DVD Synopsis: Two down-at-heel petty crooks, nicknamed Rice Barrel (Sammo Hung) and Chimney (Frankie Chan), are students of the Fagin-esque Master Kim. When the pair become involved in the matter of some stolen diamonds, they find themselves trapped between a local gang boss and the police. With no-where to run, Rice Barrel and Chimney must use their wits and physical skills to save the day. (102 Mins)

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Views: It's been quite some time since I last sat down to this fantastically fun Sammo Hung flick, but I do remember watching Carry On Pickpocket at least once a week when I first got it. Opening with a brief training scene, although not in the kung-fu sense, we see pickpockets Rice Barrel (Sammo Hung) and Chimney (Frankie Chan) practicing their moves with some impressive slide-of-hand techniques. The pair have been taught under the wing of old master Kim (Lau Hak Suen), and his buxom daughter Ann – played by Didi Pang Sau Ha in her only role before getting hitched to the one-and-only Yuen Biao. The 10-minute mark takes the pair to a nightclub where Sammo, dressed in a shiny-white Mickey Mouse sweater, tries to impress the wonderful Deannie Yip, when she catches his eye – a relationship that would be revisited many years later when they got together again in Owl Vs Bumbo, and once more in Dragons Forever. Getting lost in his words, the burly hero resorts to entertaining her by recreating the classic Charlie Chaplin scene when he makes his bread rolls dance on the end of his forks. It clearly works, and soon the couple are on the dance floor enjoying each other's company. In the same scene, we are treated to a hilarious cameo by the great Chin Yuet Sang – who can't deliver a bowl of soup to Hung's table without spilling it as he keeps breaking into dance. As the beat picks up and Frankie exchanges a few words with some disco thugs, the first fight of the film kicks off allowing both stars to bust some moves – with Sammo impressing with some impactful hits as he helps his brother in trouble!

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The action soon starts to flow as a police stakeout in a local shopping mall gets out of hand. This is all thanks to the brilliant and hilarious Richard Ng, a clumsy cop who is under the leadership of the great James Tien. It's a role that mirrors that of his performance in the Lucky Stars films, although on the right side of the law this time and never tires, as he tries to do his job over the course of the story. While Sammo explores his relationship with Yip, he soon finds out that she is actually a cop (or so we are led to believe), and promises to stop his pickpocketing ways in exchange for her love. On the other side of town, Frankie has been summoned by a gang boss who wants him to sell them all the ID cards he steals. Kindly rejecting the offer, Chan attempts to escape in a great moment that sees him end up with the wallets from all the gangsters around him. And although he is quickly caught, it earns him a bit of respect as well as a few extra quid. Coerced into the deal after Master Kim takes a beating, the pair soon find themselves working overtime for the gangsters all while trying to avoid getting caught by nosey cop, Richard Ng who is determined to bring them down. The pair hide the ID cards in amongst some desserts and soon deliver their order to the gang at a rubbish dump. This leads to a brief but impactful fight that gets the team of pickpockets off the hook in working for the gangster...

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To celebrate their win, the pair head out for the night where Sammo finds his new love dancing with another man. That man is Chou Meng Sheng, a big-time gangster played by the brilliant Peter Chan Lung. After a hilarious break-up and make-up scene, Yip reveals that she is working on an undercover case that involves some stolen diamonds and asks for Sammo's help in retrieving them – to which he agrees. After tracking down the gangster, they manage to steal the loot in a scene that leaves Sammo and Chan Lung arrested by Ng, with Chan escaping on his motorbike. On returning home, Hung and Chan find their home ransacked, with Chan Lung and his men waiting for them. This kicks off a closing 25 minutes of hard action starting with a neat fight inside their home and followed by a great chase scene. With the diamonds now missing, they soon learn that they were double-crossed by their own master and, along with Ann, conduct a plan to make him talk. It's actually quite a brutal scene that involves her being tossed down an elevator shaft (in front of her father) by a large white man wearing stockings on his head. Only when Kim himself is dangled over the edge, does he opt to reveal where he has hidden the diamonds – with viewers finally being able to let out a sigh of relief as Ann shouts from below, where she lies comfortably in a large net! Delivering the diamonds to inspector Yip, who quickly swaps the box of jewels with a fake set out-of-sight, the trio are set up to make a final deal with the gangsters on a large, old ship off the bay. With only the fake jewels on hand, the three pickpockets soon realise that they are out of options and in a fight for their lives against the formidable Dick Wei, Chan Lung, Jamie Luk, Ka Lee, and others. It's a brutally choreographed and lengthy closing fight that sees blood spray as hatchets are lodged in bodies, and Frankie Chan sticks a long spike in a man's groin. It's an underrated fight scene of Sammo's filmography in many respects and, for me, actually comes across as a much more violent version of the closing warehouse battle in Winners & Sinners. It's also quite a dark finale to an otherwise comedy-based-action film, but something that went on to become a trademark of Hung's future works – as well as a clear inspiration to Frankie Chan who's directorial efforts would often follow the same pattern of comedy and violence.

