From Vegas to Macau (2014) - Chow Yun Fat & Wong Jing Re-visit the God of Gamblers!

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

Return is a real stinker.... it's bookended by a decent opening and ending, but the rest is crap.

[One Armed Boxer]

Return is a real stinker.... it's bookended by a decent opening and ending, but the rest is crap.

ROTGOG is a guilty pleasure for me, yes it's completely different tonally from the original, but it has Chow back in the main role doing what he does best, top it off with a heap of Wong Jing insanity / banality (depending on your perspective), and it makes for quite an unexpected fun time. For me it works in much the same way 'A Better Tomorrow 2' is completely different than the original...take it for what it is, and there's a lot to be enjoyed.

[Phoenix]

I haven't seen it for a while but the original film was a favourite of mine. What do people think of the non CYF one- is it Legend of the God of Gamblers or something else? Not one of the comedies. I forget the title right now.

[the moose]

I enjoyed ROGOG years back but been so long since I watched it. Whats really interesting is that the movie has scenes shot in both mainland china and taiwan. The only movie I am aware of that features both countries. In ROGOG the chinese police are portrayed as corrupt and inept and there are some anti communist references in there. Like when Elvis Tsui's hard nose mainland cop character finally arrives in Taiwan and when Tony Leung breaks the news to him that he is in Taiwan, Elvis Tsui is like "Yeh, I'm finally free". I guess this had heavy censorship issues in the mainland. Taiwan would have reacted harshly if they were the ones portrayed as corrupt and the mainland noble.

[AlbertV]

Here is a photo from the set of the new film. It is Chow Yun-Fat returning as Ko Chun and the woman in the photo is FIRST STRIKE's Annie Wu as his secretary. It looks like as of now, it is being called FROM VEGAS TO MACAU.

[DiP]

The first one is an absolute classic. Can't remember much of the sequel.

I'm not sure about this one. Never been a Wong Jing fan although he has done some good movies in the past. But can he make good movies these says? Haven't heard of one in a long time.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

he can if he wants to..... though seemingly he rarely wants to:bigsmile:

[AlbertV]

The film has a new title: The Man from Macau and it seems Chow is not returning as Ko Chun, the God of Gamblers, but rather an GOG-inspired character named 'Hendrick'.

Here is the trailer:

X0L_jihNxM0

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

Could've done without Chapman To and his stupid hair, but other that, I might give this a go.

[One Armed Boxer]

Thumbs up from Twitch! Looks like it'll be more in the vein of 'Return of the God of Gamblers' than the original, but that's fully expected considering it's being touted as a Lunar New Year movie. Count me in...

http://twitchfilm.com/2014/01/review-from-vegas-to-macau.html

[Asmo]

Saw this today, was quite fun.

Above average for a Lunar New Year film. The story was enjoyable and some of the gags had the entire audience in stitches.

Chow's character was referred to as "Ken" in the subtitles, not "Hendrick" as per the trailer.

[One Armed Boxer]

Saw this today, was quite fun.

Above average for a Lunar New Year film. The story was enjoyable and some of the gags had the entire audience in stitches.

Hey Asmo, I almost went to check this out at the cinema on George Street today as well, then saw the big red strip in the corner of the movie poster which said 'Presented in Mandarin with Cantonese & English subtitles'....which put me off. It's pretty sad that the original language of the movie is presented as subtitles instead of the audio!

Guess I'll wait for the DVD on this one.

[Asmo]

Hey Asmo, I almost went to check this out at the cinema on George Street today as well, then saw the big red strip in the corner of the movie poster which said 'Presented in Mandarin with Cantonese & English subtitles'....which put me off. It's pretty sad that the original language of the movie is presented as subtitles instead of the audio!

Guess I'll wait for the DVD on this one.

Yeah, I know. That irked me a little but it wasn't enough to stop me from seeing it (I had to use my voucher for something haha). It's the opposite of most DVD's where the original language is Cantonese but the English subtitles use pinyin for names and virtually everything else.

