Review: Add this film to my list of absolutely blind purchases. Without so much as reading a synopsis, I saw its recent release and that it boasted the rarely seen duo of Chow Yun Fat and Andy Lau, and plopped down the cash for it. When the disc arrived, I took one look at the package art and assumed that it would be a hard-boiled, gambling drama oozing with cold poker stares and heated dialogue. I was envisioning the Chow Yun-Fat and Andy Lau I had grown so accustomed to seeing over the years, dual pistols in hand and the body count rising through the roof. Even though there are some choice action moments, this film was far from the typical bullet ballet that so many associate the “Fat Boy” with.

This film easily has something for everyone. You get Chow Yun Fat acting like a ten year old child, intense gambling, gunplay, loads of silly comedy, and just a touch of necrophilia for seasoning. If you cannot find something in that list that strikes your personal interest then something is terribly wrong. I have heard stories about Wong Jing and his sleazy antics in the past, so I should have been ready for anything. Even with that in mind, nothing could have prepared me for hearing Andy Lau and Chow Yun Fat call one another “cute.”

Chow Yun-Fat never ceases to amaze me. Say what you will about the man but give him credit where credit is due, he can act his ass off. GOD OF GAMBLERS shows us a Chow in the height of his Hong Kong career. On one side you have got the guy playing the suave, debonair, international man of intrigue. He is unstoppable at the gambling table and he knows it. Dressed from head to toe in the finest suits and dropping more money in one game then I have ever seen in my life is a daily occurrence for this fellow. Then he catches a bump on the head and switches to this whiney, annoying, child-like man, incapable of making decisions, much less carrying on a high stakes game of cards. Andy Lau also does a fine job acting as the catalyst of many a predicament, forcing poor Chow to take part in one ridiculous scheme after another. Initially coming across as the self centered, sleazy guy, we find out through some of the more dramatic moments that Knife’s obsession with making money is fueled by his desire to have a better life for him and his girlfriend Janet.

While watching this film I couldn’t help but notice the charisma between Chow Yun Fat and Andy Lau was reminiscent to that of Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in the 1988 film RAIN MAN. Not only is the charisma there but the relationship dynamic of a shady hustler exploiting the handicap is also a main aspect of the overall story. With RAIN MAN being released in 1988 and GOD OF GAMBLERS in 1989 it definitely makes me wonder whether or not Wong Jing’s influences for this film road in on the western wind.

Though the constant shifting of genres manages to keep one entertained, there is still the occasional flaw throughout. Namely, the way the comedic portion drags in the middle. Not always “laugh out loud funny,” the situations themselves seemed to lose focus on their overall purpose. I am all for the occasional spurt of mindless humor, but there were more than a few moments where I found myself wondering whether or not certain scenarios had been added to increase the over all run time of the film.