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God of Gamblers

God of Gamblers

List Price: $49.95
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Doh San (God of Gamblers)
Review: "Chow Yun Who?" Were my first thoughts when my friend produced this dodgy-looking tape of some obscure-sounding Hong Kong film. Being, at that stage, very new to this sort of movie, I was somewhat sceptical.

However, the following two-or-so hours were awe inspiring. The opening scene is amazing, with Chow Yun being extremely cool and demonstrating his godly gamling prowess.

Whilst cleverly avoiding the unfriendly attentions of a gang of thugs he's just humiliated and relieved of over 10 million bucks, our hero falls into to a trap. Set as a plan for revenge on someone else, by three small-time gamblers, the trap causes Chow to lose his memory and gives him the mind of a kid. Under the care of the trio, the man's amazing gambling ability is discovered and they use it to thier advantage...

This film rocks from begining to end. Despite the cheesy elevator-music version of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" that keeps poping up in the feel-good sequences, it is more than compensated for by the heroic theme music that play eveys time Chow Yun is doing anything cool. "God Of Gamblers" combines slick gambling and action-packed gun battles with a clever plot, to create a masterpiece of Eastern cinematography.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Bad DVD of a great fun movie
Review: "Chow Yun Who?" Were my first thoughts when my friend produced this dodgy-looking tape of some obscure-sounding Hong Kong film. Being, at that stage, very new to this sort of movie, I was somewhat sceptical.

However, the following two-or-so hours were awe inspiring. The opening scene is amazing, with Chow Yun being extremely cool and demonstrating his godly gamling prowess.

Whilst cleverly avoiding the unfriendly attentions of a gang of thugs he's just humiliated and relieved of over 10 million bucks, our hero falls into to a trap. Set as a plan for revenge on someone else, by three small-time gamblers, the trap causes Chow to lose his memory and gives him the mind of a kid. Under the care of the trio, the man's amazing gambling ability is discovered and they use it to thier advantage...

This film rocks from begining to end. Despite the cheesy elevator-music version of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" that keeps poping up in the feel-good sequences, it is more than compensated for by the heroic theme music that play eveys time Chow Yun is doing anything cool. "God Of Gamblers" combines slick gambling and action-packed gun battles with a clever plot, to create a masterpiece of Eastern cinematography.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The HK Gambling movie that started it all
Review: Chow Yun Fat in one his finest non-Woo films. Chow plays a master gambler who gets into a bit of trouble when he loses his memory. He awakes in a childlike stage, forgetting the violent and money soaked life. Andy Lau plays a wanna be god of gamblers who takes care of Chocolate(Chow). The chemistry between the 2 is great, the action is stupendous. Seeing Chow pull of some card tricks is well worth the price.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: a great film but the subtitles are cut off and unreadable!
Review: I wish someone else had mentioned this, but this is a horrible trasfer of a great film. The video picture quality is very poor and made from a very scratchy film print. on top of that you will most likely NOT be able to read the subtitles (unless you can read Cantonese)as they are cropped off the bottom of the screen. Different televisions have different overscan rates (they amount the crop off the edges of the picture you are watching). This problem may not be as bad on another t.v. set, but the amount they were cut off on mine was far greater then the standard differences in overscan across different t.v. manufacturers lines so I doubt you will have a different experience. This is usually NOT an adjustable feature. Wish I had better news to print.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Great movie (if you don't know chinese read this!)
Review: If you like Chow Yun-Fat, you will like this movie! I bought this movie first on vhs. The vhs is wide screen with chinese subtitle, and english under it. When they put it to DVD, they made it fit to television (ie not widescreen). In doing so they
cut off the english subtitles. IF YOU DON'T KNOW CHINESE DON'T BOTHER BUYING THIS, UNTIL THEY COME OUT WITH A BETTER VERSION!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Chow's Best Non-Woo Film
Review: One of the most popular Hong Kong films of alltime, this, along with Ringo Lam's City on Fire is Chow Yun-Fat's best non-John Woo film ever (Chow's done about 65 non-Woo films). The story is pretty clever, and Chow Yun-Fat once again steals every scene from a rising superstar- Andy Lau this time. Despite a lagged middle sequence where Chow gets partial-amnesia and acts like a child, the beginning and end make up for it. Director Wong Jing could do with some directing lessons, cause I don't think he helped make this film any good at all. He forgets about some important sub-stories (especially the Japanese gambler who wants revenge) and there are some unnecessary, unfunny jokes and a rather disturbing, unfitting scene in the film. But despite the many flaws, Chow Yun-Fat 's charisma makes this film what it is, the god of all Hong Kong gambling films.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Bad DVD of a great fun movie
Review: Too bad the folks who produced this didn't take some care with it. The picture is passable and the sound is OK but if you're interested in following the plot from reading the English subtitles be prepared for a lot of guessing and frustration as they are mostly unreadable at the bottom edge of the screen. I don't know how the subtitles are for the other languages, never tried them since I don't read them. But with no English language track the lack of useful English subtitles makes this DVD worthwhile only for the hard-core Chow Yun-Fat fan in America.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: God of Gamblers-Showcase for Chow Yun-Fat's versatility!
Review: Underappreciated as an actor in the west, Chow Yun Fat shows his versatility in this Hong Kong Comedy/drama. Chow stars as Ko Chun a gifted gambler with an almost supernatural gift for gaming, hence his exalted title.

