For Hong Kong movie enthusiasts who haven't yet watched 'God Of Gamblers', put this one on your order list right away as this is a super classic flick consisting of a rich HK cast that will leave you with a smile on your face from beginning to end, especially those who get a touch of nostalgia now and then!  As many of you will know, 'God of Gamblers' is probably one of the most famous movies to come out of Hong Kong and has never had the proper treatment it deserves (especially to Western viewers) to which I shall explain later on.

As a wealthy figure in his very triad-like lifestyle, Ko Chun (Chow) has secured his status and gained the respect of those who share his professionalism in gambling. Simultaneously touring around the world to defend his unscathed title, another challenge is brought on by a Japanese gambler (Chuen) who secretly pre-arranges a competition in order to test his skill and ask if Ko Chun will assist him with his current affairs and vendetta against another professional gambler, Chan Kam Sing (Baau). Chan is wanted by many countries for his unlawful crimes and cannot be arrested due to his status.

This Japanese gambler, now the owner of a gambling club passed on to him by his father who was cheated by Chan and felt so dishonoured, he committed suicide to erase his shame. Now he would like to take revenge for his father into his own hands and in secret due to the now-friendly connection between the two clubs.  In a rather like-father like-son method, this determined figure unwisely chooses to use reverse psychology through attempted suicide enabling a quick decision for Ko Chun. He accepts on the condition of wanting to help a friend but in the process of diverting a situation with one defeated opponent wanting his loss returned, Ko Chun becomes a victim of a cruel trap set up by Knife (Lau) actually aimed at an irritating Indian landowner living nearby and as a result suffers from amnesia and mental instability. Determined not be charged by the law of attempted-manslaughter, he is taken in to his home with the help of his girlfriend Jane (Joey Wong). These newcomers of Ko Chun are totally unaware of any history but discover he has a unique talent for gambling. Whilst taking this advantage of using him to win games repetitively (the determined Knife in particular), trouble will start to spring when various gangs start chasing after him...

Wong followed his father's (Wong Tin Lam) footsteps in film making and began his career writing scripts in 1978 and then directed his debut film, 'Challenge of the Gamesters' starring fan favourites Patrick Tse and Chen Kuan Tai, for the legendary Shaw Brothers. He usually employs a lot of comedy and action in his movies and for most of them, viewers worldwide will translate it well.

Wong's infamous quirky humour is thankfully tolerable here. One thing viewers may find upsetting is portrayal of Chow's mentally disabled character. To me, it's meant to be unintentionally offensive thanks to professional acting. Also, the English subtitles on most versions available will leave most bewildered as to what's going on. Fortunately, it is a relatively simple non-complex story to follow so there shouldn't be too many problems.

Viewers aware of Wong's infamous style of filmmaking may indeed want to turn their backs on this film. It has been widely argued for years that Wong is often accused of being the 'Master of quick cash-in rip-off movies'. At the same time, he invented a new genre to HK cinema, especially with these gambling films and not to mention some of the wonderful scripts he has written for Kung Fu flicks! That's right folks, if it weren't for him we would not have 'Magnificent Butcher' or 'Prodigal Son' and the likes today!

The 'God of Gamblers' series has spun quite a number of official (and the 'occasional' unofficial) sequels directed by Wong (and Jeff Lau in 'All for the Winner'). In particular, the  'Do Sing' (Saint of Gamblers) character originally started by HK comedy maestro Stephen Chow followed on to a new leaf and gradually, the whole concept faded away which was to be expected anyway and to-date, the last related sequel (rather prequel!) is the much later; 'God of Gamblers 3 - The Early Stage' starring Leon Lai and Gigi Leung.

As for me, so far I've yet to see a Wong Jing directed movie that disappoints me and this is certainly no exception.