The early 90s were huge for Stephen Chow. Having stepped out of the shadow of Chow Yun Fat in 1990’s All for the Winner, he would set his unique brand of mo lei tau and leave an indelible mark on the Hong Kong film industry with Gordon Chan’s Fight back to School (1991), breaking all kinds of box office records in the process. So when it came to doing a sequel the following year, Stephen Chow was already considered to be box office gold. The quality of his films weren’t hurting him either, with Fight back to School II, Justice My Foot & King of Beggars all coming out in the same year, 1992 was the year that turned Stephen Chow from a star and shot him into the stratosphere of celebrity.
At this same time Wong Jing had carved a career that is often compared to that of Roger Corman. A man that could get a film made and into theatres at such a rapid pace that it was rare for a month to go by without seeing his name appear in the credits of a movie. The quality wasn’t always to the standard many of us have come to appreciate from this period in Hong Kong cinema, but he was prolific, so if you needed work then he was the go to guy. Of course, being so prolific meant that he would work with many people who would later become stars, allowing a certain leverage with some of his other films and the ability to get stars to be in them, and having worked with Stephen Chow as recently as the two God of Gamblers sequels in 1990 and 1991, it was he who Wong Jing would turn to in his two part comedic wuxia tale of martial arts sects and royal families.
Bearing in mind that Stephen Chow would be in 8 films that would be released in 1992 and Wong Jing would direct 5, it would be easy to say that Royal Tramp was a quick and dirty movie… and that would be a fair assumption to make on the evidence here. This isn’t to state that the quality isn’t there, but both movies lack lack at its core is what makes Stephen Chow so wonderful a screen presence, his ability to subvert expectations and still make the audience laugh uncontrollably.
The action is crisp and precise (unsurprising given it was directed by Ching Siu-Tung, acclaimed director of great films) and whilst all the jokes don’t land, those that do manage to prise a laugh out of even the most dour of viewers.
Royal Tramp and Royal Tramp 2 are still funny, very funny in places, but it all feels too predictable and a million miles away from what Stephen Chow would do with Gordon Chan, Jeff Lau, Lee Lik Chi and later on his own. Even from the same year, King of Beggars is a shining light in a pretty stellar career, so to have each of these films be made so close together is something that does not play out on screen, in fact you would swear these performances were years apart.
Part of the problem is the over complicated story. Stephen Chow shines best when things are kept simple, moving from A to B in a relatively straight line, this gives him the room to mould his brand of humour into the perfect shape to make it the most effective it can be, something lacking in both the Royal Tramp films and thus showing its oh so rushed production, indicative of many a Wong Jing film. Having said this, there are moments of brilliance to be had. The action is crisp and precise (unsurprising given it was directed by Ching Siu-Tung, acclaimed director of such great films as A Chinese Ghost Story, Duel to the Death, and Swordsman 2) and whilst all the jokes don’t land, those that do manage to prise a laugh out of even the most dour of viewers.
Chingmy Yau and Deric Wan are excellent as the sibling Royals, and in light of his passing in 2021, it brings a warm glow to one’s heart to see Ng Man Tat share a screen with Stephen Chow, the two becoming synonymous with each other as the decade would move on. Whilst Stephen Chow would go on to bigger and better films throughout his career, and many films that would suit his style of mo lei tau, the Royal Tramp films are still really enjoyable (even if they do often miss the mark).
Unlike Wong Jing, Eureka Entertainment spare no expense or time with this release, cramming it with commentary tracks and interviews (including one with the aforementioned Wong Jing), making The Royal Tramp collection a worthwhile release for any fan of Stephen Chow’s work to pick up.
Stephen Chow’s The Royal Tramp Collection is out now on Eureka Blu-Ray
