Synopsis: A young, successful Hong Kong businessman drifts onto a rural island, after he is pushed overboard from his boat by an angry girlfriend. Mistaken for an illegal immigrant and keeping his identity secret, he is forced to work and hide in a family run grocery store where he soon falls for the owners daughter. (108 Mins)

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Views: This early 90s rom-com from Golden Harvest and Wins Movie Productions, proved to be quite the hit upon release with director Wong Jing in top form and a strong cast behind him. That said, it doesn't offer much that we haven't seen before, but still has a charm about it that makes for a fun watch. Andy Lau plays Lung Ka Chun, a wealthy businessman who is into real-estate, driving nice cars, and is hounded by his mum to marry anyone she seemingly introduces. While out on a boat trip with his latest lady-friend, Lung gets pushed overboard by here and left to fend for himself as she takes the boat away. Floating about in the shark invested waters, Lung soon makes his way to the shore of a rural island with a host of illegal immigrants who have swam in from the mainland and soon find themselves on the run from the police. This results in a chase through the streets, with Andy making his escape in some pretty-tight speedos – which was a welcome sight, I must say! Hiding in a nearby home, Lung is soon found and captured by mother and daughter team, Deannie Yip and Sharla Cheung Man, who mistake him for an illegal mainlander. Lung decides to play along for a while so he can escape the rat-race and let those in his life worry for a bit. At the same time, Moon (Cheung) has gotten a job at Lung's business in the city, working with her cousin Charmy (May Lo) and hounded by Lung's assistant Martin. As expected, complications naturally arise as love starts to blossom and truths come to light that test relationships and proving that love conquers all...

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While not amazing in any way, Dances With Dragon is an enjoyable rom-com that doesn't suffer from the usual crass humour or too much mo-lei-tau that would normally be seen in a Chow Sing Chi or wackier Wong Jing production. Instead, the humour often comes across in a silly-but-cute kind of way, just ever so slightly dipping its toe into mo-lei-tau territory. That usually comes about when the hilarious and recently departed, Ng Man Tat, appears. Ng plays Andy's right-hand man – his only lifeline to the real world while in hiding, who keeps his boss up-to-date with what's happening at home and often getting himself into some crazy situations to help keep his cover. Sharla Cheung Man gets to offer a more comedic role than usual as the Lantau Island resident who gets a job in the big city with the help of her cousin Charmy, played by May Lo Mei Wei. As per usual, Cheung is always a joy to watch and seems to be having fun here getting in on some hilarious moments, as well as getting to be the Belle of the ball. The always amazing Deannie Yip stars as her mother, a sweet and comical lady who tries her hand at cheating people for a few extra dollars, whether its at mahjong or pretending to heal them with her kung-fu. Actor and director in his own right, Alfred Cheung, plays Martin – assistant to Lau's character in the business and potential brother-in-law to his boss, with his sister Diana (played by Yvonne Yung Hung) currently dating Lung. Wu Ma plays an island cop called Uncle Prawn who has a long-time connection to Ng Man Tat's character of Uncle Fly, and older character actor, Bau Hon Lam from God Of Gamblers, plays Uncle Chow – a pain-in-the-arse businessman who likes to degrade Lung when possible and trick him out of a deal.

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With a few other regular faces popping up throughout, such as Paul Chu, Tan Lap man, Ridley Tsui, John Ching, and Wong Yat Fei, Dances With Dragon proves to be an easy watch. Although some of it's jokes may appeal more to a local audience, there's still enough going on to entertain the more unfamiliar audience. While it could have been snipped by 10 or 15 minutes, the charm of it's cast and tidy direction of Wong Jing keep you glued. And from a period when Hong Kong cinema was rife with martial-arts action, triad stories, and gambling thrillers, it must have been a great chance for it's leading man to breathe considering it was only 1 of 14 incredible titles he starred in that year – from Ann Hui's Zodiac Killers to the hilarious Tricky Brains with Chow Sing Chi, and from the incredible Saviour Of The Soul to Wong Kar Wai's highly praised, Days Of Being Wild, it's seems there was no stopping this man. Dances With Dragon proves to be a much more relaxed experience than the majority of those other offerings in 1991, but it still shows what a great comic actor Andy Lau is, along with those that joined him on-screen!

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Overall: While it's not incredible by any means, Dances With Dragon is a charming rom-com with a great cast and many funny moments!