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Let's Go Slam Dunk!
Chinese: 男兒當入樽 "Boy, I make bad movies!"
A sweating Ekin Cheng
Year: 1994
Director: Yuen Kam-Lun
Producer: Clarence Fok Yiu-Leung
Action: Lau Sung-Fung
Cast: Ekin Cheng Yee-Kin, David Wu (Ng Dai-Wai), Teresa Mak Ka-Kei, Amy Kwok Oi-Ming, Kent Cheng Juk-Si, Cheung Sung-Kei, Cheung Sung-Tak, Louis Koo Tin-Lok, Michael Lam Wai-Leung
The Skinny: Lousy sports action-comedy loosely based on the Japanese manga "Slam Dunk". While some of the acrobatic basketball can be amusing, overall this film is interminable and just plain silly.
 
Review
by Kozo:

Basketball-themed comedy has the occasional nifty moment, but overall this is one lousy flick. Kent Cheng is the coach of the Wah Sing team, which is due to battle the Giants, a US squad. Unfortunately, there's no money to keep Wah Sing's usual band of players: foreigners who are obvious ringers for Hong Kong's typically height-impaired players. Coach desires to field an entirely-Chinese group of players, and enlists daughter Teresa Mak to recruit them. As you'd expect, this motley bunch is played by total misfits, with David "Wu-man" Wu being the standout player.

However, that's not enough. Wah Sing really needs Kao Chiu (Ekin Cheng), a legendary Chinese basketball player who wears all white and bares his chest like a Calvin Klein model. Kao also has mad wire-assisted hops and the incredible ability to look good while doing practically anything. His deal: he wants money to play, but not to practice. The team obliges, but that's not enough to bring them together to win the big game. They also need team unity, forty charity points from the US team, and the help of Coach's estranged son Michael Lam, who's a member of the "King Kong" team. They could also use some semblance of filmmaking.

While an obvious commerical product for screaming teenagers, this sports movie fails at being just that: a sports movie. The trials of the players are as compelling and interesting as an ingrown toenail, and equally as painful. Eventually the players must get past their differences and band together, though the development of such an event is nonexistent. Making things worse are insipid romantic subplots, including one between Ekin Cheng and lunch lady Amy Kwok. A pre-tanned Louis Koo makes an appearance as the ladykiller member of the team, but he never actually gets on the basketball court. The same could be said for Kent Cheng, who's the coach but doesn't even spend time with his players. David Wu, Teresa Mak and Ekin Cheng turn in passable performances, but that's just what they are: passable.

The final nail in this film's coffin is the basketball sequences. While there is the occasional fun wire-assisted moment, the final match with the Giants is just plain bad. No tension really exists, the score jumps all over the place, and even worse: the rules are completely ignored! They claim to be playing by "NBA rules" but in the NBA you must actually release a ball beyond the three-point arc to score a three-pointer. You can't jump from halfcourt and dunk a ball to get three points; you only get two points, and probably a suspension for some obvious cheating. The filmmakers should be suspended too, but personally I'm hoping for a lifetime ban. (Kozo 2002)

 
 
image courtesy of Mei Ah Laser Disc Co., Ltd.
   
 
 
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