User reviews

This movie begins with some jaw-dropping, "holy s**t" stunts performed by Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. Then Biao's character gets taken as a hostage by the villains, and the next hour belongs to Sammo Hung and his gang, the infamous "Lucky Stars". Their comedy is often labored, and always lowbrow, but it manages to be occasionally funny. I've seen three films with them now, so I'm more accustomed to their brand of humor, but they're definitely not to everyone's taste. In the final 20 minutes, we get to the fight scenes, which are choreographed in the usual inimitable Jackie-Sammo style, yet I have some complaints: most of the fights are either too brief or too choppily intercut with each other. For example, what could have been the ultimate cinematic catfight, between the stunningly sexy Sibelle Hu and the beautifully muscular Michico Nishiwaki, is pretty much a disappointment: too brief, intercut with a parallel Sammo fight, and Ms. Nishiwaki comes to a rather demeaning end. Another example is the Jackie Chan vs. Dick Wei fight, which is over much too quickly. Both Nishiwaki and Wei are better showcased in the excellent Hong Kong actioner "In The Line Of Duty 3". In fact, probably everyone involved with "My Lucky Stars" is better showcased somewhere else. But for fans of the genre and the stars, the movie is worth a viewing. (**)

Jackie's got a smaller, more serious role here, but I'd say it's worth it. You gotta have a penchant for goofy stuff though. This group is pretty enjoyable together, and the bits with Chan battling his way through the Haunted House is well worth it. Sort of a "minor" Jackie fil,m, it's worth a watch.

For someone who loves the "three brothers" in the outstanding "Dragons Forever", or the also excellent "Wheels on Meals", "My Lucky Stars" was a poor offering. The fight scenes at the end, particularly Jackie's unique and exciting romp through the "haunted house", account for four of my five-star rating. The vast stretch of "humor" in the middle is comprised of some Chinese-nuanced gags, inaccessible to my Western senses, and a load of truly imbecilic slapstick, most of it so juvenile and embarrassing that I had to eventually begin fast-forward searching, to get to some decent action. I can only recommend the first 10 minutes, and the last 20.....

Funny! This is a very classic kind of kung-fu comedy.

For fans of Jackie Chan's and Sammo Hung's other work together (Project A, Mr Nice Guy etc.) this is a step down in terms of sheer martial artistry. Aside from a good opening sequence in a fairground and the last twenty or so minutes, the rest of the film is Chan-less and situation-based comedy springing from the main band of failed crooks. Sammo is the leader of a ragtag bunch heading to Japan for reasons that really only become clear towards the end.

Along the way though, there is some rich comedy mined from both the collection of characters (including a womaniser, a wannabe telekesisist - is this a word? - and a chubby dimwit whose loyalty literally knows no bounds.) A couple of the routines are a bit trying - a scene with a female assistant investigator and a faked robbery is too long and obvious - but generally it is quite charming and sweet. One routine in a Japanese restaurant is priceless, the gag built up well between the different characters and paying off beautifully.

All in all, it moves along at a fair pace and is so gently and confidently performed that it's an enjoyable way to spend ninety minutes. A bit more Chan, a bit more action and a tighter story would have made it more memorable, but if you like the genre, this is better than a lot of the similar films. And, perhaps because of when it was made and presumably to boost Hung's profile, JC plays the same character as in the Police Story films. (Just a tidbit for the hardcore geeks out there...) Worth a rent if not a purchase.

I am trying to find out who did the music for this show, which I have just watched. The background music for the mall scene is a nice bossa, with some "Bob James"-type chording, and I would like to get a copy of it. The show as a whole was actually quite good, as modius pointed-out. I enjoyed seeing Jackie and Sammo together, and both in their youth! The kung-fu of these two, and the swordplay of the girls, is just really amazing. Anyone who has studied martial arts at all can appreciate the skill and precision evidenced by these actors, most of whom hold upper belts in various styles. My main concentration, for this note is, however, still finding out who did the music for the show, or at least, who wrote the mall scene background music. I really liked it, and would like to get a copy of it. Anyone have any ideas on how to find it?

