Miracles: The Canton Godfather (1989) User Reviews

Different, but great

[AwesomeWolf · 9/10 · 7 December 2004]

I recently picked up a full, subtitled copy of 'Miracles', and I must say that the original is better than the dubbed version I had previously seen, and that version was also around half an hour shorter than the original version. The dubbed version cut out some not-so-important scenes, but things still got confusing at times, and some very funny scenes which did not make into the dubbed version, and at least one of the fight scenes was significantly edited in the dubbed version.

'Miracles' a very different movie to most of Jackie's work. There is the trademark Jackie Chan action and slapstick, but fights and action sequences are not as frequent as they are in his other movies, as 'Miracles' is more about Jackie proving to critics that he can make a movie with extravagant sets and costumes, and complicated camera shots (Who can blame him? James Cameron did the same thing, but 'Miracles' is a both an enjoyable and a good movie, while 'Titanic' is neither).

The movie is funny, and the action (what action there is) is excellent, and even the acting is great.

9/10 A great movie. Check it out if you're a Jackie Chan fan, but make sure you get the full, subtitled movie (should be about two-hours).

Sweet, sweet movie!

[rutt13-1 · 8/10 · 20 June 2001]

This is terrific! One of his most lush, great looking, and well-directed (by himself) films, "Miracles" is engaging, charming and absolutely likable! The humor's perfect, along with the setting, and the cast is wonderful! The fighting, though less prevalent, is in my opinion some of his best work! This one pays great attention to story and detail, and not only is it very entertaining, it's really pretty beautiful to look at, as well....

Chan's favourite of his films is technically superb and charming but drags far too much

[DrLenera · 18 October 2004]

Miracles is Jackie Chan's favourite amongst his movies ,and the one in which he invested the most time and care. The result is, technically, a triumph. The convincing sets, lavish costumes and graceful camera work really hold by western film standards, while the fight scenes boast choreography that is just incredible to watch. They are more like musical numbers than martial arts fights, but the level of invention is just staggering, particularly in the scene where Jackie has to make his way down some stairs, fighting heavies as he does so, and the end battle in a rope factory.

However, elsewhere the film has problems. It attempts to juggle several plot lines with mixed success. The 'gangster'part, with Jackie as a crime boss, generally works well, but Jackie's relationship with singer Anita Mui almost disappears from the film and the Frank Capra 'A Pocketful Of Miracles'copied story is dwelt on at such length and so slowly that the middle of the film drags terribly, with endless dialogue scenes that could have sometimes been shortened or cut without harm to the film {or course, there is a shorter version of this film, but with some of the wrong bits cut}. At least there are some great laughs, such as gangsters and their 'molls' trying to be respectable rich folk, and the Clouseau-like Richard Ng's police captain.

Miracles is certainly not one of Chan's classics like Project A, Police Story or Drunken Master 1 and 2, but there is still a lot to like.

Elegant comedy/actioner

[AlbertV79 · 16 March 2000]

Jackie Chan gives us his most elegant comedy/action film yet. The setting of the 1930's is extremely fantastic as he plays a young man who is accidentally the head of a local Triad. Thanks to the likes of Bill Tung and Richard Ng, the film will make you laugh. Great performances by Anita Mui and Gloria Yip set the dramatic pace. But what's a Jackie film without action? His climatic duel with Billy Chow and gang in a rope factory is great. I give the film two thumbs up. If you're a JC fan, go see this film.

Not Jackie Chan's best film, but still worth a watch

[rde · 7/10 · 28 January 1999]

The first thing I noticed about this film is that it seems to star everyone who ever made a movie in Hong Kong; I seemed to spend the entire movie going 'oooh, it's Yuen Biao!' (or whoever). Plotwise, it's typical early Jackie Chan; frenetic action sequences punctuated by high farce. As in a lot of his early stuff, the farce can be a bit excruciating, but not so much that you'll feel obliged to hit fast-forward. The action sequences, while interesting, aren't as spectacular as in his later movies; the movie seems to try to be more of a plot-driven movie (and much as I love Jackie Chan, these aren't really his strong points). If for some bizarre reason you aren't yet a Jackie Chan fan, you'll probably want to check out Armor of God or Project A first. If I'm preaching to the converted, you'll find Oiji merrily passes an hour and a half, but it's by no means a masterpiece. It's got Anita Mui, though. She always makes a movie watchable.

