My Cultural Diet

If you’re unfamiliar with the wackiness that is Hong Kong comedy, then Pom Pom and Hot Hot might easily be the most annoying movie you’ll ever see. Jacky Cheung and Stephen Tung star as Chien and Curry Chicken (yes, the character’s name is, in fact, Curry Chicken), a pair of Hong Kong police offers whose lackadaisical approach to law enforcement might take down the bad guys, but it also infuriates their superiors. Things get even crazier, though, when Chien’s distant cousins come to stay for awhile just as the duo begin investigating a particularly nasty gangster. Unfortunately, most of the film is focused on either Chien and Curry Chicken’s buddy cop hijinks or Chien’s cousins and their various antics. Fortunately, there are times when director Joe Cheung remembered that he was also making an action movie, and that’s when Pom Pom and Hot Hot shines. Just don’t expect John Woo-style grittiness. The action scenes here have more in common with Bollywood than your typical heroic bloodshed fare, and as such, they get increasingly ridiculous, from hitmen swinging around on ropes to lots of twirling shotguns and creative reloading techniques.

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