Some films seem destined to have sequels. This is especially true if you have a multitude of popular stars that do not have to contribute to the whole film (and if one does not work out replace him), a boilerplate formula and financial success on the first movie. In fact, My Lucky Stars (1985) was more of a hit in HK than its predecessor Winners and Sinners (1983) with the original raking in 22M HK dollars and the sequel 30.7M HK. While I have grown in appreciation of the first film, I have also grown a little less interested in the first sequel though a few segments transcend above the mostly mediocre material. When watching this film it is good to think of this as an ensemble piece not a Jackie Chan or a Sammo Hung film (though Sammo did direct this in his most prolific period and after the success of The Own and Dumbo (1984)). That frame of mind might help in enjoying this uneven picture more.

In the beautiful locale of Japan, Muscles (Jackie Chan) is chasing a corrupt Hong Kong cop (Lam Ching Ying: Mr Vampire) though an amusement park with the help of Ricky (Yuen Biao: Prodigal Son in an extended cameo compared to Winners and Sinners) until Ricky gets whisked away by a band of ninjas. This nice little 11 minute sequence of Jackie works well with the fight choreography and shows some nice jump stunts by Jackie. I am not sure of Sammo's use of slow motion in the beginning though. It just seems timed poorly (I have sensed this problem in a few of his movies like Mr. Nice Guy). There is also a strange scene where Muscles gets stopped by tourists to take a picture. If you were chasing a crook would you let yourself be stopped by tourists? Jackie needs help to find his partner. The help will have to come in the form of five trusted crooks since the cops could be spotted by the former HK officer. The ringleader is Sammo (once again having a horrific haircut) and he (after a stint in jail) has to recruit the old gang: Rawhide (Stanley Fung: The Owl And Dumbo), Sandy (Richard Ng: Shanghai Express), Herb (Charlie Chin) and Round Head (Eric Tsang who is in this movie instead of John Shum from the first film). They will be lead by a legitimate police officer Inspector Woo (Sibelle Hu playing basically the same foil role as Cherie Chung did in the first - I did say this was a boilerplate formulaic movie) who is consistently being hit on by the males (during a very tiring six minute gag) while having to take them to Japan.

The whole second act of the film and the majority of the movie are the comedic sequences of Sammo getting the gang together, meeting the female assistant and going to Japan. While some of it can be funny (Richard Ng is almost always hilarious and those damn curly haired bus drivers), some of it is just strange like the Eric Tsang sequence of playing "fly" poker and some jokes just fill like filler. And there is that Bolo Yeung Sze cameo.

When the third act starts with the appearance of Jackie Chan the pace of the movie goes from stagnant to ludicrous speed (interesting how the comedy segments were less fun than the action). Without giving too much away the haunted house fight segment with Jackie Chan going through the maze like corridors is quite good and the most talked about aspect of this film is the Japanese villainess played by female bodybuilder Nishiwaki Michiko in her first Hong Kong role (she did not speak Cantonese at the time) and her fight with Sibelle Hu. Her fight introduction (disrobes her kimono and then flexes) has also been mentioned in many male-written reviews. There are other fights with Lam Ching Ying and Lau Kar Wing that are quite good if a bit short. Also check out that nasty fall toward the end - breaking bodies for our entertainment.

Fans of action films will find something to like in this movie. While it is quite uneven there are worthy scenes (especially the end and beginning) to watch several times. Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung fanatics will, of course, have to watch this, but on multiple viewings will probably only want to watch the first and third act. If you have not seen Winners and Sinners then see that film first. The comedy aspects did not work as well for me as the first movie and the characters seemed less in depth. Richard Ng was underused and that is enough to make me and anyone angry.

Very funny and entertaining as this would be 1 of the breakthrough films in Jackie's, Sammo, Yuen Biao's career.

This is a film about 2 cops (Jakcie & Yuen Biao) who are out to catch a some crooks in Japan and because of some difficulties along the way Sammo, and the rest of the gang are contacted to assist.

Very amusing, nice actresses played by Sibelle Hu (who's retired now), Michiko Nishiwaki.

