Shing (Chow) and Betty ( Mo) are two hapless cons who find themselves competing against each other in a game of one-upmanship.  However, Betty is in serious debt to a group of loan sharks and when she is seen together with Shing the debt becomes their combined problem.  Forced to remain together, the two concoct a plan to break into a rich man's house whilst he is away.  Unbeknownst to them though, the loans sharks have also instructed their own man (Wu Ma) to steal antiques from the same house.  As if this wasn't farcical enough, when rumours of a rich cousin getting into town filter through, one giant scheme is undertaken by all concerned to fool the man into handing over his hard earned cash.  The question is, will any of these idiots actually emerge with any money?

'The Magnificent Scoundrels' can truly be categorised as a comedy-farce that is heavily influenced by the early comic capers from the 1930s.  Despite the presence of Stephen Chow with his trademark "fast speak", the majority of gags on display rely heavily on slapstick routines and the film is littered with numerous panto-style situations.  This can be a good and bad thing as the viewer tends to predict the outcome of these awkward scenarios which occasionally causes scenes to drag as you await the conclusion.  However, there are also times when stars like Chow and Maka truly shine as they utilise their superior comic timing and zany facial expressions to keep the audience amused.   On the whole though, it's fair to say that it doesn't have the style or subtlety of some of Chow's later films as these familiar premises allow little room for originality.

Overall, 'The Magnificent Scoundrels' can at times be very amusing and the majority of the cast do show signs of why they became such recognisable stars.  On the flip side though, it does suffer from the irritable factor that can befall these kinds of comedies.  Therefore, I'd say it's worth picking up for fans of Chow and the gang but be warned that the humour may not be to everyone's taste.