Royal Tramp (1992)
cast: Stephen Chow, Sharla Cheung Man, Ng Man-tat, Chingmy Yau, Deric Wan,
and Elvis Tsui Kam-kong

If only Wong Jing's "Royal Tramp" would have been anything like its final act, we'd have a solid movie on our hands. The choreography, courtesy of Ching Siu-tung, is decidedly silly wuxia, but well thought-out and playfully executed. The humor, which hits its climax during a scene where Stephen Chow is dropped into a cell with a mad general, finally capitalizes on Chow's boyish immaturity.

But alas, the first hour of "Royal Tramp" feels more like one long penis joke that isn't nearly as funny as Wong and comedian Stephen Chow think it is. Before the plot ultimately leaps head first towards climax the audience is more or less abandoned somewhere in the middle of the road.

"Royal Tramp" begins with a slightly complicated narrative, but allows the audience plenty of time to get to know who's who once Wong gets the ball rolling.

Stephen Chow stars as Wilson Bond (don't ask -- just go with it) who makes his living spinning tall tales at his sister's brothel during the Manchu rein. When the Heaven & Earth Society plan a meeting at the same brothel to overthrow the Manchu and reinstall the Ming Dynasty, Manchu soldiers crash the party where Bond finds himself saving the life of none other than the triad society leader (Damian Lau, in an extended cameo).

For this deed, Bond is made an official member of the triad and sent on an undercover mission to the Forbidden City posing as a servant. Once inside Bond's befriended by a kung fu master (Ng Man-tat), the king (Deric Wan), and a princess (Chingmy Yau, clothing firmly in place here, Category III promiscuity withstanding).

Once inside Bond, who is supposed to be an undercover agent, learns of yet another problem -- this one being of the internal kind -- when a Manchu general (Elvis Tsui, barely recognizable in wild locks and pancake make-up) is discovered to have plans of his own concerning the ousting of the good king.

Though "Royal Tramp" is all in all a mediocre affair, the first 60 minutes of countless penis jokes wear out their welcome fairly quickly and yet the last 30 minutes of Wong pulling out all the stops will remind most viewers why they love Hong Kong cinema in the first place.