Blu-ray Synopsis: Mega star actor Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs / A Moment Of Romance) teamed up with his God Of Gamblers muse – director Wong Jing for another classic tale of casino corruption and money making ambition in colonial Macau with 1992's Casino Tycoon. An instant hit in its native Hong Kong, this slick and suave period thriller, set during World War 2, is a tense adventure into the shady Macanese underworld and should appeal to any buff of the golden age of Cantonese crime shockers! Also starring the stunning Hong Kong cinema legend Chingmy Yau – who became an overnight sensation in the West thanks to 1992's torrid actioner Naked Killer – Casino Tycoon is another ace in the sleeve of 88 Films' ever expanding and acclaimed Asian cinema collection! (133 Mins)

 

Views: Inspired by the life stories of Hong Kong/Macau business tycoons Stanley Ho, Henry Fok, and Yip Hon, Casino Tycoon tells the tale of a young graduate called Benny who flees Hong Kong during the Japanese invasion of World War II, and settles down in the gambling haven of Macau. Starting his new life as a lowly coolie, Benny soon wins the attention of a local business man and is taken under his wing where he slowly climbs the ranks. Although Benny quickly learns that his new employer has a place in Macau's criminal underworld, he starts to climb the ranks – competing in life and business with his newfound enemies and college rival – but soon finds that his success comes at a great cost!

 

As a director, the ever-prolific Wong Jing had already delivered a strong 30 titles by the time Casino Tycoon came about; from his debut in 1981 with Challenge Of The Gamesters, the portly and multi-talented filmmaker has been behind some of Hong Kong's most exciting films – many of which starred the handsome and wonderful Andy Lau. These include the brilliant Magic Crystal, The Romancing Star 2, Crazy Companies 1 & 2, Casino Raiders, Crocodile Hunter, God Of Gamblers, Tricky Brains, The Last Blood, and Dances With Dragon to name but a few. Wong kept himself busy in 1992 directing Casino Tycoon and its sequel, comedy Truant Hero, and Chow Sing Chi's utterly-wild Royal Tramp 1 & 2. The same year saw him also write the screenplays for Wizard's Curse, She Starts The Fire, and the infamous Naked Killer – most of which he also produced along with Deadly Dream Women and To Miss With Love for director Kevin Chu Yen Ping. I've long championed the works of Wong Jing and, as a filmmaker myself, have always been inspired by the energy and delivery of content by the man. Obviously, not all of his titles are perfect – but you're undoubtedly guaranteed one or two memorable moments in his films. With Casino Tycoon, Wong continues his love for the gambling genre, although plays it pretty safe this time by focusing on the story-driven drama without ever getting carried away with wacky comedy or over-the-top action...

 

A decade after Andy Lau bounced into the film industry with Once Upon A Rainbow and Ann Hui's Boat People, the actor/pop-star/entertainer had starred in well over 60 films – many of which were box-office gold from Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars to As Tears Go By, and A Moment Of Romance to Saviour Of The Soul among many, many others. It looked like there was no stopping this superstar (who is still going as strong today of course), and 1992 proved to be yet another busy year for him with a total of 12 films on the go – similar to the few years before that which saw Lau star in 10 in 1988, 15 in 1989, 12 in 1990, and 13 in 1991. Thankfully, the man seemed to have seen sense soon after, slowing things down quite a bit and starring in only 3 or 4 per year from there on in. In Casino Tycoon, Lau plays Benny Ho – a character loosely based on the aforementioned businessman Stanley Ho; a billionaire who owned almost 20 casinos in Macau until his passing in 2020 at the ripe old age of 98. As always, Andy Lau does a stellar job in his role and impresses once again as Benny Ho, delivering a decent mix of drama, comedy and action in the role. The beautiful Chingmy Yau stars as Lau's wife, Mei – a character based on Stanley Ho's much loved first wife, Clementina Leitao, who was also known as 'the most beautiful woman in Macau'. Popular with fans of Hong Kong cinema for her role in the awesome Naked Killer, Yau gained as much a name for herself as the girlfriend of Wong Jing who helped launch her film career which started with his comedy The Crazy Companies and its sequel. From there, Chingmy starred in a host of fun titles including They Came To Rob Hong Kong, Ghost Busting, My Neighbours Are Phantoms, Tricky Brains, and Lee Rock 1 & 2 – many of which were alongside her co-star Andy Lau. Much like Lau, Chingmy was kept busy in 1992 and starred in 8 Wong Jing films that year, with the aforementioned Naked Killer boosting her popularity and pushing her forward as an action starlet. This led to more exciting action-roles in (Wong Jing) films such as City Hunter, Future Cops, Kung Fu Cult Master, New Legend Of Shaolin, God Of Gamblers Returns, High Risk, and more until she retired from the industry a decade later after marrying fashion designer, Sham Kar Wai – soon becoming a mother to three daughters. As Mei, Chingmy does a stellar job in delivering the drama and cuteness in what would be, one of her more subdued roles of the year.