From memory, the only cinema that shows HK films consistently in Cantonese is the Hoyts in Chatswood?

[gwailosforever]

Yeah, I know. That irked me a little but it wasn't enough to stop me from seeing it (I had to use my voucher for something haha). It's the opposite of most DVD's where the original language is Cantonese but the English subtitles use pinyin for names and virtually everything else.

From memory, the only cinema that shows HK films consistently in Cantonese is the Hoyts in Chatswood?

Really?! HK movies are now shown only dubbed in Mandarin except for one cinema?!!!

[Sheng]

Really?! HK movies are now shown only dubbed in Mandarin except for one cinema?!!!

Nonsense! The film's shown in Cantonese all over HK and in Guangdong. Mandarin prints are only used outside areas, where Cantonese is the lingua franca. The only person speaking his lines in Puthongua in the Canto version is money-laundering mastermind Gao Hu. Which makes sense...

[One Armed Boxer]

I almost went to check this out at the cinema on George Street today as well, then saw the big red strip in the corner of the movie poster which said 'Presented in Mandarin with Cantonese & English subtitles'

Really?! HK movies are now shown only dubbed in Mandarin except for one cinema?!!!

Nonsense! The film's shown in Cantonese all over HK and in Guangdong.

Just to be clear guys....George Street & Chatswood are cinemas in the Sydney area of Australia, where yes, the movie is being shown dubbed in Mandarin. Of course in places like HK & Guangdong where the local dialect is Cantonese, I'd expect it to be shown in Cantonese (it'd be a lot like going to watch a Hollywood movie here, only to find it dubbed into a language other than English if it wasn't!).

From memory, the only cinema that shows HK films consistently in Cantonese is the Hoyts in Chatswood?

I'm not sure about this myself. The only movie I've watched there was 'The Viral Factor' a couple of years ago, which was in it's original language. On a sidenote, I remember being blown away by the audio visual carnage that played out on screen when I watched it there. When I picked up the DVD and watched it for a second time at home, I lost count of the number of times I said to myself, "Hmm, this doesn't make sense!" I guess the power of cinema can sometimes blind us to logic!

[Asmo]

Really?! HK movies are now shown only dubbed in Mandarin except for one cinema?!!!

Yes, given that my post was referring to cinemas in Sydney, Australia. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

Just to be clear guys....George Street & Chatswood are cinemas in the Sydney area of Australia, where yes, the movie is being shown dubbed in Mandarin. Of course in places like HK & Guangdong where the local dialect is Cantonese, I'd expect it to be shown in Cantonese (it'd be a lot like going to watch a Hollywood movie here, only to find it dubbed into a language other than English if it wasn't!).

I'm not sure about this myself. The only movie I've watched there was 'The Viral Factor' a couple of years ago, which was in it's original language. On a sidenote, I remember being blown away by the audio visual carnage that played out on screen when I watched it there. When I picked up the DVD and watched it for a second time at home, I lost count of the number of times I said to myself, "Hmm, this doesn't make sense!" I guess the power of cinema can sometimes blind us to logic!

Thanks for clearing that up.

I suppose it may also depend on the prints the cinemas get, as some might specifically ask for a specific dialect (watching both films there I heard more Mandarin spoken than Cantonese).

The Hoyts at Broadway showed Ip Man 2 in Canto, but maybe that was what they were given.

I'd agree about it blinding us to logic, and at the same time unless we're there to specifically review it or look for certain things we're there to enjoy it and any questions usually surface once the movie finishes.

[One Armed Boxer]

Kozo over at lovehkfilm clocked in with his thoughts on the movie recently -

http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/from_vegas_to_macau.html

[KUNG FU BOB]

I put this in on Wednesday night and watched it. I wanted something light, silly and fun, with maybe a little bit of action. This was film was exactly that.