Check out the awesome pranks they play on Sibelle, get the digitally remastered version with interviews with Michiko Nishiwaki, still looks stunning after all these years.

There is no mistake that I heard a slightly altered instrumental of Blondie's "Call Me." That wasn't germane to the plot but I just want Hong Kong to know that I know.

The plot was simple as most kung fu movie plots are. This was a more modern kung fu movie in that it took place in current times and even guns were used. While Muscles (Jackie Chan) and his partner were chasing some thieves his partner was captured. Muscles couldn't get the information needed to find where they were keeping his partner because his face was too well known. For that he needed his old orphanage buddies who weren't all on the right side of the law. Through some cunning and trickery he had his orphanage "brothers" assembled to help him out.

"My Lucky Stars" had some funny scenes and some perverted ones if you really think about it. No, there was no nudity. The perversion was in the attempts made by these guys to get close to one solitary woman. Five guys were lusting after one woman. That's perverted enough.

As I said, the plot was rather basic, nothing that clever, and the action was run of the mill as well. This wasn't one of Jackie Chan's finer movies, but then again he has a huge catalog.

this is really two films, an hour long crime comedy and a half-hour kung fu film. i think hong Kong audiences can deal with such a mix better than most westerners. at any rate, the kung fu movie is enjoyable, very quickly paced, with some notable stunts - but to be honest, it offered very little new, and doesn't really meet the standard set by other films starring sammo hung and Jackie Chan from this era.

the comedy, on the other hand, is really fun to watch, even when it isn't knee-slapping laff-out-loud funny. this appears to be a little bit of a tribute to the Marx bros., with a touch of Cantonese slap-stick tossed in. it's really character-driven comedy; the funny bits could happen only because the characters are who they are. consequently, it just makes sense for a character - who was stupid enough to gamble on whether a fly would land on his poker hand - to be discovered looking for a hundred bucks he had lost outside at night inside a hotel lobby because 'the light's better in here'. there's also much physical comedy which is actually better to see than for me to describe.

one major warning - i've seen this film now in its original hong Kong version, which included mandarin and English subtitles; its original English-dub American release; its recent re-subtitled release; its recent re-dubbed release. of the four versions, the re-dubbed is by far the worst translation of the original dialog. although released on DVD with the new subtitles available, and so one would suppose the dub and the subtitles would be identical, they didn't even get this right - use the subtitles, avoid the new dub. and there are still crucial moments lost in the new subtitles. at one point, a character, trying to act tough, is asked what he would do if someone bumped into his car; the subtitle has him say that - essentially - he would force the guy to beg for mercy; that's not what he says, what he says is that 'i would beg for mercy' - in other words, this is the moment when his sham is exposed. i can imagine literally hundred - thousands - of people missing this joke entirely due to the bad translation here.

the best version - its original hong Kong version which includes mandarin and English subtitles .

still, even with this problem as obvious as it is, i think audiences will still find a lot to like about this film. the characters - all performed by the famous lucky-stars Chinese opera group that produced hung, Chan, yuen wah, and yuen biao - all present here BTW - are so amiable and unpretentious, it's hard not to like them, and if you do like them, you will have a good time.

This movie was made in the same year as "Police story" which for me (and not only me) is Jackie Chan's best movie . I guess that he was working so hard on the set of that movie that he didn't put much heart in this one. In this movie he is just a supporting player , gone for most of the movie. The main heroes are five guys who are school friends of Chan's character.

Those five guys are pretty likable , so the fact that Jackie is gone is less painful . This movie is more about comedy than action. The action appears in the beginning and in the end of the movie just like Jackie Chan. Most of the movie is slapstick comedy , which is rather funny.

Those five guys are quite adorable. I liked the whole "bad guys are invading the house and tying us with rope" scheme , so they could touch the attractive heroine. The haunted house thing was nice.

I don't really remember much more from the movie. The fights were done well and the story while nothing special was enough to keep me interested. The humor and characters are probably the best things about this movie. Not bad for Sunday afternoon relax. After that it pretty much fades out of memory. I give it 3/10.

