All For The Winner is a Chinese film released in June 1990. The title of the film translates directly as Saint Of Gambling and is intended as a parody of the critically and commercially acclaimed film, God Of Gambling starring Chow Yun-Fat.
It was written, produced and directed by the team of Jeffrey Lau and Corey Yuen who are a well established and highly regarded team. The film is an action comedy that blends both elements well.
The film was produced by Golden Harvest Productions, Seasonal Film Corporation and Wellstreet Productions. Golden Harvest also distributed the film throughout China, Asia and the West. It was filmed in Mandarin and Cantonese.
The Winning Plot
The film introduces you to Sing, played by Stephen Chow. He is a peasant boy from mainland China who visits his uncle in Hong Kong. Sing is completely innocent and overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of the big city.
He meets his uncle, Blackie Tan, played for comedic effect by Ng Man-tat. You are introduced to Uncle Blackie’s roommates who round out the rest of the comedic cast, a spot on performance by Sandra Ng as well as Director Corey Yuen playing the straight man to the two seasoned actors.
During a friendly round of gambling, it becomes evident that Sing actually possesses incredible powers. He can magically see through objects to reveal what’s on the other side and he can change the value of cards to any value he wishes by rubbing them. Uncle Blackie declares Sing to be Dou Sheng, a gambling saint. He starts planning to turn Sing into a gambling machine.
Love Means Trouble
He eventually runs into the film’s love interest, Yee-mung which literally means a beautiful dream, but euphemistically it is used to specifically refer to a wet dream. This is one of the very few instances where an element of humor gets lost in translation in the film.
She is played by Sharla Cheung and serves as one of the main villain’s henchman. He is played by Paul Chun and is known as the God Of Gambler. Sing and the God Of Gambling soon become rivals in the gambling halls.
When the world gambling championship rolls around town, The God and Sing must face off against each other to determine who is the best.
The Further Adventures Of Stephen Chow
All For The Winner became the breakout film for Stephen Chow, he eventually moved into production, directing and writing resulting in his films often breaking attendance and box office records. His international breakthrough came with the release of Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle.
His films have won over 20 awards internationally, with All Is For The Winner awarding him and his co-star Ng Man-tat two nominations at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Stephen received a best actor nod and Ng Man-Tat receiving a Best Supporting Actor nod.
Stephen Chow continues to write, produce and direct. He has left an indelible stamp on Chinese cinema and in All For The Winner he dishes up the first of a series of unforgettable performances.
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