Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

A different way of telling a story

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

The second sequel to Hong Kong's Aces Go Places, it is a story about King Kong (Samuel Hui), while vacationing in Paris, being kidnapped by a British agent called James (Jean Mersant), who wants to recover one of the stolen crown jewels, the Star of Fortune, supposedly at the request of the Queen of England. King Kong attempts to steal the jewel at the Hong Kong Police Headquarters without his partner-in-crime, Detective Albert "Baldy" Au (Karl Maka), knowing.Like the previous movie, the plot is fast-paced and full of adventure. the story has slightly less corny jokes and silly action than the previous movie, and incorporates some slick and daring cross-culture references, like the appearance of James Bond villain actor Richard Kiel and Mission Impossible actor Richard Graves. There are also characters named James Bond and Oddjob in the movie - obvious references to 007 films. King Kong trying to pull off a heist while not betraying his partners is a pretty captivating plot.There is wild action in abundance, but still doesn't quite capture the fun of the original film. Still, it's worth a watch.Grade B-

The third entry in the "Mad Mission" / "Aces Go Places" series sets its sights on being a James Bond - flavored spy comedy, by including a British secret agent that looks like an 80's version of Sean Connery ("I think you know the number"), an Oddjob-like henchman complete with killer hat, and a Jaws-like henchman (minus the steel teeth) played by Richard Kiel himself! There are also international locations (Paris), submarines, daring heists, wild chases, multiple gadgets....and there, I think, lies the problem with this film: it relies too much on the gadgets and the gimmicks and not enough on the characters. Along with those people I mentioned above, Peter Graves from the "Mission: Impossible" series also appears, but all these names ultimately add little to the film beyond....well, name value. Much like in the second part of the series, a lot of things happen here not because they make sense or hang together, but because the people who made the film thought they would look cool (the chase scene with the "Mad Max 2" outcasts, for example). The second film somehow worked; this one falls curiously flat. (**)PS: The actress who plays the bad-girl-turned-good is g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s.

In this third outing of the series, King Kong is hired by some people who say they work for the Queen of England. They claim that some jewelry from the crown has been stolen, and they want King Kong to steal it back. But things are not quite what they seem, and King Kong and Baldy are in trouble again.Compared to the first two movies in the series this is the worst, it's not quite as action-packed as the others, but relies more on humour, which gets kind of stupid after a while. Maka, who plays Baldy, sets new records in overacting, and the Bond-inspired characters are quite lame.Skip this one, and proceed directly to the next, which is better (Ringo Lam is the king).

This third Mad Mission film continues the adventures of King King (Sam Hui), Albert Au (Karl Maka) and Superintendent Nancy Ho (Sylvia Chang). The films had become an institution in Hong Kong at the time, and Maka and co-producer Dean Shek knew that they had a ready-made audience.Whether this led to a weaker script is not known but it is, apart from the fifth and last instalment, the weakest of the series penned by Maka and company. But the first two were hard acts to follow and there was always a risk of comparison.For a start, you need to have seen the first two to understand the development of the characters. Nancy has married Albert, and have a bald son, who is introduced in this outing. King Kong receives a mission from Her Majesty the Queen (remember, this was in colonial Hong Kong) and along the way meets certain characters who resemble Sean Connery, Oddjob and Jaws.The silliness of the film is not helped by Maka's willingness to make a fool of himself. This may be part of his humour and style but here it is taken to tiresome extremes. Certain ingredients from the earlier films are taken and exaggerated too greatly: Au's stupidity and suggested infidelity, Nancy's tough-cop routine, and King Kong's cad, James Bond-like attitude. The plot is extremely thin and at best confusing. Even by early 1980s Hong Kong standards, it leaves a lot to be desired.It has its moments: Albert Au trying to use the police computer; the interrogation of King Kong by a police detective (played by Sam Hui's real-life brother, Michael); and the 'Aw, how cute' factor provided by Au's screen son. Mission: Impossible's Peter Graves makes a brief appearance in a scene which is entirely in Chinese (Graves is dubbed - badly). Some of the lines are not too bad, but one wonders how well they hold up in the dubbed English versions.There is some poor dubbing in the Chinese original, with non-Chinese actors sounding typically bad. I suppose it's pleasing to know that the tables can be turned from time to time.Fans of the series would be advised to go straight to the fourth instalment, which is far superior in humour and pace.