Mo jong yuen So Hak Yee

Something of a departure for Stephen Chow, as he drops the zany over-the-top humour of his more well known comedies to play a real legendary figure, So-Hat-Yi a.k.a the "King of Beggars". Although you wouldn't notice its not supposed to be a typical Chow comedy until well into the second half, because the convoluted, meandering story allows Chow to do all his usual comedy gimmicks before turning into a more serious historical action adventure.

There is plenty to admire here: a fun cameo from directing legend Yuen Woo Ping, the "sleeping fist" kung-fu style, some well mounted large-scale battle scenes, and the usual fantastical action sequences typical to the fantasy/swordplay genre.

Unfortunately, its all a bit baffling, the plot is uninvolving, and its all rather inconsistent in tone (one minute Chow is a bumbling idiot, the next he's a stoic hero).

Worth a look, particularly if you prefer martial arts to comedy, but not Stephen Chow's best.