One of the Jackie's best movies.

[shadowdancer777 · 10/10 · 25 December 2006]

The movie is absolutely great.The story , fights , stunts - everything is great.And of course this movie have a great cast.Jackie and Anita Mui great movie duet.In this movie you find a really interesting story with great play of every actor on stage.Action , humor and stunts - all in one piece.If you ask yourself "it is really that great" - YEAH IT IS !!!!!!!.It really looks like everybody in this one work really , really hard.If you search for great movie - you find it here.I don't need to tell you anything else because this is absolutely must have movie for everyone not just for Jackie's fans.One more time - watch it , love it , then watch it again.

What a Movie

[ebiros2 · 10 November 2011]

I didn't even know that Jackie made this movie for a long time. Lavishly shot with all star cast. This is one fantastic movie.

Kwok (Jackie Chan) arrives in Hong Kong looking for a job. Within hours, he's swindled of all his money by Tung (Bill Tung). Lamenting his misfortune, he meets the rose lady who's selling roses. Kwok buys one rose from her. Next thing he knows, he's involved in a gang chase. The chase has the boss fatally wounded. He murmurs in his last breath pointing to Kwok that "This man is the new head". Overnight, Kwok becomes the boss of a crime family. He declares "No more crime and killing", but the old habits die hard. Kwok is called in by Tiger - an another gang boss for negotiations. Each time he goes about his business, he buys a rose from the rose lady to give him good luck. One day, he doesn't find the rose lady. He searches for her, and she's in distress. Asking her why, she confesses that her daughter in Shanghai is getting married to a wealthy man's son. But she's been telling her that she's rich which is so far from the truth, and is afraid that when the groom and his father gets to Hong Kong, and sees her, they will cancel the wedding. Kwok has an idea to make the rose lady look rich, and invite all of other gang bosses and make them act as dignitaries in Hong Kong for the wedding party. But two other rival gangs, and inspector from Hong Kong police is about to foul up the whole plan.

There's action, romance, and lot of feel good scenes in this movie. The story telling, and timing things happen can only be experienced in Jackie Chan movies. The actors all perform better than usual attesting to Jackie's ability as a director. The choreography of the fight sequence is one of the best also.

Anita Mui plays the role of Ming - a singer for Kwok's club, and Kwok's love interest. She's great. Her talent will be missed.

This is one heck of a movie, and one of the best movie Jackie Chan produced in the '80s.

Glossy 30s style kung fu gangster movie.

[modius · 3 January 2002]

Before Miracles (inspired by Pocketful of Miracles and other films), Jackie had already done several movies set in the early 30s, including Project A and the sequel Project A II where Jackie homages silent movies and recreates stunts by Buster Keaton, etc.

In this film, Jackie creates a film that would let him be recognised as a first-rate director. Miracles is a story of Jackie who gets involved with a local triad gang, who's boss dies proclaiming Jackie to be the new boss. The film follows Jackie's exploits and his quest to make the gang into a non-criminal type gangsters mob.

The film has fantastic camera work and wonderfully detailed in all costumes and the set design. The story is a mis-mash of action and a warm hearted story of Jackie and his relationship with a Lady who sells Roses, and how he buys a rose every day for luck.

When the rose vendor learns her daughter is coming, she breaks down - realising that her lie of her living a grand life will be exposed - and soon Jackie and his mob try their hardest to help the vendor any way they can.

Although this is more story and well acted out script, the film seems slugglish and when action happens its over too quick. Fortuently Jackie throws in some typical comic moments and homages to several silent films as well.

Action fans may be disappointed with the lack of gun-toting gangsters or the lack of tommy guns blazing or lack of kung fu, but the film isn't meant to be for that, its a story based movie.

The film is excellent to watch, but probably not all that great for Martial art fans as it has a lack of genuinely good fight sequences, bar two (one being when Jackie is tested as the new boss and the other being at the end with Billy Chow).

Overall a good movie, but did it really need so much money to be spent on it?

Overall: 6/10.

