Security Unlimited (1981)
Reviewed by: cal42 on 2008-01-03
Michael, Ricky and Sam are security guards who are, of course, not terribly good at what they do. Some semblance of a story comes into it about an hour into the film about Ricky saving a family of mainlanders who have arrived in Hong Kong and have nowhere to stay. But mainly it’s just a string of gags and zany situations cobbled together to make 90 minutes’ worth of material.

The material, though, is pretty darned good. Which is to say, there are a lot of duff gags in there, but there are so many you’re bound to find one you like sooner rather than later. Most of the humour is quite cartoon-like, and if this is your bag you’re bound to have a chuckle. Some humour is also derived from the inclusion of Hong Kong’s best straight man, Fung Shui-Fan, who is the new boss of the security company.

There’s really not much more that can be said about SECURITY UNLIMITED, good as it is. It’s incredibly lightweight and demanding, but is probably the best Hui Brothers comedy featuring all three. One observation I did make, though, is the girl Ricky gets a crush on goes down the old “no money = prostitution” route. This happens so often in Hong Kong films I’m starting to worry. Selling your body is one of the worst things a woman can do, but they’re always jumping at the chance to be a whore in Hong Kong films. It’s starting to feel like I’m being told there are millions of Chinese girls who think, “oh dear, I’m short of cash this month – I’d better get on the game.”

Anyway, good film!
Reviewer Score: 8