Country: Hong Kong

What makes ‘Gambling Ghost’ an above-average feature is undoubtedly the superb performance by the film’s main star.

Not only does it contain some of Stephen Chow’s most finely honed comedy, but it also sees him giving one of his more heartfelt and dramatic performances.

When the story steps up a gear and begins to blend in various antagonists, ‘The Gold Hunters’ becomes a joy to behold.

Despite its flaws, ‘The Goldfinger’ is an entertaining and well-acted piece of cinema with the highlights being the face-to-face meetings of Lau and Leung throughout the film.

‘The Grand Grandmaster’ barely has enough good material for a TikTok clip though and it should be noted that this drudgery goes on for a full two hours.

There is no arguing that it is an entrancingly shot piece of work with some typically eye-catching Yuen Woo-Ping action choreography.

Though ‘The Great Magician’ recalls films like ‘The Prestige’ and ‘The Illusionist’, Derek Yee’s offering is much lighter in tone.

The final word therefore is that ‘The Greatest Lover’ is certainly worth catching, but there are simply too many annoyances for this to be anything special.

Anyone hoping for an exciting big-budget version of the well-known character will be sorely disappointed by this merely functional cinematic rendition.

While certainly mounted on a sometimes epic scale and beautifully shot, Lau’s film disappoints due to rushed character motivations, unconvincing drama and an excessive use of slow motion.

There’s some well-developed comic moments that certainly raise the odd smile, while the atmosphere is infectious.

‘The Hero Of Swallow’ retains a few likeable old-school qualities that just about save it from falling below the three star mark.