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It goes without saying that a legend such as Sammo Hung, needs no introduction but I must insist that fans of his modern classics check this out if they haven't already done so. Apart from starring in a lead role, the big man also directs the film and helps choreograph the fantastic action scenes. The irrepressible Frankie Chan, of whom I am a big fan (as mentioned in previous reviews), was just hot-off the set of the amazing Prodigal Son where he starred alongside Sammo and Yuen Biao in an impressive role as the antagonist of the story. Although he had been in the industry a good decade beforehand as a successful composer, Frankie made the move to acting in 1980 in the Jackie Chan produced film, Read Lips, an action-comedy directed by Richard Yeung Kuen., After Prodigal Son followed a year later, Frankie would up his game once more by producing, starring, and composing the music in this before going on to direct his first feature, The Perfect Match, the same year. The wonderful Lau Hak Suen plays Master Kim, a Fagin-like character although on a much more comedic level. With a spectacular 530+ titles to his name, Lau would be most recognisable to fans of Hong Kong cinema as Jackie's old Lieutenant in Project A, which would also prove to be his final role before his death at the start of 1983. The rest of the cast is packed with many great names from the aforementioned love-interest of Deannie Yip to the comedy antics of Richard Ng, Carry On Pickpocket is loaded with cameos from all directions with the likes of Nat Chan, Peter Chan, Wu Ma, Walter Tso, Mai Kei, Paul Wong, Johnny Cheung Wa, Billy Chan, Yuen Biao, and many more.

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While the fight-action isn't as often as one would hope in Carry On Pickpocket, there's still enough to keep fans happy. Powerful and well-choreographed, this is looked after by Sammo himself, Lam Ching Ying, Billy Chan, and the amazing Yuen Biao – who would also appear as a stuntman and double for many actors throughout, and most notably for Dick Wei's trickier kicks and moves in the end battle. Between them, the choreographers crank things up with some strong martial arts that make an impact. Although most of these are short until the closing fight sequences, each action scene totally delivers as both stars get to show their moves. Of course, being Sammo's show, he certainly gets to shine a bit more than Frankie does – and ultimately, is the better martial artist overall. The final showdown between him and Dick Wei is just brilliant, and why it doesn't come up on more people's radars as one of his finest fight scenes, is beyond me. It was certainly an interesting project for them to follow-up with after the incredible work on Prodigal Son, where both Yuen Biao and Lam Chin Ying were as much the stars as Hung and Chan were – but having their talents behind the camera is just as noticeable, and a welcome addition regardless. I can only wonder, had Jackie Chan not been in the states making Cannonball Run after The Big Brawl, would he possibly have been cast in the character of Chimney instead of Frankie?

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Carry On Pickpocket is a lot of fun! It oozes a Winners And Sinners type feel about it (although pre-dating it by a year) and is packed with a great cast, plenty of hilarious moments, and some great fight action. While often missed by later fans of Hung's and Hong Kong cinema respectively, this 1982 production is well worth the watch for many great reasons. Although he had appeared in smaller roles in many modern-day set films before this, such as bit-parts in A Man From Hong Kong, Double Crossers, and Game Of Death, for example, Carry On Pickpocket would be Sammo Hung's first full non-traditional kung-fu production – squeezed in between Prodigal Son, and The Dead & The Deadly. Of course, this would launch a whole new style of film-making for Sammo with the likes of Winners & Sinners, Project A, and Wheels On Meals soon following, with a solid decade of hits from there on in. Here's hoping we get a gorgeously restored Blu-ray release in the near future, that introduces Carry On Pickpocket to a new audience and lets fans see this Sammo Hung classic as it should be!

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Overall: A brilliant martial-arts-action-comedy that has been underrated for years, Carry On Pickpocket offers plenty of entertainment for true Hung fans!

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DVD Extras: Trailers