I’ve just realised the movies getting reviewed are getting older by 15 years each time. I think you’ll all be glad to know I don’t have any movies from the 60’s in my possession right now so you can all relax.
Moving right along… The Private Eyes is a collection of semi-related skits by the Hui brothers, Michael, Sam and Ricky who all play characters working in a private detective business. Joseph Wong (Michael Hui) is a stingy boss that loves taking out his calculator every time an employee breaks something. RIP the poor calculator that finally carks it when Lee Kwok Kit (Sam Hui) goes on a wild car chase that’s ends up stripping the car of everything but the tyres, seats and steering wheel. Funnily enough, the stunts and comedy Sam gets thrown into has a bit of a Jackie Chan-esque feel to it. It must the hair. Ricky always seems to get roles of supporting characters that get thrown to the way-side after a few scenes. You’d think with his brother, Michael, writing and directing he’d get a bit more screen time. In The Private Eyes, Ricky plays Puffer, a stuttering bumbling fellow who’s a lot more sharp-witted than his clumsy exterior belies.
This movie has a dig at everyone; the rich, the poor and everyone in between. Amidst all the comedy there is an underlying moral; the poor have it tough, but hitting it rich and losing compassion and friends is not worth it at all. The Private Eyes opens up with the working class song, Half Pound Eight Ounces (same as the Chinese name of the movie), written and performed by Sam. It sums up the injustice and oppression suffered by the poor in a catchy, light-hearted tune that would be remembered for decades to come.
The most memorable moments would be watching that kung fu fight that was sparked off by a most clichéd misunderstanding: I think you stole my wallet so I’m going to whack you silly with flying woks and sausages. I’m not quite sure what a rubberised shark’s jaw was doing in the kitchen but watching a face off between Jaws and Bruce Lee (Joseph and his sausages) was definitely worth it. This is only the beginning of the kung fu treats we get thrown. Later in a supermarket against shoplifters we watch another Bruce Lee impersonation, this time by Kit playing it cool while his opponent shows off his random styles of martial arts. Needless to say Kit never receives a blow and it is another happy ending with the thief captured and lying unconscious in Aisle 13.
What is amazing about this trio of comedians is (dare I say it?) the chemistry they have on screen. The jokes just bounce back and forth between them without so much a blink of an eye. You have got to love Michael’s ability to keep a straight face through the most ridiculous of scenes. My personal favourite and the one I haven’t managed to forget in years: performing exercises on a chicken carcass according to the instructions on an aerobics show. Whoever came up with that idea can get a slap of the back for conjuring up the most outrageously stupid yet funniest scene of all time.
I guess you could say my judgement is clouded by nostalgia and that this review is biased. The jokes and gags are predictable for the most part, but you do get a few surprises thrown in. The movie may be 30 years old, but without the bad hair and clothes as evidence, you’d never know it. The message that Michael and Sam is throwing at us is delivered loud and clear. For those of us that can’t buy everything: life is shit, but it’s the journey that matters. I don't know about you but I sure as hell believe that even 3 decades down the track.
© Gonzo
I'm sorry, flat ironed out hair just doesn't look good. On anyone. Fullstop. You'd think artists would learn mistakes from their fellow colleagues and those that walked before them. I'm beginning to think that HK just has a distorted taste for hair. That said, that hairstyle has been worn worse by others so Raymond gets less contempt than he deserves.
And then I saw this. Last I heard, he was hitting late 20's. Returning to schoolboy childhood already? Or would that be 70's boyband? It's the fringe... I just can't get over the fringe. And those wavy curls. It's so not natural. Just once I'd like to rid HK of hair products just to see how everyone will survive.
