I watched this movie a while ago and really liked it. Then I read the Louis Cha novel much of the plot is based on, and rewatched the film - that was quite the eye opener! I had never realized how much we in the west are missing in these movies, not being familiar with the language and the source material...

Anyway, on with the review: Stephen Chow plays Wei Siu-Bo, a smooth talker who grew up in a brothel and who by accident becomes involved in the resistance movement: He joins triads who are opposed to the Manchus and are trying to restore the Ming dynasty. Ordered by his triad sifu to go undercover into the Forbidden City to steal a book, he accidentally goes into the lineup for people applying to be a eunuch instead of people applying to be a regular servant. From here on in, he becomes involved in a comedy of errors, pretending to be a eunuch, becoming a double agent for both the triads and the emporer, flirting with any woman in sight (and there are plenty of gorgeous ones in this movie, including Chingmy Yau, Cheung Man, Fennie Yuen, as well as Michelle Reis and Brigitte Lin in part 2) and fighting against the Empress Dowager, who may not be what she seems, and one of the ministers, played by Elvis Tsui.

If you don't know the novel, the plot might be a bit confusing, but the high production values and well-staged action scenes more than make up for that. This movie is gorgeous to look at, and offers everything I love about wuxia pictures (flying people, magical kung fu stances, exotic weapons, over the top acting etc.). Highly recommended (get the Media Asia release, not the Mei Ah discs).