Godfather of Canton by Kuei Chih Hung (1982)
18 July 2008Certainly not as good as when Gordon Liu partnered with his adopted brother Lau Kar Leung, but you can’t go wrong with any movie that starts with him posing in a suit with a Thompson Submachine Gun. Not too much character development, but bloody violence with fake machine guns throughout make this film worth checking out.
An Envoy from Beijing Inspector Zhi Cheng has come to Canton to root out corruption, but he is almost killed, but saved thanks to the quick thinking of a coolie named Lin Si Hai (Gordon Liu Chia Hui) who was working at the docks with his his handicapped friend Wai. The Inspector orders the Commissioner Luo Guo Dong to give Lin a job before he heads back to Beijing. Lin goes in all proud, but he is made to sweep the floors, but when he sees the corruption, he sees he can move up, and starts tipping off a local triad boss Jin Tian Fu (Guk Fung) of raids in exchange for money. He also shows the commissioner the corruption in the precinct and becomes an inspector, but that doesn’t last long. He gets the commissioner’s wife to start a casino, and gets the commissioner to become corrupt, by letter Lin go off and become a local thug.
REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS...
Lin befriends and starts dating the head of the local piers, Sister Bao (Linda Chu), and they start taking over all they can, even trying to kill Jin Tian Fu, but missing. And because of it Lin Si Hai barely escapes from Wai’s wedding, which becomes a massacre.
And finally the Envoy returns and arrests the commissioner, and goes after Lin, getting his men, and then Sister Bao is killed, and is about to get Lin, but the General Feng has betrayed him and killed his boss, and has come for him. And finally because Lin believes in loyalty, just like he always supported his friend Wai, he helps the commissioner, and they kill the henchman, though Lin is killed, and then the Envoy goes and kills the betraying commisioner, before he is killed.
And we see the Envoy and Lin meeting up in Hell, still loyal.
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A fun enough romp. I love the Thommy guns and period clothing. I wish there were more movies made in this period!
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