From Beijing with Love (1994) The Universal Language of Stephen Chow (Review)

Mo lei tau is a relatively new genre in terms of it’s history within Hong Kong pop culture. Born in the late 70’s and early 80’s through the comedy of the Hui Brothers (Michael, Samuel and Ricky Hui), and whilst their brand of humour was never officially called “Mo Lei Tau”, between these comedians and some of the early works of Jackie Chan (specifically the 1982 film Fantasy Mission Force) this type of over the top absurdist parody would continue to grow in popularity throughout the 80’s and into the 90’s. Certain genres and themes would be mocked with a loving wink and a knowing nod (a prime example of this would be the 1994 film The Eagle Shooting Heroes, directed by Jeffery Lau, which parodies the popular Wuxia/Wire Fu genre popular at the time), and there would be one name that would become synonymous with mo lei tau, someone who would bring this unique sense of humour to the wider world, that someone being Stephen Chow Sing Chi.

Starting his career in Television, Stephen Chow would make his film debut in the 1988 film Final Justice, playing side kick to the film’s star, Danny Lee. This role would be Stephen Chow’s big break as this would earn him the Golden Horse award for best supporting actor. However, he wouldn’t become the star as we know him today until the release of Fight Back To School in 1991, which became, at that time, the top grossing Hong Kong film in the history of Hong Kong cinema. It was at this point that Stephen Chow would start making the Mo Lei Tau genre all his own by making his directorial debut in 1994 with From Beijing With Love.

The first thing of note for From Beijing With Love is just how it tries to distance itself from the other popular Spy franchise of British origin. A carefully worded disclaimer is placed right at the start that states “Any similarities between the characters and stories of 007 James Bond are purely coincidental”. This is just before the film launches into a pre credit action scene involving a stolen dinosaur skull, an indestructible suit of armour (which comes across like a low budget RoboCop) before making way for a silhouetted title sequence involving gunfire and dancing ladies. Yeah, it’s just a coincidence, honest.

From Beijing With Love doesn’t do a very good job of hiding what it is lampooning, to such a degree that even Stephen Chow’s character is named Double Oh Sevin (a spy just waiting for his chance to prove himself whilst he is in hiding, pretending to be a Pork butcher in a remote town). The jokes come thick and fast, with each interaction between characters and excuse to reel off a joke or a sight gag. So much so that it would probably take several viewings to even catch half the jokes, and that doesn’t include those that will be lost in translation. Chow is ably supported by Anita Yuen as fellow spy Lee Heung Kam, often being the subject of the lampooning, but all with a good nature and Stephen Chow’s perfected “overconfident idiot” persona.

This is probably a good place to discuss the humour in From Beijing With Love. Whilst it is very much of it’s time, it does have a timeless feel in places. A joke about a colleagues cleavage may not stick as well as it did in 1993, but the absurdity of, for instance, a hairdryer that is an electric razor manages to land the laughs more than it misses, and for a film that is now 30 years old, that is some achievement and testament as to why, even to this day, Stephen Chow is so beloved. And it is with Stephen Chow that this film belongs. His disarming demeanour penetrates through any offensive vulgarity, as his continual optimism and nonsensical ramblings fill each and every scene with enough laughter to make any face ache with joy. However, beyond the jokes and the laughs, what makes From Beijing With Love such a joy is that it manages to weave in moments of genius that upon first impression seem like throw away scenes. For example, there is a scene with a knife that is played early on that pays off to great effect later, so much so that you curse yourself for not having more faith in the character or the story being told.

This Eureka Entertainment release is crammed full of extras, from interviews with Wong Kam Kong (the main antagonist of the film) to feature length audio commentaries and multiple audio options (including an English Dub for those that are adverse to subtitles), all presented in 1080p HD.

Stephen Chow is the kind of actor that could bridge the gap between those that love Hong Kong Cinema and those that don’t like “foreign films”. He speaks a universal language that everyone can enjoy, and From Beijing With Love is up there as one of his very best.

Ben’s Archive – From Beijing with Love