I never thought I'd see the day Jackie Chan would be fighting Ninja's...but to be honest, it wasn't the cringe worthy film I was expecting - far from it, its very, very entertaining...

As the car chase rolled onto the screen I thought to myself "this is best fun I've ever had watching a Jackie Chan-Sammo Hung type film"...and it is, until half way where it seems to slow down.

This film plays as a comedy-action film with a hint of the dirty dozen thrown in for good measure. Jackie is a chinese cop in Japan trying to secure the release of Yuen Biao (who isn't in this film as much as I'd like him to be - he is technically better in acrobatics than Jackie).

Anyway, the police for some obsecure reason get Sammo Hung, a bad guy and force him to rescue Biao from the Japanese - but Hung won't do it without his childhood buddies, who are all of course criminals - and all have their strange quirks...the characters are quite funny to watch, for example....you've got a guy who's completley insane trying to move objects via ESP, you've got a smarmy ladies man who blows up jewelery shops, you've got the dumbo...etc, etc.

The gang are also framed for a bank robbery and are forced into the rescue of Biao...and have the cover of criminals - and 20 million...

Most of the film is set in Japan...I was expecting that it would soon forget it was in Japan - but it didn't, to be honest it did a good job to show Japanese culture, and lifestyle - but I think it didn't do the ninja thing justice.

Sure there are lots of good ninja fighting sequences, but the ninjas sometimes have suits on, sometimes they have different coloured head covers on - and they always seem to attack in daytime...when will film-makers realise that Ninja's are highly-intelligent and use the night as a weapon, as part of their stealth - to assume they are easily beaten is a mistake - its a mistake Sammo remakes in his hit TV show Martial Law (episode: Bad Seed)...

Anyway, by the end of the film you don't really care what the plot was - you never do, you know it doesn't really matter, this film is a lot of fun until mid-way where it really slows down for the sake of comedy - don't get me wrong, it is funny - but it sure gets repetitive...

The action could have been a tad better...it tenses up when Jackie, et al storm the Japanese gang's hideout (in a theme park! - I guess this is where Beverly Hills Cop 3 got their idea from!) - the tension is increased when you watch Jackie fighting it out with veteran bad guy Dick Wei...that fight is pretty good, but its not as long or as punishing as it makes it out to be.

The highlight of the film has to be the Sibelle Hu / Michiko Nishiwaki fight and just seeing Nishiwaki in black leotards is worth the money. But its a shame that Sammo Hung and his friends never get to go toe-to-toe with Nishiwaki, I mean Sammo Hung, et al, all have a weakness for women - this could have been used to great effect.

There are problems I have with this film: it ends to abruptly, why isn't there a big long fight sequence with the head of the Japanese gang? And where does he go when they've destroyed the Japanese gang?

Anyway, its a hoot - and if you keep your eyes open you might see Bolo Yeung in a cameo appearance.

Overall: 6/10

My Lucky Stars, the sequel to hit HK comedy Winners and Sinners, is another huge serving of not-so-funny slapstick humour and irritatingly puerile hi-jinx from Sammo Hung and pals; nevertheless, its still worth persevering all of this silliness for the outstanding martial arts action sequences that bookend the film.

The movie opens in excellent style with kung fu cops Muscles (Jackie Chan) and Ricky (Yuen Baio) on the trail of Japanese gangsters. After an exciting car chase with an amazing jump over a transporter lorry, and a fight against ninjas in a theme park, Ricky is taken hostage by the gang. Afraid that he will be recognised if he attempts to rescue his partner, Muscles decides to enlist the help of his old orphanage pals, most of whom are now petty criminals.

There then follows a tedious hour or so of lame comedy, in which the reunited childhood friends play repetitive practical jokes on pretty cop Barbara Woo (Sibelle Hu) and generally act like immature morons. If you can make it past this laugh-less garbage without switching off, then your patience will be rewarded with a terrific finalé in which Chan fights a series of foes in a haunted house, Sammo and friends take on the nasty gangsters (including martial arts veteran Lam Ching Ying), and a memorable moment where Sibelle Hu has a scrap with a musclebound geisha, played by Michiko Nishiwaki.