A Different JC Movie

[leekandham · 7/10 · 27 March 2002]

It is well known that 'Miracles' is one of Jackie Chan's favourite

movies, mainly due to the artistic freedom he got to make it.

We're all accustomed to Jackie Chan movies in the style of the

high octane martial arts action thriller, but up until this production

Jackie had little chance to show off his cinematographic skills,

often criticised for being very one-dimensional in his movie

making. 'Miracles' was the answer to all that.

Having secured the largest budget in HK movie history for this film

(which was yet still extremely modest by Hollywood standards),

Miracles was produced slightly differently from HK films we're

used to. The result was a lavish set with excellent costumes, and

most of all, flowing, extravagant shots throughout the film.

Unfortunately though, the storyline is a bit weak.

This is certainly not the traditional Jackie Chan movie we're used

to, but it is nice to see Jackie show off some of his other skills in

movie making, and that he's not just an all-action hero.

Jackie Chan is the Godfather of Action Comedy

[hrkepler · 7/10 · 11 May 2018]

'Miracles' (I actually like the Australian version title 'The Canton Godfather' more) is quite different from usual Jackie Chan's action choreography movies. It is more situation comedy in 1930s Hollywood fashion, but in Jackie Chan's sauce. The magnificent action and fight scenes are still in, but this time the film concentrates more on simple storytelling and comedy with lavishing set pieces depicting 1930's Hong Kong. The film is over two hours long, but it doesnt' drag as the pacing between action scenes is nearly perfect. Jackie Chan's comedic timing and use of slapstick is as masterful as his martial arts skills. Might not be Chan's best movie, but it is still very enjoyable. Sweet but not sticky. And every once in a while it is nice to see one of your favorite heroes doing something little different.

Plus - Jackie Chan himself considers 'Miracles' his best directorial effort.

Now that is one lucky rose...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 18 February 2016]

This 1989 Jackie Chan movie differs from most of his usual movie in terms of being less action-filled and having less slapstick comedy in it. This is one of the more 'serious' of movies in his career, although he did manage to put in some comedy elements here and there.

Jackie Chan directed "Miracles" (aka "Qi ji") himself and also starred in it alongside with Anita Mui. The two do have good on-screen chemistry together and do compliment one another well throughout the course of the movie. However, Bill Tung (playing Tung) and Richard Ng (playing Captain Ho) were also really good throughout the movie and added a lot of charm and humor to the movie. I didn't even realize that Biao Yuen had a cameo in the movie until after I checked the full cast list on IMDb, nor did I see Simon Yam as a police man either.

There is, of course, martial arts, stunts and action throughout this movie, as it is a Jackie Chan movie after all. But it is not as prominent a key element to the movie as seen in most of his prior and later work. And with this being a Jackie Chan movie, the action, martial arts and stunts you get is of course excellent and so well choreographed and equally well executed.

The story in "Miracles" is about a newcomer to Hong Kong in the 1930's who is hustled out of his last remaining money. He reluctantly becomes a mafia boss and finds himself trying to do good in a world run by criminals and hoodlums.

I will say that the story was good, although the movie felt a bit too long running at two hours and nineteen minutes. It could have used some trimming down here and there. But all in all, it was enjoyable and a good wholehearted Jackie Chan movie.

The cast in "Miracles" was quite good, with a handful of some very familiar faces (as listed earlier above), especially if you are familiar with the Hong Kong cinema. The cast ensemble did perform well in their given roles and characters.

I think that with this 1989 movie then Jackie Chan also established himself as being capable of branching out to other genres than his all too familiar martial arts action comedies. And that was a good achievement.

All in all, "Miracles" is an enjoyable movie to watch for fans of Jackie Chan and newcomers alike. And for us who are a fan of the traditional Jackie Chan movies then "Miracles" was a much welcomed breath of fresh air and a foray into new territory for the beloved action star.

Don't expect a miracle.

[OllieSuave-007 · 4/10 · 8 September 2014]

This is a movie directed by Jackie Chan that is some sort of a variation of Frank Capra's "A Pocketful of Miracles," where Chan plays country boy Cheng Wah Kuo, who accidentally becomes the head of a gang and purchases a lucky rose from lady Madam Kao (Ya-Lei Kuei) everyday for good luck. While battling a rival gang, Kuo tries to do a good deed for Madao Kao during her daughter's visit.