It's a Wong Jing film, both written and directed by him. If you've seen even two films by him, then you will likely have a good idea of what to expect. Though this one is not nearly as zany and out of the blue as his '90s films were. For instance in his DIE HARD rip-off / Jackie Chan parody HIGH RISK, one of the terrorists just happened to have a bag full of reptiles on him, which he used to dump into a toilet stall where a female hostage was hiding. Can you imagine that terrorist's prep for the attack? "Knife? Check. Gun? Check. Ammo? Check. Bag of reptiles? Check." But I digress...

This film's announcement was the cause of a lot of excitement for any fans of Chow Yun Fat's action-comedy gambling films, like the classic GOD OF GAMBLERS (1989). Did I enjoy it as much as that film? No. But it was still good to see Chow back in a "genius gambler" role, looking like he was having a good time, and as charismatic as ever. There isn't a whole lot in the way of plot, so I won't bother to say more than Chow's character is an amazing gambler, and a rival wants to force him to play again. (Edit: I just read Kozo's review, linked in the post above, and it nails it. So if you want a more traditional review than my slipshod post of random thoughts, I recommend you read it.)

Chapman To as the "comic sidekick didn't get under my skin as much as these types of characters typically do. I just didn't think he was very amusing. The ladies are a beautiful lot, with the agent chick- Jing Tian I believe, especially gorgeous! I also thought that John Zhang Jin had some impressive kung fu moves as the bad guy's enforcer. When he and Nicholas Tse got ready to square off- especially since I've seen how hard Nick has been working on his martial arts skills via training videos- I had high expectations. Sadly, I thought the resulting fight was only just "good" and nothing too special. But there's also a shootout, some good gambling scenes, romance, comedy hijinks, and Chow winds up throwing deadly playing cards like X-Men's Gambit.

Great "cameo" at the end.

6.5/10

[kami]

The story lacks a strong ark like the original GOD OF GAMBLERS had, the humor is lame, even by Wong Jing-standards and the whole mess is much too long. At least the action is good, Chow Yun-Fat is funny (even if he resembles more his DIARY OF A BIG MAN-persona than the ultra cool Ko Chun from his two original GOG-flicks) and the ending including the credits song left me with a pleasant nostalgic feeling.

[David Rees]

I thought it was awful to be honest.

Painful embarrassing humour, a plot that just got more and more stupid as it went on and a few good action scenes thrown in for good measure.

I normally enjoy Wong Jing's movies but this just sucked.

[the moose]

I thought it was awful to be honest.

Painful embarrassing humour, a plot that just got more and more stupid as it went on and a few good action scenes thrown in for good measure.

I normally enjoy Wong Jing's movies but this just sucked.

I normally enjoy Wong Jing movies too, something of a guilty pleasure. Is FVTM really that bad? I heard some good things about it. The should have made a REAL God of Gamblers 3 (not the stephen chow ones as in GOG 2 & 3 - Which I do have and quite enjoy - but a proper 3rd installment of the Chow Yun Fat 'Do San' character GOG) Although very different in tone and style I really enjoyed the GOG and ROGOG

[the moose]

I put this in on Wednesday night and watched it. I wanted something light, silly and fun, with maybe a little bit of action. This was film was exactly that.

It's a Wong Jing film, both written and directed by him. If you've seen even two films by him, then you will likely have a good idea of what to expect. Though this one is not nearly as zany and out of the blue as his '90s films were. For instance in his DIE HARD rip-off / Jackie Chan parody HIGH RISK, one of the terrorists just happened to have a bag full of reptiles on him, which he used to dump into a toilet stall where a female hostage was hiding. Can you imagine that terrorist's prep for the attack? "Knife? Check. Gun? Check. Ammo? Check. Bag of reptiles? Check." But I digress...

This film's announcement was the cause of a lot of excitement for any fans of Chow Yun Fat's action-comedy gambling films, like the classic GOD OF GAMBLERS (1989). Did I enjoy it as much as that film? No. But it was still good to see Chow back in a "genius gambler" role, looking like he was having a good time, and as charismatic as ever. There isn't a whole lot in the way of plot, so I won't bother to say more than Chow's character is an amazing gambler, and a rival wants to force him to play again. (Edit: I just read Kozo's review, linked in the post above, and it nails it. So if you want a more traditional review than my slipshod post of random thoughts, I recommend you read it.)