Whilst I'd happily recommend My Lucky Stars to fervent fans of fight action (and of Chan in particular), those looking for a laugh might be advised to seek their entertainment elsewhere (unless, of course, they think that curly haired bus-drivers, jokes about rape, and silly song and dance routines are incredibly funny).

6.5 out of 10, but just not good enough for me to round my rating up to 7.

This is the first sequel to "Winners and Sinners" and returns to the screen Sammo Hung, Richard Ng, Stanley Fung and Charlie Chin. Eric Tsang joins the cast and replaces John Sham. Although a majority of the original actors from the first movie returns, they all play different characters than the previous film (but are still dubbed "The Five Lucky Stars"). They portray friends from an old orphanage and team up to help Hong Kong cop Muscles (Jackie Chan) rescue his partner (Yuen Biao) from a ninja gang and recover their stolen loot of diamonds in Tokyo.

Like the first film, the main plot is loosely tied together and is not very solid. What you get throughout the movie in addition to the main ninja gang/diamond plot is a few subplots, which, however, were averagely entertaining at best. While the intro scenes for each of the "Five Lucky Star" character were amusing, especially the hilarious scene involving Rawhide (Stanley Fung) tackling with an adulteress' husband (Bolo Yeung), the scenes involving the "Five Lucky Stars" trying to woo Chief Insp. Barbara Wu (Sibelle Hu) by playing tricks on her was drawn-out, goofy and a little boring. This, and the awkward chemistry between Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and Sibelle Hu, were a distraction from the main point of the story.

The film gains traction again towards the latter half, where we get a good helping of martial arts action and some good suspense. The stunts were well choreographed and the scenes in Tokyo were a welcome departure from the usual Hong Kong streets.

While a lot more goofy and slower-paced than the previous film, it was still a treat to see the all-star cast in action and experience some of their classic Hong Kong-style humor and comedy. And, of course, the action scenes were probably the highlight of the film.

Grade C+

Jackie chan and his partner are two Hong Kong cops chasing bank robbers through an amusement park in Japan. Jackie's partner disappears. Jackie calls for help.... his old orphanage buddies, who are now low-rent crooks, with Sammo Hung the gangleader. Then Chan is missing for fifty minute, while the others hector Police Inspector Sibelle Hi like they're the SIx Marx Brothers or the Crazy Gang.

Clearly Chan is there for his old buddy Sammo. His marquee value is enormous, but he's only got a few days of shooting between his other projects, so he's dropped in strategically, and always in serious mode; ; there are several other comics in the company, fighting for screen time, including some jokes about secual harassment and a character than has gone out of style in the last third of a century. Jackie does get a bravura sequence, moving through a haunted house in the amusement park, with bad guys popping out to kill him, like FBI training at Hogan's Alley'; he must not shoot any of the exhibits because he only has a few bullets in his revolver.

This being a movie set in a foreign land -- it is Japan, after all -- they setting a setting shot to let the audience know this is Japan. So they shot a lot of it at the Fujikyu Highland amusement park..... with a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji dominating the sky line.

This film is another under the radar gem from both my favorite Martial arts stars Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. It's not quite a favorite of my nor do I feel it's one of their best in my book but still it was a fun entry all the same.

Not much to say for the film, the plot which by it's nature is a clothesline just to get the ensemble cast together, kinda like with "Oceans Eleven". I really do like the ensemble they consist mainly of comedic actors whom are really popular in the Hong Kong scene. One of my favorites of the ensemble is the guy that plays Sandy, his character is bizarre but really funny. He's suppose to be a con man that is faking craziness just to stay at the asylum for free for the meals; though the guy might have been spending a little too much time there as he's developed this delusion that he has psychic powers which of course he doesn't.

But of course were really hear for Sammo, Jackie, and even Yuen Biao despite in the film very briefly. As usually both Sammo and Jackie are really good at being their regular selves, and I really like the chemistry between both of them despite brief which is one weak point of the film for me. Even like there is a little depth on their friendship as there is a slight strain because of the fact both went different directions which just all the more want us for them to be together again.

