Cast Member: George Lam

It’s such a shame that one of Lam’s more appealing roles is hamstrung by unusually poor direction from Tsui Hark.

Despite the weakness of its central performance, ‘All The Wrong Spies’ does incorporate the zest of the Cinema City films that dominated the early 80s.

‘Banana Cop’ is a quick-moving film that is at times amusing and at times, thanks to some fine direction, suspense-filled.

It will forever be a footnote in Yeoh’s career (especially now) but it offers a comforting bit of nostalgia. And not a great deal else, sadly.

Unfortunately for Jingle Ma, ‘Europe Raiders’ is dated in a way that the nearly twenty years old ‘Tokyo Raiders’ isn’t, a production old before its time despite the 2018 bells and whistles.

Not that ‘Heart Against Hearts’ doesn’t have its moments, but it certainly never develops the story beyond typical moments of Hong Kong farce.

‘Heart Into Hearts’ is subsequently a perfect example of the law of diminishing returns, a sequel that tries to impress with its relative opulence but forgets how important its characters are.

With consistent pacing, a convincing story and an effortless mixture of comedy and romance, it is no wonder that ‘Heart To Hearts’ was successful enough to spawn two sequels and numerous imitators.

‘It’s A Drink, It’s A Bomb’ is far less interested in developing a logical plot and far more devoted to the increasingly bizarre situations our protagonists find themselves in.

‘Look For A Star’ will be welcomed by the legions of Andy Lau fans who are keen for the star to return to a genre he dominated at the end of the century.

If you’re a fan of Biao or Sammo, this will make an unremarkable, but enjoyable addition to your collection; if you’re indifferent to either, the chances are you will feel the same about this film.

While not offering the very finest of Sammo’s work, ‘The Owl Vs Bombo’ is an entertaining and worthwhile slice of 80’s Hong Kong cinema.