few jokes that are pure Stephen Chow - but those are the only parts worth remembering.

The typical relationship fights and friendships are inevitable, so that takes away some of the fun. You're waiting for these two people to argue or these two people to become friends, so that that the movie can move on to other things. Otherwise the movie moves along nicely.

It's not as funny or as entertaining as many of his other movies but it's still enjoyable. There's more drama in this movie than many of his other movies, so if you see this be aware of that fact. Relationships are strong in here, as are loyalty and the other usual cop/triad values. Nice watch, but I'd say only if you're a Stephen Chow fan (or a HUGE Danny Lee fan).