***Possible spoilers, though they won't mean much to you... I won't try to put this in perspective of HK movies because I haven't seen enough of them; but I know movies, and this one's a lotta fun. The action is interesting and inventive, if not always amazingly produced, and the story--yes, there is one--isn't bad either, at least on the more immediate level. Do we really know a lot about the villains' broader plans and ambitions? No, you could say the bigger picture is underdeveloped, as well as the villain characters generally, but frankly I was enjoying the comic bits too much to worry about it. Some scenes--the awards scene, the dance scene with disco moves, the scene of doctor/patient switching roles, perhaps--mostly borrow off other movies (with reference to other times & places I always think of Mel Brooks) and for that reason it was more a nod of acknowledgment than a laugh from me. But it was the little details throughout, a line here or there, that really were fresh, and got me loving this movie. If you like your comedy a little out of the mainstream, I think you'll see what I'm talking about. I'll resist quotes, it's hardly funny out of context... And yeah, I agree with others about his wife--it was surprisingly touching, watching their relationship. Again, I'd credit some nice details; it pays off. Sparking some emotional involvement in a kung-fu comedy, alright, you're doing something right.

Forbidden City Cop was a movie that suprised the hell out of me. When i first saw a copy of the thing, i twisted my face up in confusion, not knowing what the hell i was in for. Lucky, i picked up a copy and about an hour and a half after chucking it into my vcr, i was still laughing my ass off.This film is the perfect mix of comedy, corruption, and sheer lunacy. The fight scene with the magnets had me in tears, and the amount of golden one-liners in the film was hilarious.In the immoral words of the Faceless Ninja: "BLAND AND FACELESS, MY SKILLS ARE UNFATHOMABLE!"

This movie started out with so much potential, but like a lot of Stephen Chow movies, the second half goes crazy and becomes TOO MUCH of a cartoon.**Possible minor spoilers**The beginning of the movie is funny. We are introduced to Chow's character, Fat, who enjoys inventing things. Unfortunately his fellow Forbidden City Cops, and the emperor, value martial arts more, so it seems like he is not needed. We are then introduced to his wife, who is very likable. Following this is a fight scene where all the Forbidden City Cops, with the exception of Fat, are ambushed and destroyed in the woods. This is a great scene full of action and humor. Up until THIS POINT the movie is great! It strikes a good balance between believability and random humor.Here's where the movie starts to SUCK. I'm not a professional movie critic so I probably cannot point out all the exact reasons why, but it's obvious that the movie becomes TOO far-fetched and random. The believability is thrown completely out the window and the whole show becomes too much like a bad cartoon. The emperor, who was taken when the Forbidden City Cops were ambushed, is dressed in an alien suit, and almost gets an autopsy by Fat. It may sound a little funny, but it's done in a very stupid and cheesy way, and doesn't match the level of realism in the first half (I know it's a comedy, but I would think you have to maintain a stable level of realism and not just change halfway through the movie).Then Fat uses some of the inventions we were introduced to in the superior first half do defeat the enemies. All this is done in the most stupid and cheesy way possible. He uses staff shaped like a propeller to fly by spinning it around in his hands! Then he sticks a gun like object in his mouth to shoot down all the enemies! All this is done in that ugly blue light Hong Kong movies use so much. The scene is totally stupid, and what more, all the enemies seem destroyed! Shouldn't the movie finally be done?Nope. Seems only 56 or so minutes have passed to they need to add more movie. What follows is an idiotic storyline about how the emporer gets Fat to go look for a good looking prostitute because all his concubines are fat (yes there is a scene with a lot of fat women running at the screen). It's just all totally stupid from here. I'm done with this review. The first half was so good, too.

Saw this on a flight from Tokyo to HK - had no idea what it was about (still don't, really) but it had my wife and I ROTFL. There's bits about the alien autopsy, Academy Award speeches and cooking shows, I think. Doesn't make any sense, has cheesy effects and this isn't really acting, just mugging for the camera and winking at the audience, but everyone's very charming and once you stop worrying about the story (there might have been one, somewhere), you won't stop laughing.