Having just starred in The Tattooed Dragon with Jimmy Wang Yu and Sylvia Chang, and also directed by Lo Wei, the wonderful Sam Hui's follow-up role was in this wacky kung-fu comedy, set in modern day (70's) Hong Kong.
Sharing the screen with kung-fu queen, Polly Shang Kwan, the two stars play con artists who befriend a bunch of street performers and decide to join their troupe. All seems well until a sister of the troupe gets sold to a gangster, leading to Hui and Kwan stepping up to save the day!
Sounds simple enough, but this Golden Harvest production from Lo Wei is pretty nuts in many ways. Polly Shang Kwan plays Chiili Boy - a guy, with boobs - but when Chilli Boy must go undercover to save the sister from a gangster, he (she) disguises oneself as a girl to trick them. Then she gives away her big reveal at the end..!?!
Anyone who doesn't know what they are watching, or understands the long-time tradition of females playing males (and vice-versa) in Chinese theatres and movies, might just be a bit lost.
Opening with a great animated credit sequence much like the classic, Pink Panther movies, the gender-bender tale of Chilli Boy and Hui's, Embroidered Pillow may seem a little dated today, but it does make for a fun watch. It has plenty of comedy, lots of neat kung-fu fights, and a cast of who's who in early 70's Hong Kong cinema including the fantastic, Angela Mao Ying, Tien Feng, Carter Wong, Billy Chan, Lo Wei himself, and a young Lam Ching Ying, Yuen Biao and Yuen Wah in the background. In fact, I would go as far to say that had Raymond Chow convinced Lo Wei to use Jackie Chan in Sam's role, we may have seen a different back-catalogue of our hero today!
It would have been the perfect vehicle for Chan, with the fighting and the comedy, which is all he ever wanted to do - instead, landing a number of serious roles with Wei (most of which I do adore of course). Regardless, the young Sam Hui is as wonderful as always, though over-shadowed by Polly who gets a bit more attention and most (if not all) of the action. After-all, it is her movie...
While its middle may lag somewhat for plenty of drama and a bit of comedy, the last 30 minutes makes for a fun ride with a few short scuffles leading to a lengthy end battle. This is headed by Kwan and Angela Mao Ying against some kung-fu veterans, and is a lot of fun to watch with some great moves. The big baddie is played by Han Ying Chieh, who also choreographed the action, along with Mars for stunts.
The team would return a couple of years later for the equally as fun, Chinatown Capers which continues their adventures!
On a side note; its interesting to see just how many films director Lo Wei had made with the (then young) Golden Harvest studios before breaking off a few years later to direct Jackie Chan in a number of movies with mixed results. This of course led to Golden Harvest taking Jackie off Wei, and thus began the start of a legend..
Overall: Maybe a little too long in its running time, Back Alley Princess is a fun watch nonetheless and packed with stars!
