Unlucky

We were stoked from watching Forbidden Kingdom that we promoted the first Jackie Chan movie on our queue to the top. It was My Lucky Stars. We should have known better.

To cut to the chase, this is not exactly a Jackie Chan movie. As fans know, not all movies "starring Jackie Chan" actually contain detectable amounts of Jackie Chan. Many contain large amounts of Sammo Hung, for example, and other cronies. As far as I can gather, Jackie and Sammo went through Chinese opera training with a crew who came to be known as the Lucky Stars. This is a movie about them.

It starts out well, with Jackie and Yuen Biao in Tokyo chasing crooks. There are some stunts at an amusement park and some fights with ninjas and Yuen Biao is captured. Because the crooks have infiltrated the police, Jackie calls on the gang "from the orphange". So first they get Sammo Hung out of prison, then start collecting the others - a crook, an idiot, a mental case, and a con-man. But basically, all idiots - more or less the Five Stooges. There's a cute policewoman who they sexually harass, as well.

So after 15 minutes of kung-fu action, we get an hour of Hong Kong slapstick. It isn't bad if you like that kind of thing, but it isn't Jackie Chan. Finally, we get to Tokyo and meet up with Jackie and have a big fight in a ninja infested funhouse. So, approx. 15 more minutes kung-fu. And not the best ever, either.

So, for fans of Hong Kong slapstick and Sammo Hung, not Jackie Chan. This crew made 3 or 4 movies. Fortunately only on seems to be available through Netflix: Winners & Sinners. Avoid.