1997 offering from Stephen Chow, and one of the least funny movies he's ever made. Perhaps it's the absence of Ng Man-Tat, perhaps it's the choice of the majorly annoying Eric Kot as his sidekick - whatever it is, this movie just doesn't work. The production values are high, the plot adheres to the proven Chow formula and as usual Stephen assembles a good supporting cast (inclusing Karen Mok and Chingmy Yau), but the movie just doesn't get off the ground.

Set in Canton in 1899, Chow plays a lawyer who's also a known prankster. This part of the movie actually features some comedic setpieces that work (most notably a contraption involving cubicles, water and a pig's tongue...), but once the story shifts to HK, where Chow's assistant Eric Kot has been accused of murder, the movie just dies. Watch Hail the Judge or Justice, my Foot instead...

On a sidenote, the judge in the HK court is played by Paul Fonoroff -- perhaps that's what soured me on the movie. I don't mind his movie reviews (he's entitled to his opinion), nor does it bother me if he feels he wants to work as an extra in HK movies, but the guy is not an actor, and seeing him embarass himself in a fairly substantial speaking part like this (or as the British ambassador in OUATIC2) is more than I can bear, especially considering how he always decries the lack of professionalism in HK movies...

I watched the VCD, which is letterboxed with readable subtitles, as the DVD is apparently fullframe...