In August of 1975, Michael HUI Kwoon Man and Sam HUI Kwoon Kit returned to the big screen with The Last Message (aka Tin Choy Yu Baak Chi, literally 'Geniuses and Idiots'). This sophomore effort by the Hui brothers had a lot riding on it; that is, the movie had to prove that their debut feature-1974's Games Gamblers Play (aka Gwai Ma Seung Sing)-was no fluke.
The Huis needn't have worried because The Last Message was the highest grossing film of 1975 at the Hong Kong box office. Their blend of slapstick comedy combined with humorous wordplay specifically aimed at the Cantonese-speaking locals was a winning formula that would continue the Hui brothers' domination of Hong Kong cinematic comedy through their next three films: 1976's The Private Eyes (aka Boon Gun Baat Leung), 1978's The Contract (aka Maai Sun Kaai), and 1981's Security Unlimited (aka Moh Dung Bo Biao). (Sam Hui parted ways with older brother Michael and went on to star in the Aces Go Places series (aka Jeui Gaai Paak Dong), the first three films of which would be the top grossers of 1982-84.)
Unlike the other Hui collaborations, Sam is the in-charge character in The Last Message, playing Lee, a nurse at a psychiatric hospital. He partners with Tim (Michael Hui), a janitor at the same facility who isn't above stealing gold teeth from the deceased to make some extra pocket change. The two conniving hospital workers believe they have a line on priceless artifacts when CHENG Ming (Roy Chiao) checks in carrying a bag of knickknacks which include pieces of Ming Dynasty ceramics. Hoping to get their hands on valuable antiquities, Lee and Tim tirelessly follow the hints that Cheng drops, leading to one misadventure after another.
Having cut their teeth on TVB's The Hui Brothers Show (1971-72), Michael and Sam were very familiar with sketch comedy. This approach is very apparent in The Last Message where individual scenes can be lifted out of the film and play as standalone skits. The opening where Lee leads a motorcycle cop (James Tien aka TIN Jeun) on a chase and the cameo by Ricky HUI Kwoon Ying delivering a pack of cigarettes are but two examples of complete sketches, beginning with a setup and ending with a punchline.
The plot is essentially a loose link between the skits, some of which have no bearing on the story at all. Sharp-eyed fans will spot composer/conductor Joseph KOO Ka Fai in a minute-long appearance, playing an equipment specialist on the police force. His scene will get a laugh from fans unfamiliar with the tried-and-true joke that punctuates Koo's cameo, but the movie stops dead to give him the spotlight, stalling the plot for the sake of a gag.
Along the same lines are the film's musical numbers. The 98-minute running is padded with sequences where either Sam Hui, his band (The Lotus), or a combination of the two perform songs on camera almost in their entirety. Director Michael Hui doesn't bother with setups, simply cutting to a party at the hospital or a live performance for hotel guests and letting the musicians do their thing. Fans of The Hui Brothers Show wouldn't have minded these interludes as they would've been familiar with the variety show format that the brothers employed. Younger viewers who aren't aware of the Huis' television background might find it odd that the film suddenly drops in musical numbers for no reason.
True to its English title, The Last Message features a character's final words which drive the plot in the movie's latter half. The revelation of what the message is might surprise some audience members because it's moving rather comedic, giving the film emotional weight that was largely missing from the Huis' first feature.
Despite the importance of the titular message, the film doesn't end on it. The main arc of the movie belongs to the leading men, so it's the completion of their journey that concludes the story. Whether or not you'll be satisfied with the fates of Lee and Tim will depend on how much you empathize with the two schemers.
While The Last Message was a huge hit back in '75, it does show its age with its fashion, music, and attitudes. Most of the gags can be translated (unlike the puns in Stephen CHOW Sing Chi's pre-millennium movies), but a few jokes won't land with viewers who don't speak Cantonese. Overall, though, the comedy in this second Hui brothers offering will still resonate with today's audiences, even if they weren't brought up in Hong Kong. The Last Message might not be a box office titan if it were released today, but it's undeniably entertaining.
