MOVIE REVIEW: FROM VEGAS TO MACAU (HONG KONG, 2014)

“FROM VEGAS TO MACAU” PRESS REVIEW

 賭城風雲 (2014) 

I am no smartie on the subject of tricky flipping cards or dices, the actual gambling or otherwise. But I daresay I enjoyed the movie. Immensely.

It’s one stress buster to boot.

You just have to hand it to the 58 year old Hong Kong director WONG JING for dispensing with the tickles.

 He is an established businessman and one of Hong Kong’s highest-grossing filmmakers for almost three decades.

With the long years in show business, he knows where to tap the money and judging from this movie among others, which is deliberately crafted to coincide with the apt timing of the Spring festivities.

CHOW YUN FAT and writer-director WONG JING happily unite on the casino floor in this light-hearted action comedy.

“FROM VEGAS TO MACAU” boasts a refreshing new team comprising of CHOW YUN-FAT, NICHOLAS TSE and CHAPMAN TO to provide all rib-tickling escapades. Plus the pow-wow action.

CHOW plays a legendary gambler who has recently retired as a casino security consultant in Las Vegas and moved back to his Macau hometown. NICHOLAS and CHAPMAN are unassuming kids who earnestly aspire to become the master’s proteges.

Yes, this movie is is culled from the fourth installment of the GOD OF GAMBLERS series where CHOW reprises his role as the titular protagonist again after hanging up his shoes with his 1994′s GOD OF GAMBLERS RETURNS.

WONG JING is the suave entrepreneur and he knows where to place his bet when he has a potential box office hit on his hands.

 The subject?

Gambling with loads of non-stop action thrown in.

Even if the rest of the world will not nod their heads, the rest of Hong Kong will.

Hong Kongers  have no qualms about hitting the cinemas and laughing out loud to kill  claustrophobic boredom and stress.

The plot revolves around Ken (played by Chow), Cool (Nicholas Tse), and Karl (Chapman To) who, together, develop a scheme to defeat an evil money-laundering boss, Mr Ko.

Ko seems to escape even under the closest scrutiny by the police. When Cool’s half-brother Lionel (PHILIP NG) an undercover cop and father (BENZE HUI) are maimed, things got personal. Ken’s daughter Rainbow (TONG FEI) is also taken forcefully along the way.

 CHOW YUN FAT sails back in style in a role that calls for flirting with alluring ladies and spouting utter nonsense. Only he can get away with the silly jokes.

While this film reunites Wong and Chow on a familiar theme, it is not a God Of Gamblers sequel. Instead of world-famous gambler Ko Chun, Chow plays a character named Ken here, another legendary figure.

“FROM VEGAS TO MACAU” is everything an entertaining movie should be.

It is smart in some places and silly in others.

That said, it is potent to the point of being charming with great funny moments.

Go for it.

Rating: 3 out of 5

(Click this link for the official Movie Trailer)

FROM VEGAS TO MACAU Movie Trailer