To hok wai lung III: Lung gwoh gai nin

Wong Jing takes over the directorial reins for this third instalment and it's an odd one indeed, eschewing the high school setting for a random impersonation comedy that feels like nothing more than a very broad spoof of BASIC INSTINCT. Chow gives it his all and there's some fine support from the reliable likes of Anita Mui, Natalis Chan, Beardy and Anthony Wong, but it's a little weak and quite scattershot throughout. The 'Saint of Gamblers' scene is probably the highlight here.

With a pretty good first movie from 1991 and a less adequately so sequel from 1992, I must admit that I was not particularly thrilled about this third movie in the "Fight Back to School" series from 1993. But with it being a movie that I haven't already seen, and a Hong Kong movie nonetheless, of course I sat down to watch it.

I will say, first and foremost, that "Fight Back to School III" (aka "To hok wai lung III: Lung gwoh gai nin") felt too much like a movie that they shouldn't have made in the franchise, because it just deviated too much from the first two movies. I mean the word "School" is part of the title, but it was not in the movie; officer Star Chow (played by Stephen Chow) wasn't undercover at a school in this movie. So the title felt off.

As for the storyline in "Fight Back to School III", well it was adequate. But the whole no-undercover-action-at-the-school just took away so much enjoyment from the movie, and it made it feel like I was just watching a random Hong Kong comedy from the early 1990s.

What does work out well enough for "Fight Back to School III" from writer and director Jing Wong was the comedy elements to the movie. There was a good amount of funny moments, which I definitely enjoyed, and they sort of made it up for the movie's lack of coherency to the previous two movies.

And it should also be said that the movie having Hong Kong star names as Anita Mui and Anthony Chau-Sang Wong on the cast list definitely spruced up the movie quite a bit. Anita Mui brought her usual charms and Anthony Chau-Sang Wong brought his usual gruffy personality.

"Fight Back to School III" would have fared better if it was a stand-alone movie not associated with the franchise, because the title sort of brought a certain expectation to the movie, and when writer and director Jing Wong failed to deliver on that, it was just a swing and a miss.

While the movie is enjoyable, it has its shortcomings, and my rating of "Fight Back to School III" lands on a mediocre five out of ten stars.

In this second sequel to Fight Back to School, Stephen Chow returns once again as SWAT team leader Detective Sing Chow. He is sent to investigate the murder of Million Wong by going undercover as the millionaire. Throughout the ordeal, he finds out that his girlfriend, Min, is dating the murder suspect.

As with many of Stephen Chow's films, this one has no shortage of slapstick humor and ridiculous action-comedy. Chow does his acting pretty well, this time playing two different characters, and inserts some neat suspenseful scenes where appropriate.

This sequel has much goofy scenes here and there, especially its obvious spoof to the movie Basic Instinct, but this was still a rather entertaining film with some surprising and unpredictable moments.

Grade B-

This is the least successful of the FBTS films, both in terms of the quality of jokes and the overall plot. It does feature the magnetic chemistry of Anita Mui and Cheung Man onscreen, which alone makes it worth it for fans of those actresses. This film works primarily as a parody of Basic Instinct, rather than being a solid FBTS film.

Overall it is a 6 out of 10 from me.

Fight Back to School; 3 (1993) Is a bizarre and funny film that is a must for comedy fans. Jing Wong and Company have created a hilarious parody of BASIC INSTINCT and FATAL ATTRACTION. It makes FATAL INSTINCT look like an SNL sketch. See Nat Chan squeeze into a pair of jeans and Red jacket imitating Andy Lau while Stephen Chow reprises his Saint of the Gamblers role. Check out the funny cameos from the characters from "All for the Winner" and the "God of Gamblers" series, 1997 jokes fly fast. It also stars Anita Mui as a bi-sexual Heiress and Cheung Man as Chow's long suffering girlfriend. A cameo appearance from Phillip Chan as the police commission and Anthony Wong. A can't miss comedy that'll have you wanting more.

A highly enjoyable film that puts and end to the hilarious FIGHT BACK TO SCHOOL series on a high note.

Highest recommendation possible.