This film is great for its all-star cast and luscious 1930s setting, and while the story starts off with an exciting rival gang battle, the rest of the movie really drags on and on, with really nothing too suspenseful or eye-catching. All the hype about hiring singer Luming Yang (Anita Mui) to build up business for Kuo's nightclub to the gang concocting plans to help Madam Kao connecting with her daughter Belle (Gloria Yip) is just a bunch of all-talk and running around, not much substance or excitement to the plot.

I maybe got a few chuckles out of the movie - for everything else, I was just bored to tears. The movie was just too long and it appears that much of the film's elements including the huge cast were thrown in for, as one reviewer puts it, window dressing.

The action scenes were limited and the final battle was pretty boring. If you want to watch an exciting and captivating Hong Kong movie with an all-star cast, go with 1986's Shanghai Express" or 1991's The Banquet rather than this.

Grade D

MIRACLES emerges as an all-around achievement for Chan, both as its director and the actor

[lasttimeisaw · 7/10 · 1 May 2020]

"Attributed his stroke of luck to the rose he has bought from the kindhearted flower vendor Madam Kao (Kuei), Kuo gets into a habit of buying a rose from her every day to keep his luck streak, meantime, after winning the respect from his henchmen, save the treacherous Fei (Lo Lieh), who holds the grudge that he should take his place, and aided by his right-hand man Uncle Hoi (Wu), Kuo decides to go straight by transforming their illicit business into managing a legal nightclub, headlined by the show-stopping chanteuse Yang (Mui), with whom he becomes romantically linked."

read my full review on my blog: cinema omnivore, thanks

Jackie Chan does Damon Runyon!

[walt-2 · 7 July 1999]

Jackie Chan is fun and funny in this uncredited remake of Frank Capra's 1933 "Lady for a Day". He has opportunity to show his fighting prowess, though his style is not as developed as in later films. The shock of seeing him trying to do a Damon Runyon character is unnerving at first, but the story line allows for lots of jokes and good humor. There is a problem in parts of the films with Chinese wordplay that does not translate in an intelligible way. Not Jackie's best, but enjoyable to watch.

Jackie Chan's work from the Heart.

[marioxavie · 10/10 · 12 April 2002]

If anywhere, it's here that you'll find where Jackie Chan's heart is. A true masterpiece of cinema. Many would dismiss Jackie Chan as just another action star and director but this film is where he stands as a humanist as well. A tribute to the 1930's era films when the heros acted from the heart.

Jackie's most highest achievement to date!

[Wong Fei Hung-1 · 11 December 2001]

Said to be Jackie's personal favourite, Miracles displays, Jackie Chan and Hong Kong movie making at it's very best. Like most of Jackie's movies, the comedy element of his films set him from the rest and Miracles is no exception. The sets look true to the era as do the costumes and the sound track is amazing!, but best of all is the action scenes! All with perfect timing and precision and some truly amazing chorography. The characters are fantastic, my personal favourite being Richard Ng's Captain Ho, The accident prone, greedy cop who's trying to bring Cheng's gang down. The plot is... well is a Chan sort of plot, which is a good thing in keeping with the pace of the film! Forget anything else anyones told you Miracle, it is truly a great achievement for Jackie. Final Word- If you want a lavish and stylish Jackie Chan film pick this one up if not, get Police Story!

Spectacular action but a little long

[udeaasykle · 6/10 · 17 May 2004]

I first saw this movie when i was young and now as an adult i saw it again. Fist off, i am a huge Jackie Chan fan. He is in my opinion the best action star on the planet. And the action in this movie is breathtaking. With that said i think, and this is just my personal view, that the movie is a little too long. Over two hours for this kind of movie is too long. But this movie is still very good. The scenes are big and gorgeously made, this is a beautiful picture and when you have that, then add Jackie Chan and a couple of the best fight scenes ever you got yourself a pretty good deal. Everybody know that the fight scenes with Jackie is always good, but in this movie they are really really spectacular. Jackie Chan himself says that this is his favorite directorial effort. Although you think the movie is a little boring at parts the action itself is absolutely worth it. I rate this movie 7/10

Too much, but not enough...

