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Magical cop, 22 Feb 2007
After "Mr. Vampire," there was a trend of Taoist-magic/vampire hunting movies, preferably starring Ching Ying Lam. One of the better examples is "Magic Cop," which introduces Taoist magic and zombies into a modern urban setting -- it has some humor that doesn't quite work, but it's still an enjoyable supernatural comedy.
It introduces us to Uncle Fung (Lam), a kindly rural policeman who is "more like a Taoist priest than a cop" -- including apprehending an angry ghost with a candle and cloth, after an old lady accidentally angers it. There must be a lot of people who get killed by angry spirits, if this scene is any indicator.
Then we switch to ndercover cops Lam (Wilson Lam) and 'Head' (Miu Kiu Wai), who try to apprehend a drug courier, only to get tossed away like rag dolls. Turns out she died several days ago. This is the ideal crime for Fung, so he and his pretty niece Lin move into Lam's bachelor pad. No, I don't know why Fung doesn't kick Lam out the window for hitting on his niece.
When Fung isn't keeping the womanizing Lam away from his niece, the three cops are tracking the dead woman's boyfriend. The man unwittingly leads them to the head of the drug ring -- a Japanese Taoist sorceress, who reanimates corpses as couriers. Only Fung can stop another Taoist magician -- but soon they've unleashed a horrific zombie that wants them all dead.
Reportedly Lam didn't really enjoy doing these vampire/zombie/ghostbuster roles, and some of them were pretty lame. Fortunately "Magic Cop" is one of the better roles, and it actually improves as you watch it multiple times. After all, it shares a writer with the classic "Shaolin Soccer."
Expect lots of kung-fu and unusual action scenes, like a wonderful scene where Fung battles fiery cloaks and flying roofing tiles. But there's plenty of humor too, ranging from cheap laughjs to more long-running jokes (like Fung redecorating the bachelor pad). Too bad the subtitling is typical eighties stuff -- sometimes it's hard to tell what they're saying.
Ching-Ying Lam is giving a typical performance here (the stoic Taoist priest), but he gets some great, acrobatic kung-fu near the end. Michiko Nishiwaki is wonderfully creepy as the sorceress with the deadly ropes. But too much attention is paid to his sidekicks, one trusting and kind of dumb, and the other cocky and womanizing.
"Magic Cop" is a pleasant variation of the usual vampire-busting movie, and Ching Ying Lam never disappoints with his signature role. Definitely worth seeing, despite the flawed sidekicks.
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