 

Alex Man stars as Kwok Ying Nam, a comic-relief character based on Hong Kong businessman Henry Fok and best friend of Lau's character 'Benny Ho'. This would be one of his few roles that year alongside Casino Tycoon 2, The Thief Of Time, The Mighty Gambler, as well as the totally bonkers Super Lady Cop with Cynthia Khan. I've long been a huge fan of Alex Man Chi Leung's, from his early appearances in Shaw Brothers flicks such as Buddha's Palm, Bastard Swordsman and its sequel, Journey Of The Doomed and modern hits like Brotherhood, Long Arm Of The Law 2, Devil Hunters, and so much more. Over the years, Man had shared the screen with Andy Lau a number times in films such as Rich & Famous, Tragic Hero, As Tears Go By, Crocodile Hunter, China White, Gangland Odyssey, and others. As Kwok, Alex does a great job as Lau's best friend – often bringing While he would disappear from the film industry around the turn-of-the-century, Alex would make his return almost a decade later in films such as The Jade & The Pearl and Bruce Lee, My Brother – and has continued to act in Hong Kong features till this day. And the ever-popular Joey Wong plays Vivian, Andy Lau's college sweetheart in Hong Kong – later showing up as the wife of his long-time rival Fu Chia Chin, played by Wilson Lam (who I've never really been a huge fan of). With over 50 films behind her by the time she starred in Casino Tycoon, from Where's Officer Tuba to A Chinese Ghost Story and The Legend Of Wisely to God Of Gamblers, Wong had proven herself time and time again to be a favourite of the Hong Kong audience. Much like her other co-stars, Joey starred alongside Andy in a host of titles over the years with Casino Tycoon (and a cameo in part 2) and The Prince Of Temple Street being their last projects together. To be honest, she doesn't really offer too much here which allows Chingmy Yau to shine as the leading lady of the show without ever being over-shadowed by Joey's popularity. The rest of the cast is filled out with plenty of stars such as David Chiang and Derek Yee's half-brother Paul Chun who stars as a double-crossing gangster to Boss Cha; who is played by prolific actor Kwan Hoi San. This was a great role for Chun, allowing him to deliver a sleazy performance as one of the main villains of the piece. Lau Siu Ming appears as the boss of a gambling den and aid to Benny Ho, and Lucky Stars Go Places actress Maria Tung Ling stars as Mei's wicked sister, Lucita – a hateful bitch who is so jealous of Benny's infatuation of Mei, she attempts to have her sister raped and killed as she watches!

 

Running for over 2 hours in length and delivered with a soft-dreamy filter, Casino Tycoon may have its flaws but it still proves to be a highly entertaining dramatic-thriller – typically blending drama, comedy and action in a way that may seem uneven to those not used to watching Hong Kong cinema. While it was made under the Shaw Brothers banner, there isn't too much obvious influence from the studio who were more focused on their television projects during this era; producing only a handful of productions throughout the 90s including Chow Sing Chi's hilarious Look Out, Officer! and Yuen Biao's underrated Hero (also released on the 88 Films label). Martial arts directors Yuen Bun and Wong Chi Ming handle the films action sequences, from gang battles to gunfights and the odd one-on-one scuffle, they're hardly anything to write home about – although still entertain. And while the film isn't as energetic as most other Wong Jing & Andy Lau projects, it definitely makes for a good watch and entertains for the most part. Of course, the majority of those involved would return for Casino Tycoon 2 which was shot back-to-back, and released later the same year!

 

Overall: Neatly shot and nicely acted, Casino Tycoon is worth the watch and entertains!

 

Blu-ray Extras: Audio Commentary by Bey Logan​