ALL FOR THE WINNER is one of the most notable films in Stephen Chow's prolific career; it's a slight and low budget spoof of the Chow Yun-Fat thriller GOD OF GAMBLERS, but it ended up outgrossing that movie and launching Chow into super stardom. He plays his usual quirky, mild-mannered character, a visitor to Hong Kong who becomes involved in a gambling tournament and ends up fighting the reigning poker champion. It's a film that very much follows the format of Chow comedies, adding in scenes of action, romance and goofball comedy, alongside bizarre supernatural touches at various points. The beginning and ending are strong but there's a whole maudlin mid-section which drags this one down and some of the comedy is abysmal (the endless dinner date with Sandra Ng being a case in point). A star-studded sequel, TOP BET, follows, and it's much better than this one.
Review of All for the Winner
