The Big Deal (HK 1992)

Rating: **
Cast: Moon Lee, Yukari Oshima, Sibelle Hu, Kwong Leung Wong, Yuen Wah, Sophia Crawford, Yuen Cheung Yan, Wu Fong

Ouch. Another painfully stupid slapstick comedy, but at least it's not as bad as "Inspectors Wear Skirts IV" (1992). The first five minutes alone are pure cinematic insanity and have nothing to do with the rest of the film (thank goodness). Things get a little more reasonable after that as we find out that sisters Moon Lee and Yukari Oshima are cat burglars who catch the attention of super tough cop Sibelle Hu and her idiot partner, "Lethal Weapon" (Kwong Leung Wong). Naturally, Yuen Wah is the super villain and he shows up in the last quarter of the film to steal a precious sword. Apart from the rapid fire mind-numbing goofiness, there are a couple of genuinely funny bits and some awesome (and silly) kung fu courtesy of Yuen Wah, Yuen Cheung Yan, and the girls. And when all else fails, at least the girls are fun to watch. Much to my surprise, Sibelle Hu looks extremely sharp and sexy throughout the film, and her comedic timing is spot-on. Pig-tailed Moon Lee is typically adorable, and even Yukari Oshima proves that she can be impishly cute. It's an endurance test, but definitely watchable if you just skip to the good parts.