Chapman To as the "comic sidekick didn't get under my skin as much as these types of characters typically do. I just didn't think he was very amusing. The ladies are a beautiful lot, with the agent chick- Jing Tian I believe, especially gorgeous! I also thought that John Zhang Jin had some impressive kung fu moves as the bad guy's enforcer. When he and Nicholas Tse got ready to square off- especially since I've seen how hard Nick has been working on his martial arts skills via training videos- I had high expectations. Sadly, I thought the resulting fight was only just "good" and nothing too special. But there's also a shootout, some good gambling scenes, romance, comedy hijinks, and Chow winds up throwing deadly playing cards like X-Men's Gambit.

Great "cameo" at the end.

6.5/10

Thats a great write-up Bob. I suppose expecting the same entertainment quality as the 1990's Wong Jing stuff would be expecting a little too much. To be honest my expectations are quite low to begin with for this movie. But I was pleasently surprised with The Last Tycoon.

[KUNG FU BOB]

Thats a great write-up Bob. I suppose expecting the same entertainment quality as the 1990's Wong Jing stuff would be expecting a little too much. To be honest my expectations are quite low to begin with for this movie. But I was pleasently surprised with The Last Tycoon.

Thanks man.

I was also surprised by THE LAST TYCOON and Wong Jing's directing taking a serious turn. Though mostly positive, I had mixed feelings about the film. If you're interested I posted about here (7th post): http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18833&highlight=TYCOON

[One Armed Boxer]

I pretty much concur with KFB's comments on this, and ironically we also watched it within 24 hours of each other. 'From Vegas to Macau' is all about Chow Yun Fat, and without him the movie would no doubt be a complete disaster, however at the same time, if there was no Chow Yun Fat there'd also probably be no 'From Vegas to Macau', so it's all about balance.

Chow hams it up throughout with a complete lack of pretension that harks back to the crazy HK lunar new year movies of yesteryear - he sings, dances, gurns, and all manner of silliness - however effortlessly pulls off the charisma and charm he's so well known for. & as KFB mentions, anyone who's seen the card throwing hijinks on board the ship in Wong Jing's version of 'City Hunter' with Jackie Chan, will find Chow's card tricks at the end of this movie remarkably familiar, right down to the setting.

A lot of people have commented in previous reviews that Nicolas Tse's performance is really bland here. To a point I'd agree, however I think his character is supposed to come across as a little dour in comparison to the others. Again Philip Ng continues his streak of being "the supporting actor that can", as he does his usual routine as found in the likes of 'Naked Soldier' and 'Princess and Seven Kung Fu Masters' of turning up, delivering a fight scene, then disappearing.

While all of the humor is typical of Wong Jing's output, Chapman To does stand out as being mildly irritating for me, especially in his efforts to woo Chow's daughter, proving there's a fine line between silliness and stupidity. To's performance definitely falls into the latter. However for me most of the comedy worked, and as with any Wong Jing movie, we also get some female eye candy, this time in the form of Jiang Tian, here easily making up for starring in the Donnie Yen stinker 'Special ID'.

I agree with kami that the movie lacks a strong story arc, I also love both GOG and ROTGOG, and while the tone of these movies was wildly different, they both gave strong reasons which have us rooting for Chow in the finale. That motivation isn't present in 'From Vegas to Macau', instead the finale is much more about CGI card shenanigans, with the fact his daughter is locked in a room about to fill with poisonous gas hardly even registering, however the cameo at the end should be enought to leave everyone smiling.

All in all definitely worth checking out, just go in with the right expectations.

**POSSIBLE SPOILER**

PS What on earth was going on with Chow's ability to mimic bullet sound effects!? That whole thing was a bit of a head scratcher for me, and as out there as Wong Jing's movies can get, this seemed a little bit too out there for the tone of the movie.