Alright, rewind your minds with me for a second. Picture this: Friday night, the VCR whirring, maybe a bowl of slightly stale popcorn beside you. You slot in a tape with a cover promising high-octane thrills and maybe a few laughs. Sometimes, you struck gold. And sometimes, you found something like 1985’s My Lucky Stars – a film that felt like pure, uncut Hong Kong cinematic chaos beamed directly into your living room, a glorious collision of insane stunts and even more insane comedy. This wasn't just a movie; it was an experience.
East Meets West... Sort Of
The setup is classic 80s Hong Kong action fare: Muscles (Jackie Chan) and Ricky Fung (Yuen Biao) are Hong Kong cops chasing a dirty colleague to Tokyo. When Ricky gets nabbed by the Yakuza, Muscles needs backup. Enter the "Lucky Stars," a motley crew of loveable ex-cons led by the portly powerhouse Kidstuff (Sammo Hung, who also directs with his signature kinetic flair). Their mission: go undercover in Japan, live in the bad guys’ house (don't ask), and somehow rescue Ricky and retrieve incriminating evidence. It's flimsy, sure, but honestly, the plot exists solely to string together a series of spectacular set pieces and comedic riffs. And let's be real, that's exactly why we rented these tapes!
When Stunts Were King
Let's talk about the main event: the action. Forget glossy CGI polish; this is the era of bruised knuckles and real danger. Sammo Hung, a maestro of controlled chaos, orchestrates sequences that blend intricate choreography with sheer acrobatic audacity. Remember watching these fights on a slightly fuzzy CRT and just knowing those hits were connecting? When Jackie Chan takes on ninjas in that bizarre amusement park haunted house, it’s a masterclass in using props and environment, trademark Chan ingenuity firing on all cylinders. Interestingly, Jackie's screen time here is more like a super-charged cameo; rumour has it he was juggling commitments for Police Story (1985) around the same time, but his star power was already so immense that even a smaller role guaranteed box office dynamite back home. The film reportedly raked in over HK$30 million, a massive success that solidified the Lucky Stars formula.
But it’s not just Jackie. Yuen Biao, arguably the most acrobatically gifted of the "Three Dragons," gets his moments to shine with flips and kicks that defy gravity. And Sammo Hung himself? Don't let the frame fool you; the man moves with incredible speed and power, his fight scenes often carrying a weight and impact distinct from his co-stars. The finale in the Yakuza warehouse is pure pandemonium – bodies flying, glass shattering, intricate moves seamlessly transitioning into brutal brawling. You can almost smell the sweat and cordite. This was practical stunt work at its peak – dangerous, visceral, and utterly thrilling in a way modern, physics-defying digital doubles rarely capture.
The Five Stooges
Interspersed with the bone-crunching action is the broad, often low-brow comedy of the Lucky Stars themselves: Kidstuff (Sammo Hung), Sandy (Richard Ng), Herb (Charlie Chin), Rawhide (Stanley Fung), and Roundhead (Eric Tsang). These guys are essentially overgrown kids, obsessed with peeping on their beautiful housemate Inspector Barbara Woo (Sibelle Hu) and pulling elaborate, silly pranks. Their chemistry is undeniable, honed across several films, but be warned: the humour is aggressively 80s Hong Kong. Some gags land with goofy charm, others... well, let's just say comedic sensibilities have evolved. It’s a fascinating time capsule, that tonal whiplash between goofy slapstick and life-or-death stakes that Hong Kong cinema navigated so uniquely. Richard Ng's recurring "invisibility" bit is peak absurdism, while Eric Tsang nails the lovable loser archetype.
Behind the Madness
Directed with gusto by Sammo Hung, who had already proven his action-comedy chops with films like Winners and Sinners (1983) – the film that kicked off this whole series – My Lucky Stars feels energetic and eager to please. The production reportedly came together quickly to capitalize on that earlier success, giving it a slightly rough-around-the-edges charm. The Tokyo locations add a different visual texture compared to the usual Hong Kong settings. It’s also great seeing Sibelle Hu holding her own, not just as the object of the Stars' juvenile affections, but getting involved in the action too – a reminder that dangerous stunt work wasn't exclusive to the male leads in this era. Tragically, Hu would later suffer severe burns during a stunt mishap on Devil Hunters (1989), a stark reminder of the real risks involved.
The film's DNA is pure Hong Kong gold, penned by prolific screenwriter Barry Wong, a key architect behind countless classics of the era before his untimely passing. His scripts often juggled these disparate tones, somehow making them work through sheer force of entertainment value.
VHS Heaven Rating: 7/10
Justification: My Lucky Stars earns a solid 7 for its sheer entertainment value and historical significance within the Hong Kong action-comedy boom. The action sequences, particularly those involving the "Three Dragons," are absolutely top-tier for the era, showcasing incredible practical stunt work and choreography that still impresses. The comedic ensemble delivers laughs, even if some humour feels dated. Jackie Chan’s limited but impactful presence and Sammo Hung’s energetic direction are major pluses. It loses points for the sometimes jarring tonal shifts and comedy that occasionally veers into uncomfortable territory by modern standards, plus a plot thinner than tracing paper. However, as a pure blast of 80s Hong Kong energy, it’s hard to beat.
Final Thought: This is pure, unadulterated 80s Hong Kong magic – grab it if you see that worn VHS cover, pop it in, and prepare for a delightful dose of action insanity and goofy charm that modern movies just don't dare replicate. It's a time capsule of when stunts felt real because they were.