WITS OF THE BRATS is a late-era Shaw Brothers comedy with a few tacked-on action bits. It was the sole directorial outing for Alexander Fu Sheng, who also has a small supporting role, but it was co-directed by Wong Jing who also wrote the screenplay and it feels very much like a Wong Jing movie. Sadly, most of this is a pretty poor knockabout comedy of the lowest wit. A quartet of idiotic characters spend a good hour bumbling around and trying to outwit each other for no good reason, and it's only towards the end that the tempo picks up and things begin to get interesting. The cast alone makes this film watchable, with Fu Sheng's younger brother Chang Chan-Peng standing in for Fu Sheng in his usual type of role, and Chan Pak-Cheung (of THE MAGIC CRYSTAL) as a hustler and pool expert. Lin Hui Huang gets much more screen time than he does usually and really shines too. Wong Yue shows up late on and is a welcome presence, but the real highlights are Lee Hoi San and Jimmy Wang Lung Wei, who each have brief but engaging fight scenes that are the highlights of the movie; the last scene in particular is a hilarious classic moment of Hong Kong cinema.
2 Reviews
A unique type of movie for a specific audience
ckormos122 June 2020
Comedy is subjective in that it is funny if the viewer thinks it is funny. Therefore when writing a review I try to be fair and not too critical. Hong Kong comedy relies on pop culture references, exaggerations and double takes, toilet and body function gags, and slapstick. It is often an acquired taste. Personally, I acquired a taste for this kind of comedy through watching martial arts movies.
Today, I would guess the only viewer interested in this movie would also have acquired such a taste. I doubt a first time viewer would think this movie funny but that's just a guess. I'm sure a viewer interested in fights or action would like that part of this movie.
The action here is top notch and that is no surprise. Action director Lau Kar-Wing (Liu Chia-Yung) is one of the best. The cast is some of the best with real Peking opera and martial arts skills. The movie has good pacing with many quick fights all leading up to the expected final fight scenes.
I have been watching movies from the golden age of martial arts movies 1967 to 1984 in chronological order to appreciate the development and improvement. I think of this movie as a cherry on top. The execution of the martial arts movements are caught on camera at the precise angle. All aspects of film making have been tuned to near perfection and the movie is cranked out effortlessly.
For fans of this sort of specific genre I rate it as above average and recommend it. For anyone else I would say give it a try if you have the time. You'll know quickly to quit or keep watching.
Today, I would guess the only viewer interested in this movie would also have acquired such a taste. I doubt a first time viewer would think this movie funny but that's just a guess. I'm sure a viewer interested in fights or action would like that part of this movie.
The action here is top notch and that is no surprise. Action director Lau Kar-Wing (Liu Chia-Yung) is one of the best. The cast is some of the best with real Peking opera and martial arts skills. The movie has good pacing with many quick fights all leading up to the expected final fight scenes.
I have been watching movies from the golden age of martial arts movies 1967 to 1984 in chronological order to appreciate the development and improvement. I think of this movie as a cherry on top. The execution of the martial arts movements are caught on camera at the precise angle. All aspects of film making have been tuned to near perfection and the movie is cranked out effortlessly.
For fans of this sort of specific genre I rate it as above average and recommend it. For anyone else I would say give it a try if you have the time. You'll know quickly to quit or keep watching.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
