‘Fatty’ Lung and ‘Baldy’ Mak are two gung-ho officers in the HK police force who are trying to bring down a powerful cocaine drugs lord known as Prince Tak. Nicknamed the ‘7-11 Cops’ as they provide a service 24/7, they create chaos whenever they go due to their habit of bending some of the rules. Their unorthodox style brings them results much to the delight of their boss. The police commissioner might not like what they do but the duo’s boss usually smooths things over so the pair can escape scott free from any punishment. Whilst trying to arrest a lady-boy who is smuggling drugs, they are accused of sexually molesting a woman at a shop (she’s a member of the criminal gang) and then to confound things even further whilst running after a suspect they completely wreck the Police Commissioner’s wedding. The duo are ordered to take a holiday whilst things cool down and go over to Singapore when they meet a couple of women. They are convinced to quit their jobs and start a karaoke business with the woman funding their venture. On coming back to Hong Kong and giving their resignation notices to their boss, they are drawn back to the Prince Tak case when Baldy’s girlfriend is threatened by his goons. Baldy and Fatty vow to take down Prince Tak, his brother and their workers once and for all setting up for an explosive climax.
Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon isn’t one of Sammo Hung’s most celebrated works thanks to the thin basic plot and so-so comedy. It’s your standard HK ‘buddy cop’ movie which is elevated above average thanks to the fantastic fight action on show. It doesn’t help that the main plot comes to a grinding halt about half-way through the movie and goes on a pointless diversion when our two heroes go to Singapore. It hinders the story. Thankfully things get back on track when they arrive back in Hong Kong. Depending on whether you like Karl Maka’s silly comedy, you may find him getting on your nerves after a while although some of the humour is well done. I did laugh when the duo break into a suspect’s apartment and come face to face with a fierce alsation dog. Baldy tells the dog to put his paws up and face the wall. Seeing the dog actually do that is very funny. The real highlight is the action scenes especially when performed by Sammo Hung. He does a very good impression of Bruce Lee and the way he fights considering his bulk frame is amazing. It’s obvious that some of the fights are a tribute to Bruce Lee himself. The choreography for the action alone is worth checking the movie out such as Sammo battling a gang of jewel thieves who are all wearing Sesame Street masks, the trashing of a restaurant and the superb finale which sees him taking on the baddies with some nunchukas. The climatic fight between Sammo and the knife-wielding chief villain played by Lau Kar Wing is superb. You can see that Karl and Sammo are comfortable in each other’s company as it shows on screen. They have great chemistry due to having worked together in the past on some rather good martial arts movies.
This is still a great light-hearted comedy action movie to watch despite its flaws thanks to the excellent martial arts action on display and some hilarious comedic moments. Well worth having a look.
Sadako’s Rating: 3 stars out of 5
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