God of Gamblers' Return (1994)

Simply Perfect

Purely Joyful Movie!

Let's be realistic.

Blistering performances.

The good news is that, in director Wong Jing's sequel to his 1989 hit God of Gamblers, Chow Yun Fat does not revert to a childlike state, meaning that viewers don't have to repeat the ordeal of seeing the usually cool star behaving like a drooling retard; the bad news is that, despite more action this time around, the film is just as bad as the first one, relying far too heavily on puerile comedy and dumb magical mumbo-jumbo for its own good.Chow returns as Ko Chun, now retired from gambling and living in France with his pregnant wife; but when wicked criminal/gambler Chao Siu Chi (Hsing-kuo Wu) comes looking for Ko, desperate to prove himself as the number one gambler in the world, Ko's idyllic world comes tumbling down like a house of cards (see what I did there?). Chao Siu Chi kills Ko's wife and unborn child, leaving a very unhappy God of Gamblers swearing revenge.The film starts well enough, with lots of ballistic action as the heavily armed baddies storm Ko's home (although there is a disappointing lack of bloody squibs this time around), followed by a surprisingly nasty demise for our hero's wife (she has her unborn child pulled from her womb). Another early scene on a yacht, where Ko defends a Taiwanese gangster and his family from Chau's men, is also well staged. From this point on, though, it's all downhill…Ko is landed with an irritating child side-kick and, pursued by the police, and stumbles from one terrible comedic situation to the next for what seems like an eternity. After lots of cringe-worthy gags, a spot of political humour (that went right over my head) and some awful nonsense involving a secret agent called Eagle, Ko arrives in Taiwan where he eventually faces Chao Siu Chi in a casino for a supposedly thrilling climax that takes quite a bit of swallowing (the whole thing with the hair attached to the card—WTF?).4.5 out of 10, rounded up to 5 for the brief shot of Ko's unborn child in a specimen jar (surprisingly nasty) and the welcome presence of Chingamy Yau as Hoi Tong, the sexy, kick-ass daughter of the Taiwanese crime boss.

God of Gambler's Return (1994) was one of the last movies Yuen-Fat Chow made before he returned to the U.S. for good. After two sequels featuring Stephen Chow, Jing Wong wanted to make a big budgeted direct sequel to the first film with the original actor. Andy Lau wasn't available so he brought along Ka Fai Leung to take his spot. Elvis Tsui and Sharla Cheung Man co-star along with Chien-Li Wu and the ever hot Chingmy Yau. The God of Guns also makes an appearance reprising his role as the God of Gamblers bodyguard.This film is pretty grim but it's also funny as well. The God of Gamblers is in retirement but the new Devil of Gamblers wants to play a game with him and he wont take no for an answer and makes life a living hell for the G.O.G.To describe this film wont do it justice. But if you have seen a Jing Wong movie or the first film you wont walk away from this movie disappointed. The slapstick comedy and farcical elements along with a huge helping of bloodshed will keep everyone highly entertained and it's one hell of a ride.Jing Wong made a lot of money with this series and the gambling genre in general. After this film he started up the Saint of Gamblers series, a prequel to the God of Gamblers and a new series called the Conmen. In many interviews that Mr. Wong has given in the past he's stated that The Cincinatti Kid, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad World and Die Hard are his favorite movies. After watching this flick you'll understand why. As always, the U.S. is slow on the poker phenomenon. But films like these make gambling not as fun as it seems.Highly Recommended!xxx

"The Return of God Of Gamblers" is one of the few sequels that manages to be better than the original film. Chow Yun-Fat returns as Ko Chun or "The God Of Gamblers" in a more action-packed film. This movie has plenty John Woo-style actionscenes that will please any old fan of Hongkong-actionfilms, and the acting and story is also good. As in all actionfilms from Hongkong, the theme is brotherhood, friendship, betrayal and vengeance. A superb movie that surpasses the original movie in every way, but be sure to watch the original "God Of Gamblers" before you see this. 9/10

Chow was witty, funny and cool as cucumber. His whole charisma shows in this film. Under the jovial mask hides the God of Gambler. Force is just the means to an end, wits is the ultimate deciding factor.