The music is very good, I really love that end credit theme song which is another of my favorite theme songs of all time, it's has both a fun and exciting tone to it.

The comedy is solid, I really like that betting gag where someone has a hair brained scheme to make quick money which of course we easily guess doesn't work out, or where the crew is playing charades to get their eats, let alone seeing Jackie in a mascot costume which looks like one of those My Buddy dolls.

The action is great as usual, from the beginning battle at the outside of the amusement park, the confined space fight with ninjas at Jackies's home, though of course my favorite is the battle at the Haunted House which is one of my favorite battles of all time. What I love about it how it is structured, it's kinda like a video game where there are different sections which present different obstacles much like stages in video games.

And of course one of my favorite one on one with the female cop of the group against this Japanise Woman (forgot her name) whom is built and I thought is fraking hot, she definitely looks great in that ahem aerobic get up. The fight between them is both exciting and erotic, what can I say there is something about a fight between two attractive females that a turn on for me, I'm honestly not sure why.

The only bad things are not all of the comedy works, like that whole tieing up gag I thought was redundant and old, really slowed things up. Most of the ensemble don't really have much to do in the mission, it should of been more like a heist film where each team member has something to contribute. Let alone the middle was a bit slow not much happened but once the third act begun when Jackie comes back in the picture (which took a great deal of time) things got going again.

Overall this is another solid martial arts gem, if your a fan of both Jackie and Sammo then this is worth a look, it's a lucky find.

Rating: 3 stars

Jackie Chan plays a cop who is sent to Tokyo with his partner to extradite an infamous criminal. However, the crook, with the help of the underworld, kidnaps Chan's partner. Chan's cover is blown, and so he calls on some old friends for help - a group of ex-cons who were brought up in the same orphanage as him.

Starts with Jackie Chan tracking a criminal to a funfair which is a good excuse for him to climb up to the wheels and scale down the wire, and Yuen Baio and Jackie tackle some ninjas! A bright start, but it switches to comedy when the Lucky Stars led by Sammo Hung are introduced; as expected they bumble around like school kids, and in an amusing scene they try to 'get 'close' to Sibelle Hu, who is a cop. The pace is quite swift, the fights as frenetic as ever and It's an entertaining film. The lucky stars are a varied bunch of buffoons, but when the chips are down they get the job done. Plus Michiko Nishiwaki vs Sibelle fight is a must-see!

First off, Yuen Biao is in maybe a total of 15 minutes in the movie (I'm being generous). Jackie is in the first 10 minutes of the movie. Then the last half hour. Now that I got that out of the way, let me tell you what you do get in this movie, a comedy staring Sammo Hung and the other guys. It's a funny movie and I enjoyed it. Even whatever fight seens there are, they are good. I recommend you rent it first.

Even for a Sammo movie, this was terrible.. I wonder who wrote his scripts, because they are all so simplistic and boring. As if they thought location (Fuji-Q Highland in Japan), a few action scenes, and a "cute" girl is enough to call this a photoplay.

I'm appalled at how 2/3 of the movie is the "guys" getting to where the movie started. The gags in between aren't even funny by today's standards. Impressive to see this being a good movie at the time..

Waste of your time.. specially if you came because you saw Arale in the poster.

This movie was very funny! Sammo Hung has a true sense of humor. There was more comedy than action present, but it works out just fine. Jackie isn't the star of the movie. I think it works out better that way. The movie wasn't meant to be all action, but comedy mostly. The cameos were excellent!! Dick Wei's usual villainous role doesn't surprise me, but he shows off his moves and throws down in this movie!! Jackie, Yuen, and Sammo's chemistry on screen is incredible. I wonder when they trained at the Peking Opera School, did they ever think that they would use their skills on screen? Anyway, Eric Tsang is a very funny, versatile actor. His childish antics in this movie are hilarious. If you want to watch hilarious HK comedy, go meet the Lucky Stars!! They're all that and a bag of Kung Fu.