Noted chef Wong (Hung) is at the apex of his career, preparing an opulent banquet for prestigious guests. All of this quickly turns sour (literally) as his sous chef is hired to tamper with the food and a number of guests get food poisoning. Disgraced, Wong disappears from public view until he returns to a struggling family restaurant. While there, he agrees to take rebellious young cook Lung under his wing and teach him the most mysterious secrets of Chinese cuisine. Unfortunately, those with a vendetta return to quash Wong’s re-emergence and everything comes to a head in the kitchen and on the Hong Kong streets.
With a title like ‘Kung Fu Chefs’ you expect mouth-watering shots of Chinese dishes and a sprinkling of fight action; the good news is that this minor Sammo film delivers both. It tends to favour the former rather than the latter for much of its running time, but when it concentrates on fisticuffs, it is surprisingly slick. That said, with Yuen Cheung-Yan helping out with the choreography, perhaps that should be expected.
‘Kung Fu Chefs’ came out just before the recent Sammo revival that has seen the legend given a well deserved lifetime achievement award, but he has settled into his elder statesman role rather comfortably over the years. Maturing with a confidence that his ‘Little Brother’ Jackie Chan could learn from, Sammo is a solid presence in ‘Kung Fu Chefs’ and anchors the story nicely. Fan Siu-Wong hams up his villainous role and the background cast are not as appealing as the beloved main star, but it says much for him that he drags the narrative through slower moments.
While this might not be top tier Hong Kong action comedy, ‘Kung Fu Chefs’ has much to recommend it. The shots of artistically prepared food is exciting in itself while the fight action is impressive throughout, with the short bout between old school legends Sammo and Bruce Leung a particular highlight. ‘Kung Fu Chefs’ slipped through the cracks on its initial release, but with its star getting more attention than ever before, it might be worth revisiting.
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