6/10
An above average gambling-gangster epic, but unfortunately too much of a sensory overload on Chow Yun-Fat.
7 February 2013
First off, most likely the reason your interested in this film to begin with is because of Chow Yun-Fat. Well in that case this movie is the absolute "Chow-iest of the Chow". Interpretation is up to the viewer and this is why: Traditionally CYF divides the charisma of his typecast roles into three genres: Light-hearted comedies, witty romance-dramas, or violent crime-dramas. Sometimes he may blend 1 or 2 of these genre- based roles together in one feature, however in God of Gamblers we have a blend of all three. Unfortunately the writing doesn't make this a positive attribute, as the movie feels like a disjointed combination of two main separate roles for CYF. For instance here, gangster and toddler. Yes, Chow plays both a gangster and a toddler. The film IS as strange as that sounds. If you have an affinity for the actor and are prepared to suspend your disbelief however, this is a very fun movie with silliness and violence slapped across the entire run time. Chow plays Ko Chun, "The God of Gamblers" who becomes a magical legend of every casino he enters. A problem arises where one day he loses his memory due to an unexpected incident, and becomes a silly wandering man-child. By coincidence he meets Andy Lau a low level street thug, and after some misadventures together Chow is able to slowly remember the legend that he was, and then will continue to enforce. Despite a horribly bizarre portion of the film being dedicated to an infantile CYF, overall God of Gamblers is a fun ride with an epic ending which will leave you highly entertained plus eager to go out and gamble. In conclusion, the TVB CYF and John Woo CYF don't mix well, but a bipolar CYF translates to ridiculous fun on-screen. -6/10
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