Cast Member: Raymond Wong Pak-Ming

Even though I was eager to like the film and the trailer helped make this seem a possibility, this is a major disappointment – even for the most forgiving fans of the Samuel Hui/Karl Maka classic.

There’s still enjoyment to be had in this Hong Kong comedy though as long as the potential viewer is willing to forgive its various shortcomings.

Chow Sing-Chi completists may want to seek it out, but everyone else should divert their attention to his many more accomplished films.

Clifton Ko prefers to fill the film with dubious comedy and ‘Home Alone’-style action – certainly no compensation for even a few seconds of Sammo’s genius.

Thrown together rather than constructed, this is a production where the director has little idea how to generate organic laughs from situations and must therefore shoe-horn them in.

This is an average comedy film with little to make it stand out and viewers would be better advised watching ‘Diary Of A Big Man’ if they want to see one of Chow Yun-Fat’s comic roles.

‘The Occupant’ doesn’t appear to be sure if it wants to be a horror or a comedy as while it is genuinely funny, this does tend to undermine the horror elements.

There’s enough spooky set-pieces, riotous comedy and bare flesh on show to keep even the most mercurial of Hong Kong genre fans entertained.

The drama that fills the narrative asks that Leung is capable of giving a mature, at times necessarily understated performance, something the actress resoundingly provides.