Mister Boo, détective privé

This is of the first Hong Kong comedies starring brothers Michael, Ricky and Sam Hui. This film helped launch a new chapter and revolution of films in Hong Kong and it provided tastefully done humor, good messaging, dramatic moments and slapstick comedy. Here, Wong Yuk-See (Michael Hui) heads a private detective agency with employees Pighead (Ricky Hui), Jacky (Angie Chiu) and Lee Kwok-Kit (Sam Hui) and they takes on various cases, some involving adultery, as evident in the hilarious scene of spying on the affair of a tycoon's young wife and her policeman lover (played by Richard Ng of the 80s Five Lucky Stars movie fame).

It's a nice little movie with an attractive cinematography, terrific acting and solid direction. The simple but captivating story of the detective story just shows how a movie could just rely on substance, drama and good clean comic relief to be entertaining. It also has a positive message of survival the fittest, partnership and redemption. The plot also involves the main villain, brilliantly played by martial arts legend and Wong Fei-Hung movie veteran Kieh Shih. The showdown between him and the detectives provide a classic good guy vs. bad guy concept.

Lastly, the catchy and funky title song sung by Sam Hui is toe-tapping groovy!

The movie is not as suspenseful as later Hui Brothers films like The Contract and Security Unlimited, but it's still great comedy that surpasses many of today's films of the 00s and on.

Grade B+