Ko Chun, an extremely talented and well known gambler. On the eve of a big confrontation with a famous Singaporean gambler, Ko walks into a trap set by Knife, an avid but a so-so gambler, meant for an Indian servant. Struck on the head, Ko suffers from amnesia and regresses to a child-like state. Knife takes care of Ko and begins to exploit Ko's gambling talents.
Chow Yun-fat Andy Lau Joey Wong Sharla Cheung Charles Heung Lung Fong Bau Hon-Lam Yeung Chak-Lam Shing Fui-On Ng Man-tat Ronald Wong Ban Wong San Seung-Goon Yuk Law Ching-Ho Michiko Nishiwaki Luk Chuen Dennis Chan Kwok-San Strawberry Yeung Yuk-Mui Wong Jing Chan Lap-Ban Benz Kong To-Hoi Chan Yiu-Kwong Johnny Cheung Wa Xinxin Xiong Chow Chi-Hung Ridley Tsui Bo-wah Kong Long Paul Wong Kwan Lau Shung-Fung Show All…
Du Shen, God of Gamblers I, God of Gamblers 1, 도신 - 정전자, Bůh gamblerů, 赌神1, Jogada Mortal, Royal Straight Flush: Jogada Mortal, 赌神, Les Dieux du jeu, Бог игроков, 도신: 정전자, คนตัดคน 1 ต้นกำเนิดเซียนไพ่ เกาจิ้ง, Dou San, Thần Bài
Hong Kong
South Korea
Japan
Hong Kong
Japan
South Korea
A small time hustler and his girlfriend try to take advantage of the preternatural luck of the world's greatest gambler after a major head injury renders him in Dougie Jones mode. Full of 80s Hong Kong Looney Tunes stunts, spoofs and hilarious absurd violence. Great fun.
Like that two-part episode of Charles in Charge where Charles gets hit on the head and turns into his alter-ego Chaz. Except Charles is Chow Yun-fat as the coolest guy in the world and Chaz is Chow Yun-fat playing a six-year old with magical gambling powers. Andy Lau plays a small-time hood who tucks his t-shirts into his jeans, I guess he's the Nicole Eggert part. And then Joey Wong stabs Ng Man Tat in the leg with a switchblade.
Wong Jing is so weird even his normal movies feel like someone spliced together scenes from eight different films from eight different genres into something resembling a chronological story.
The poster promises Chow Yun-fat a cool gambling dude and the film delivers that, at the start and end, but the rest of running time is taken up with Chow-Yun Fat acting like a chocolate-loving child after being bonked on the head. Yea, RAIN MAN was a big hit back in the late 80s.
The most interesting thing about GOD OF GAMBLERS was it's bananas sequels that included folding in Stephen Chow's character from a parody, having a true sequel called GOD OF GAMBLER'S RETURN, and a prequel film starring Leon Lai. And that's not to forget that the film was a take-off of Wong Jing's previous serious gambling film CASINO RAIDERS which starred Andy Lau. The head spins trying to keep it all together.
Chow Yun-fat, looking cooler than Connery Bond, stars as the titular God of Gamblers… until he hits his head approximately 1/4 of the way through the runtime and goes full Simple Jack. And that’s just the beginning of this sprawling buffet of a movie. Comedy, action, melodrama… what cannot be denied is: there is a lot of stuff in this movie. You may not like any of the dishes that much individually, but you will eat enough to be full, and maybe also get a tummy ache.
I like the late 80’s Hong Kong style, fashion, score and atmosphere. I like the heroic bloodshed parts, the shootouts and the gambling sequences. And I love Chow Yun-fat, Andy Lau and Joey Wong. What I did not care about, was the whole amnesia and “acting like a child” plot. It goes on for way to long and drags the movie down especially in the middle part. With over two hours the movie is way too long and feels even longer.
This was my first time watch and for a classic of Hong Kong genre cinema I just expected a little more. If it were half an hour shorter I would probably be a little more enthusiastic. It's a bummer because there are parts here that I really like, but all in all, I am left a little disappointed.
Chow Yun-fat goes from GAMBLOR to Chocolate Rainman (woof) and back, while director Wong Jing pays homage to Alfred Hitchcock by inserting himself into the movie in a scene where Chow is threatening to cut his dick off with a pair of scissors for screaming during sex.
God of Gamblers is fun for the most part, but drags on a tad too long for a film with such a simple premise. It is, however, a classic of Hong Kong cinema and helped launch the acting career of Andy Lau. Living legend Chow Yun Fat is also great in this despite his amnesia schtick wearing a little thin at times. All in all, God of Gamblers was time well spent that left me feeling oddly inspired. I just invested a month's salary in hair oil and I'm heading off to Vegas to make my fortune. Wish me luck!
Second Chow Yun Fat film of the night back to back. I wore out the VHS and the VCD of this!!!!!
That frigging score, I forgot how awe-inspiring it was I AM PUMPED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND READY TO DO BATTLE. Then we get the majhong battle, the dice crushing right hand action, where Chow is so good he can break down the sound of dice rattling, and can toss so hard, he can break dice.
Then Andy Lau turns up and this just becomes the most ridiculous thing ever made. This would never be made now and how is it Chow can make this madness work?
Book-ended by great tension-filled sequences, this movie unfortunately suffers from an overly long middle part that just keeps on going forever and ever.
There's a reason most Hong Kong movies clock in at 1 hour 30 minutes sharp and it has something to do with their paper-thin plotting (Infernal Affairs notwithstanding).
Chow Yun-Fat kills it but Andy Lau's character borders on annoying and Joey Wang somehow plays a non-character which happens pretty much, well, never... except here.
Wong Jing has an interesting directing style when he gets to it but I could easily tell it's directed by him because it's also filled with some retarded-ass sequences, then head shakes ensue aaaaaaand I didn't even need to check who directed this…
chow yun-fat does a bunch of cool gambling tricks, eats at least ten pounds of chocolate and threatens to cut off someone's dick. not sure what else movies are made for, to be honest...
