Jogada Mortal

This is an amazing all round film containing just the right amounts of comedy, drama and gunplay.

Although the Uk edition of VHS suffers terrible subtitling it is still a must see.

One of Wong Jing's better directorial efforts, GOD OF GAMBLERS sees man-of-the-moment Chow Yun Fat playing an ultra-slick gangster/gambler who has a kind of supernatural ability to win at gambling. His activities soon bring him into contact with small-time crook Andy Lau, and after a bout of amnesia he finds himself caught up in a completely unpredictable adventure.

GOD OF GAMBLERS is a bit of an odd movie, plot-wise. Part of it feels like a slick John Woo thriller, complete with a lengthy and violent shoot-out in a multi-storey car park which wouldn't be out of place in the likes of THE KILLER. The other part of it is a more traditional Hong Kong comedy, a bit like the Jackie/Sammo flick HEART OF THE DRAGON, with some low brow humour and lots of situational stuff mixed in.

I have to say that I found the amnesia sub-plot to be overlong; it dragged the pacing of the film down as a whole, so my favourite parts were the first and final thirds. Saying that, it's still a pretty good little movie, with strong acting from Yun Fat and Lau, who make a good tag-team. The best bits are inevitably the stylish gambling sequences, which are funny and exciting in equal measure, filled with neat twists and some wonderful card tricks. Given this film's success at the box office, numerous sequels followed.

God of Gamblers is a bit of a hybrid of different genres. There`s intense drama, lively comedy and ultraviolent action. Chow Yun-Fat is God of Gamblers. Because of an accident, his mental state is reduced to the level of a child, but he has not lost his gamblegift(nor his hunger for chocolate). The people responsible for the accident(they didn`t mean to by the way) soon discover the unusual gift of their "patient", and begin to take advantage of it. Chow Yun-Fat gets a chance to prove his great acting abilities, without so much use of a gun(he also uses a gun, but rather rarely).

God of Gamblers has intense drama and a rather nice soundtrack(if a little bizarre at times). The comedy part is also all right, but a Western audience might find quite a few of the jokes a little TOO chinese for their liking. Overall though, God Of Gamblers is a quite tasty hongkong-movie that every fan should see. 8,5/10

All I can say is WOW! This movie has it all. There is action, comedy, drama, suspense. I have never seen a movie combine all elements as well as this one. I've seen about 10,000 movies in my life and this one rates in the top 5. It is that great! Chow Yun Fat is brilliant and certainly would have deserved an Oscar if this film had a proper US release. His comic genius is present in all aspects of his character. The supporting cast does a fine job, but he is the God of Actors and not just the God of Gamblers. The direction is superb as well. The timing, the camera angles and the music make this movie an absolute pleasure to watch. I just finished watching the DVD and will order the remainder of the series as soon as I'm finished typing here. WATCH THIS FILM!

This movie once again demonstrates Hong Kong cinema at its best. At the helm of the movie, Chow Yun Fat demonstrates magnificent acting skills as he is able to act in all types of characters, from being a man trapped in a child-like state, to ultimately being the "God of Gamblers". Andy Lau also gives a very note-worthy performance, as Chow Yun Fats sidekick (even though this is a much younger Andy Lau). The movie itself was pretty good, although I would have preferred if the movie was entirely serious instead of putting comic relief in the middle. Regardless buy this movie, it is a must for people who enjoy Hong Kong cinema!!