Reviewed by: mrblue Date: 03/23/2011 While it is not a bad film in any way and is, in fact, is enjoyable for the most part, Once a Gangster can't quite hit the upper tier of Hong Kong comedies. Most of this is due to the unevenness of Chong's output. As solid as much of this movie is, many scenes feeling like they are either running too long or two short, or are too dark and muddled visually. Perhaps the budget of this film was too small to do any sort of reshoots, but whatever the case, the somewhat amateurish lack of polish to the finished picture keeps Once a Gangster from becoming an outstanding movie. Reviewer Score: 6