Kung Fu Mahjong is a Hong Kong comedy film that was inflicted on the world in 2005. Directed by Wong Jing and Billy Chung the film generated two sequels, one of which was already made in the same year, 2005. Kung Fu Mahjong 3: The Final Duel was released in 2007.
The Story Line of the Film
Starring Yuen Wah and Yuen Qiu, Kung Fu Mahjong, playing very similar characters to the ones they played in the Chow Sing Chi classic Kung Fu Hustle. After literally losing the shirt off his back, and on the run from some gangsters looking for the money he owes them, Chi takes refuge in a busy restaurant. This is where he meets an extraordinary waiter, Wong, who has an incredible memory and is able to memorise strings of orders without any notes.
He is well known in the area for her memory and Chi, a serious Mahjong player, realises the value of this gift. He tries to get Wong to accompany him on the mah-jong circuit, but his guardian, Auntie Fei, is flat against him being anywhere near the sleaze and dangers of the gambling circuit. She even becomes angry and threatens to beat Chi up if he keeps trying to push Wong into this risky lifestyle.
Fortunately for everyone who loves long games of mah-jong, Wong is fascinated by the thought of using his skills for mah-jong, and he sneaks off with Chi to take on the mah-jong circuit. As everyone is fully aware, Mahjong is played in pairs primarily at online casino. In the beginning their skills are highly profitable and Wong is able to memorise the position of every tile on the board.
As their fame spread through the gambling world, the gangsters in the place took notice and wanted them out, essentially for card counting. On nefarious gangster, Tin, has Chi beaten so badly that he has brain damage and the mental age of a child. Auntie Fei understandable furious when she finds out about this. Fortunately, she can use mah-jong as a brain healing and reconstructive agent and is able to heal him through the use of the game. Her main goal is now to help them exact revenge on Tin, and defeat him completely and utterly in the major Mahjong Tournament.
Powerful Lack of Benefits to Kung Fu Mahjong
Kung Fu Mahjong may have numerous plot deficiencies and shortcoming in the story with random actors coming in, getting involved, and then mysteriously disappearing never to return, but for aficionados of mah-jong, they are in for a treat with this movie. The central theme of the film are the mah-jong games and a basic study of the tiles and hands involved. The depth of the game is intended to be displayed and appreciated. People who do not play much mah-jong may fall into the trap of trying to get involved in the plot and that the script will all come together.
Not A Huge Attraction
Kung Fu Mahjong, when considered in terms of literary value comes up a definite zero, and ideas for scenes come from a range of other films without much stylising or parody added. The definition of comedy is also rather wasted, since the expectations that such a description evokes are way beyond the realm or scope of this film.