[Libretio · 4/10 · 7 May 2005]

MR CANTON AND LADY ROSE (Ji Ji)

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Anamorphic)

Sound format: Mono

1930's Shanghai: A naive country bumpkin (Jackie Chan) is appointed leader of a shady criminal gang and helps an impoverished flower-seller (Gui Yalei) to convince her unwitting family that she's a wealthy society figure with important political connections. Hilarious complications ensue...

Eager to dispel the notion that he was little more than an action star, Jackie Chan directed and co-wrote this sumptuous 'homage' to Frank Capra's POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES (1961), distinguished by its high profile cast and breathtaking cinematography by industry veteran Arthur Wong. Beloved by Hong Kong movie fans worldwide, the film's mixture of period detail, balletic action (among the best of Chan's career), uproarious farce and slapstick comedy is undeniably entertaining, but it's also something of a mixed bag. The emphasis on pratfalls and comic complications serves to dilute the basic storyline, and the running time is excessive. But as spectacle, it's hard to beat: The late and much-lamented Anita Mui emerges from Chan's shadow to camp it up as an old-fashioned chanteuse (get a load of her Busby Berkeley-esquire musical number!); the fight scenes are timed and filmed with jaw-dropping style and precision; and Wong's camera swoops and dives over some of the most eye-popping production design this side of a Hollywood blockbuster. Also known as BLACK DRAGON, THE CANTON GODFATHER and MIRACLES.

(Cantonese dialogue)

A silly slapstick comedy from Chan's early days.

[=G= · 5/10 · 15 October 2000]

"Miracles", a resurrection of a ten year old Chan flick, is an all Chinese, poorly dubbed, Hong Kong production of a silly comedy with a few action sequences which lean more toward slapstick than the creative Kung Fu we've come to expect from Chan. Those expecting the quality of Chan's recent blockbusters will be disappointed. Only for diehard Chan fans.

Really fun

[breadandhammers · 7 September 2020]

Really fun movie with surprisingly skillful directing and cinematography. There are some moments really made me laugh out loud.

A real treat

[Leofwine_draca · 9/10 · 6 April 2018]

This atypical Chan-starrer is one of his attempts to do something different from the normal, so instead of a kung fu-led thriller, we're treated to a lavish melodrama set in the '30s world of gangsters and exquisite clubs. Fans expecting Chan's usual hijinks will see that the actor retains his brand of slapstick humour throughout, but it's drama, pathos, and romance which fleshes out the rest of the plot, not action. There are about three decent action sequences in the entire movie, all of them quite brilliant in Chan's own inimitable way, but the emphasis here is very much on farcical humour and a lengthy and complex masquerade. Saying that, the climax in the rope factory is very good and a treat for those who've watched the rest of the film.

The all-star cast is very good indeed, the plot is simple but there are many characters to enliven it and many imaginative situations, all of which are so fast paced that the two hour running time simply flies past. Chan is fine as always, ably supported by the late Anita Mui, looking extremely gorgeous here. Veteran performers Bill Tung and Richard Ng provide strong supporting roles with their comedic turns as the fake husband and police chief respectively. The film is awash with cameos from the likes of Yuen Biao, Lo Lieh, and seemingly half of Hong Kong's acting talent. The script is very good and the locations and camera-work excellent. Although the story is very basic, the gentle nature of the comedy and farce and the pleasant characters make it hard to dislike. This is instead a more mature, thoughtful and engagingly comic affair.

A more mature and reflective Jackie Chan film

[Leofwine_draca · 9/10 · 28 August 2016]

This atypical Chan-starrer is one of his attempts to do something different from the normal, so instead of a kung fu-led thriller, we're treated to a lavish melodrama set in the '30s world of gangsters and exquisite clubs. Fans expecting Chan's usual hijinks will see that the actor retains his brand of slapstick humour throughout, but it's drama, pathos, and romance which fleshes out the rest of the plot, not action. There are about three decent action sequences in the entire movie, all of them quite brilliant in Chan's own inimitable way, but the first two are over very quickly and the last one feels tacked on, arriving at the end of a lengthy film where most of our spirit has been taken out of us already. Saying that, this climax in the rope factory is very good and a treat for those who've watched the rest of the film.

