God of Gamblers (1989) is indeed an old film. It is a film that tells the activities of legendary gamblers with all the fun and funny stories. When God of Gamblers was first launched on December 14, 1989. At that time, this film invited the top artists of its era, such as Chow Yun Fat and Andy Lau. The film duration is 126 minutes using Cantonese language.
This film was so successful that it gave birth to many sequels. In the sequel, Chow Yun Fat returns to play Ko Chun. The film was a hit, earning an income of HK $ 37,058,686.
Ko Chun, The God of Gambler
God of Gamblers tells the story of the legendary gambler named Ko Chun (Chow Yun Fat). He is known as a reliable gambler who has supernatural powers.
Ko Chun is also well-known among the gaming table through his appearances as the God of Gambling. He has supernatural abilities that always make him win when gambling. Although many have heard and admired the God of Gambling, not many know his identity.
Ko Chun gambled every time, always neat in a suit and smooth hair. And the god of gambling, the owner of supernatural powers, really likes to eat chocolate while gambling.
As the God of Gambler, Ko Chun always avoids media publication. However, he was easily identifiable by his features, namely sleek, wet-like hair, and a green jade ring on his left pinky.
Brief Synopsis of God of Gamblers
One day he went to Tokyo, Japan to compete with Tanaka, a famous gambler with top ranking status. Long story short, Tanaka lost to Ko Chun, but he asked for help from Ko Chun to complete his revenge.
Ko Chun agreed to this mission, he looked for a famous gambler from Singapore in exchange for a box of chocolates and accompanied by bodyguards from Tanaka.
Unfortunately Ko Chun got into an accident made by an amateur robber named Knief. Ko Chun was hit and lost his memory in the accident.
Ko Chun is in Tokyo with his girlfriend, Janet. Mr. Tanaka challenges Ko Chun to play Mahjong and craps. In that match, Tanaka had to admit Ko Chun’s greatness.
Tanaka then asked Ko Chun for help. Tanaka asked Ko Chun to compete against gambler from Singapore, Chan Kam Sing. Tanaka wanted to take revenge on Chan for causing his father’s death.
Tanaka’s father committed suicide after losing a gamble against Chan. Ko Chun accepted it and asked for chocolate in return after he finished carrying out his duties later. Tanaka also gave Ko Chun a bodyguard.
As a result, Ko Chun, the god of gambling, of the supernatural legends, becomes strange like a child.
Review of God of Gamblers
When the film enters the boring minutes when The God of Gambler experiences amnesia and becomes like a child, Andy Lau manages to break the boredom with his funny acts.
Occasionally the audience is invited to see Chow Yun Fat’s performance as the God of Gambling, which is when fighting over Mahjong stones, shuffling cards, sorting cards, and throwing cards.
Two things that are a little disturbing from this film is the betrayal of Ko Chun’s closest people who seem sudden and too forced.
The function of Janet’s character as Ko Chun’s lover is also not very clear. Janet’s attempts to find Ko Chun during an accident don’t appear in the film either.
Regardless of the shortcomings, the meeting of two big Hong Kong stars, Chow Yun Fat and Andy Lau, in God of Gambler (1989), became a cure for the fans of mandarin movies.
Also read: The 25 Best Gambling Movies of All Time