MOVIE

8/10

Featuring an all-star cast, and some of the most juvenile jokes you're likely to see, this sequel to the 1983 smash "Winners And Sinners" proved to be such a hit it went on to spawn a host of sequels and spin-offs.

After chasing a crooked cop into a Tokyo theme-park, cops Muscles (Chan) and Ricky (Biao) are ambushed, resulting in Ricky's abduction.
In a bid to track down his partner, Muscles recruits his old orphanage pals, a ragtag bunch of misfits, in an attempt to crack the case.

Personally, I've always felt that this is one of the best additions to the the Lucky Stars series, blending puerile humour and excellent action into a very satisfying whole.
All of the cast play off each other exceptionally well, making their relationships all the more believable, and enjoyable.
Although Jackie gets top billing, his role is relatively small, with the bulk of the film being carried along by Sammo and his orphan buddies. This may be off-putting to Jackie fans but although his scenes are fairly few and far between, those that he appears in are excellent.

PICTURE

7/10

Surprisingly, this Universe transfer is relatively clean, with only light wear featuring on the print.
However, whilst the colour and detail levels are very good, mild trails are evident on fast moving scenes, as is some minor artifacting.
An improvement over the VHS but not by much, which is a shame considering the excellent job Universe have done with significantly older films.
A good, rather than great, transfer.

SOUND

8/10

A very good remix, which successfully distributes the sound effects and dialogue across the front speakers. Surround effects are prevalent throughout, and rarely feel out of place.
The bulk of the dialogue is handled well, although the centre-speaker sound quality is too "treble-y", lacking bass.

SUBTITLES

7/10

Overall the subs are good, allowing you to understand most of the jokes without too much hassle. However, grammar and spelling errors are fairly prevalent, and can occasionally become confusing.

MENUS

6/10

The menu design is identical to many of Universe's older Jackie DVD's, with simple layouts and clear images.
They're perfectly easy to move around and select, just rather uninteresting.

EXTRAS

3/10

8 animated chapter-stops, three trailers (Wheels On Meals, Dragons Forever, Young Master) and the theatrical trailer.
What came as a surprise was the lack of any trailers for the other films in the Lucky Stars series, especially as Universe have released these on DVD as well.

PACKAGING

7/10

A good, clear cover design adorns the front of the case, with a style befitting the movie.
However, the description on the back makes the film sound like a psychological action thriller, which is about as far from it as you could get!

Note: My disc has a completely different sleeve-design from the one featured on AsianDVDGuide.com. If you move the cursor over the image above, you'll see the alternative cover.

CUTS / CHANGES

For those of you who already own the dubbed version, there are a few changes you should be aware of:
Firstly, the opening title sequence which featured orange stars moving around a map, is not included in this version.
Secondly, the scene in the restaurant where the waiter brings a plastic frog to the table, is different, and a lot more understandable/funny on the DVD.

CONCLUSION

7/10

This highly enjoyable, and very funny movie is pure entertainment from start to finish, and a great introduction to Hong Kong-style comedy. If you've never encountered a Lucky Stars movie before, this is an excellent starting point, with its cast all performing exceptionally well.
Unfortunately, as mentioned above, the DVD is far from perfect, and whilst not a complete letdown it could (and should) have been much better.
A slapped wrist for Universe - hopefully next time their transfer will shine as brightly as their Stars...

MOVIE		8/10
PICTURE		7/10
SOUND		8/10
SUBTITLES		7/10
EXTRAS		3/10
MENUS		6/10
PACKAGING		7/10
OVERALL		7/10