Plot: To pay off his debt as a gambler, a man drags his sister and step-brother into a life of crime and a violent war between rival gang lords.
Chow Yun-fat, Alex Man and Andy Lau star in this rather awesome movie about two brothers Kwok (Lau) and Yung (Man) who work for good natured gangster Chai (Chow Yun-fat) because they got out of their depth owing money to another gangster. Kwok is loyal to Chai and the two grow close over time however, Yung is ambitious and can’t be trusted, waiting to take over from Chai.
Although marketed as a Chow Yun-fat movie, Rich and Famous is really more about Andy Lau and Alex Man with Chow more of a supporting character; his role is still sizeable and he gets several moments to shine on the action front. The highlight is when Kwok and his comrades are surrounded in a house after a deal goes wrong; Chai shows up with two guns blazing to save the day.
It isn‘t packed with action and the pacing does slow down in the middle section however, when the action does happen it hits hard with some brutal fights, shoot-outs and explosions. The fight at the beginning between Kwok, Yung and a gang is chaotic and feels like a desperate battle for survival. There are some great stunts too making for an easy watch.
Yung turns into an absolute scumbag and frankly he deserves worse than what happens to him; I was hoping he’d get killed at the end but instead he gets a mere 6 years in jail. A particularly satisfying moment is when Mak Ying Hung (Alan Tam) beats the absolute shit out of Yung at the end. After him being mocked throughout the film he goes out like a true hero.
Also was that A.P. George AKA the referee in Bloodsport? So random but I recognized him straight away…
Overall, Rich and Famous is an entertaining gangster/action picture with Chow Yun-fat stealing the show as always proving he is one of the most charismatic actors to ever grace our screens. Although not packed with action there is enough to keep things moving making this worth checking out on Tubi where it’s playing right now.