Ko Chun is suave and sophisticated, master of his gaming, monetarily successful and comfortable in his abilities. This makes him enemies among not only opponents, but as it turns out, supposed friends.

Having narrowly escaped an assasination attempt, Chow unwittingly walks into a trap set by Knife, a young gambler wannabe who has little success in his endeavors. Knife meant to teach someone else a lesson by sabotaging a trail below his home, instead, Ko Chun is the victim. Finding the head injured gambler, Knife and his family take him in and nurse him back to health, not knowing who has fallen into their laps.

Ko Chun awakens from his trauma with no memory and regressed to a childlike demeanor with an insatiable hunger for a particular brand of chocolate (one carry over from his former life), and as Knife and Co. find out, a talent for gambling. Knife and his crew make good use of their new friend's abilities--becoming upwardly mobile thanks to "Chocolate"--the nickname they bestow upon him.

Chow Yun Fat has never been more endearing and charming as the brain injured "Chocolate". Where other actors might come off as goofy, pitiable or even laughable attempting this shift, Chow makes it believeable and incredibly touching. The viewer wishes to protect Chocolate from a world he no longer understands and which is by turns baffling and inhospitable--just as Knife and his crew come to love and protect their friend.

Their sudden success brings unwanted attention, which leads to pursuit, kidnapping, ransom and gunplay, and further trauma to poor Chocolate, leading to a showdown that highlights the God of Gamblers uncanny ability to win, even when opponents cheat and "friends" betray.

While Chow Yun Fat's ability and charisma are at the heart and soul of this film, the supporting players are excellent, especially Andy Lau and Joey Wong.

A must see and a must own for any Chow Yun Fat fan! Getting increasingly hard to find--get your copy now! (Review of the VCD unedited version. The DVD is edited and several scenes of the group becoming upwardly mobile have been deleted).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A TAILOR MADE ROLE FOR CHOW
Review: What can I say...this movie shows just how cool Chow Yun-Fat can be in all situations. One moment he is a great gambler, the next moment he is a child (a cool child to say the least), then he is an expert killer...yes, all this in one movie. Just having him on the screen makes this movie good. Do you want to learn how to "bluff" in a card game and get away with it? If so you need to watch this movie and take notes. Wong Jing picked the correct person to play "The God of Gamblers" in this movie...not like all the other sequels and prequels he made later (an exception to this would be "God of Gamblers Returns" where Chow Yun-Fat reprises his role as...you know who). Everyone should own this movie...it will teach you how to eat chocolate in a cool manner.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Nobody Eats Chocolate Like Chow Yun-Fat Eats Chocolate!!
Review: What can I say...this movie shows just how cool Chow Yun-Fat can be in all situations. One moment he is a great gambler, the next moment he is a child (a cool child to say the least), then he is an expert killer...yes, all this in one movie. Just having him on the screen makes this movie good. Do you want to learn how to "bluff" in a card game and get away with it? If so you need to watch this movie and take notes. Wong Jing picked the correct person to play "The God of Gamblers" in this movie...not like all the other sequels and prequels he made later (an exception to this would be "God of Gamblers Returns" where Chow Yun-Fat reprises his role as...you know who). Everyone should own this movie...it will teach you how to eat chocolate in a cool manner.


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