The all-star cast is very good indeed, the plot is simple but there are many characters to enliven it and many imaginative situations. Chan is fine as always, ably supported by the late Anita Mui, looking extremely gorgeous here. Veteran performers Bill Tung and Richard Ng provide strong supporting roles with their comedic turns as the fake husband and police chief respectively. The film is awash with cameos from the likes of Yuen Biao. The script is very good and the locations and camera-work excellent. Although the story is very slow-paced, the gentle nature of the comedy and farce and the pleasant characters make it hard to dislike. Not one for action fans, this is instead a more mature, thoughtful and engaging Chinese affair.

On of Jackie Chan's Best Movies

[The-Sarkologist · 9/10 · 15 October 2013]

This movie actually have numerous titles - this is only the most common one. The other titles are: Singapore Sling, Chinese Godfather, Canton God father, and Miracle. This movie I saw a while back and thought that it was quite dull. Now this time I suddenly got all of the jokes. I thought that it would be funny, but the jokes were lost in the translation. Either it was a very bad translation or I were not paying attention because there are a lot of jokes in this movie and they are quite funny.

The reason I gave this movie a 9 was because it was based on a Frank Capra movie, Lady for a Day. This is not a bad thing for Jackie Chan makes it well known that he is influenced by the old American comedies, especially comedians like Buster Keating. In fact, the more of his movies you watch, the more you will see that a lot of the comedy is developed through excellent timing (and can be quite clever slapstick). This movie though is more of a Capra style, which can be quite farcical at times (as I have seen in Arsenic and Old Lace and Mr Smith goes to Washington).

I will not delve too deep into the themes of this movie as I wish to save that for the original Lady for a Day (if I can find it). Need I say that a lot of the themes have probably been brought over to this one, and quite successfully I will hazard to say, seeing that I have not yet seen Lady for a Day. In any case, this movie is in itself a brilliant movie, and also goes to show how good a filmmaker Jackie Chan actually is (even though it was copied from an earlier film, but there is nothing wrong with that if it is done right).

solid jackie chan flick, a classic

[daworldismine · 9/10 · 25 November 2009]

what an enjoyable movie this is, jackie chan accidentally becomes the boss of a hong kong crime family, im this brilliant action/comedy with some fantastic set pieces, it works as an action flick, it works as a comedy, and it's also a great looking movie, with some great camera work from directer chan, while not as action packed as some of chan's movies, this is a great little action comedy that's sure to put a smile on your face, there are some fantastic stunts too, and jackie chan is i his prime, not quite as good as legend of drunken master, but it's miles better than city hunter, a must see for jackie chan fans and action fans alone, check this out

An Enjoyable Film - Good Family Entertainment

[wfgwilliams · 10 July 2007]

I wanted to see this film based on a trailer for it on a kung-fu DVD. This film looked very different from anything else Jackie Chan has done and from everything else that I've seen of Chinese films. It took some time to track the DVD down.

Black Dragon is based on Frank Capra's Pocketfull of Miracles (1961). From the way Black Dragon has been made it is apparent that Jackie Chan intended it only for Chinese audiences. On the DVD the language choices are Cantonese or Mandarin. The characterizations, plot situations, conflicts and resolutions do not use western story structure.

The male characters tend to fill several types for this kind of film while the female roles seem to break from those traditions. This comment is based on commentaries to several other Chinese films, where these types are described.

I found that the film lacked depth and the plot fell short of being cohesive.

Analysis aside, this film is very entertaining. It is upbeat, zippy and likable. One of the high points, for me came with the singing of the title song by Anita Mui early in the film. The song involves a montage of developmental incidents along with several costume and setting changes for the singer and chorus, which deftly indicated passage of time.

The fight sequences, while entertaining, really do not advance the story in any way and are more of a show case for Jackie Chan's acrobatic and martial arts talent. Beyond that they don't really add to the film. What I'm trying to say here is with or without the fight scenes what you have here is a pretty good film.

I recommend that you see this film if you get the chance and I would say that it would be suitable for children from around seven years and up.