Mr. Vampire (1985)
I knew it was a famous cult film. But I never thought it would change my life. I bought it because of Sammo and Lam Ching-ying. Then I ended up with Ricky. Destiny has its funny ways. Days went by and my DVD played only one film again and again. I had to realize I watch the film not because of Sammo, Lam Ching-ying or beautiful Chin Siu-ho. It's Ricky I want to see.
The story and characters enchanted me, not to mention the brilliant action sequences. I never saw a film of that kind before, it was all brand new to me. Taoist priest, Eastern supernatural, hopping vampires, vampire sheppards, it was a whole new and exciting world.
Man
Choi is the first person to appear and I remember my first thought was,
what a beautiful straight shiny hair this guy had. He, the hopping
vampires and the dark music make a brilliant opening scene. One already
knows what to expect: horror and black comedy. In these opening scenes
I especially admire the clumsy vampire who cannot hop high enough and
Man Choi has to help him out and I like Antony Chan, it's really funny
to see how gently he treats his beloved vampires. The chemistry between Ricky and Lam Ching-ying is clearly visible during
the whole film, especially in the coffee scene. When I first saw it I
didn't know they'd known each other for decades, but it was obvious
they liked each other very much. I admire Lam Ching-ying greatly and
think very highly of him. His death is a great loss to HK cinema.The cast is wonderful and everyone gives their best performance. Lam Ching-ying was only 33 at the time but he had
so
much grace and power that he made the perfect Sifu (not so graceful
when his head is stuck between the prison bars though, but for me it's
definitely one of the greatest moments. Although Lam Ching-ying was
said to be a very serious person, he handled the comedic scenes
wonderfully). Chin Siu-ho is a great physical performer and was ideal
for the role of this beautiful rascal. And Ricky... Ricky is more than
perfect as Man Choi. I was immediately enchanted by his character he
was born to play. 
The
film is rich in action, usually performed by Lam Ching-ying, Chin
Siu-ho and of course Mr. Vampire himself, Yuen Wah.They perform some of
the most breathtaking kicks and flips of HK cinema.
The
humour and human factor is provided by Ricky Man Choi. He is a
silly-billy, clumsy guy with a good heart. I love the fact that the
leading lady 
developed
feelings for him and not for handsome Chin Siu-ho (after all beauty
isn't everything). For me the highlight of the film is always Man Choi,
but the winner is definitely his dance. After he got attacked by the
vampire he had to keep moving to stop his blood blocking up and turning
into a vampire. That dance was my destiny I think.
developed
feelings for him and not for handsome Chin Siu-ho (after all beauty
isn't everything). For me the highlight of the film is always Man Choi,
but the winner is definitely his dance. After he got attacked by the
vampire he had to keep moving to stop his blood blocking up and turning
into a vampire. That dance was my destiny I think. I
have many favourite Man Choi moments. I just love the scene when the
vampire breaks in the house and at first we think Man Choi is not a
coward, he w
ill protect his girl, then... Well...
He IS a coward. Then there's the scene when he cuts his vampire nails
off and appears in a Peking Opera performer style. I was speechless and
surely had the same silly expression on my face as Lam Ching-ying and
Billy Lau. I also have to mention that smile he smiles at Sifu before
trying to bite him, after all he loves and respects him as a good
student should. I loved his total panic when they were attacked
in the house for the last time. The music adds a lot to the atmosphere
of the film. It fitted the scenes and characters perfectly. Just think
about Man Choi's dance. Now, that's a definite bull's eye.
I only grabbed a few highlights from the film but that was really difficult, because the whole film is one big highlight. In every scene it provided full entertainment without a moment bore and very few film has this quality. I regard it one of the best films of HK cinema and it's no wonder it became a cult film and the "Father" of the many vampire films that followed.
However, it wouldn't be fair if I left out the few things that slightly annoyed me. One is the killing of animals on screen, which occur in many other HK films as well. Unfortunately I am very sensitive to such things, I cannot kill even a fly so killing the chicken, the goatling (I think it got killed) and the snake is something that is against my taste. But I respect that we are from different cultures and that at the time HK film industry didn't have the financial background for using expensive props etc. I still close my eyes every time such scenes occur, but learnt to accept it in these films as a necessary bad. There were also other minor things that I discovered.
ill protect his girl, then... Well...
He IS a coward. Then there's the scene when he cuts his vampire nails
off and appears in a Peking Opera performer style. I was speechless and
surely had the same silly expression on my face as Lam Ching-ying and
Billy Lau. I also have to mention that smile he smiles at Sifu before
trying to bite him, after all he loves and respects him as a good
student should. I loved his total panic when they were attacked
in the house for the last time. The music adds a lot to the atmosphere
of the film. It fitted the scenes and characters perfectly. Just think
about Man Choi's dance. Now, that's a definite bull's eye.I only grabbed a few highlights from the film but that was really difficult, because the whole film is one big highlight. In every scene it provided full entertainment without a moment bore and very few film has this quality. I regard it one of the best films of HK cinema and it's no wonder it became a cult film and the "Father" of the many vampire films that followed.
However, it wouldn't be fair if I left out the few things that slightly annoyed me. One is the killing of animals on screen, which occur in many other HK films as well. Unfortunately I am very sensitive to such things, I cannot kill even a fly so killing the chicken, the goatling (I think it got killed) and the snake is something that is against my taste. But I respect that we are from different cultures and that at the time HK film industry didn't have the financial background for using expensive props etc. I still close my eyes every time such scenes occur, but learnt to accept it in these films as a necessary bad. There were also other minor things that I discovered.
When
Lam Ching-ying paints the thread he had ink all over his fingers in one
moment but when he holds the bagua mirror his fingers are clean.
In
the scene when Chin Siu-ho is thrown across the room by Man Choi, it's
clearly visible it's a puppet in the armchair. When Lam Ching-ying is
called to the village for another murder case, he has longer hair but
when arrives to the village his hair is short. I guess he popped in a
salon to have a haircut, but when he goes back to the house, it's long
again. Surely his hair grew very fast.
What
was slightly annoying for me is the 2 different masks (or persons) for
the vampire. These are only minor things and don't lessen the value of
the film at all.
All in all, Mr. Vampire is one of the best films I've ever seen and it will take a lot of time for me to put it away on my shelf to rest. For the time being I need my daily Man Choi dose and that's something that cannot be overdosed and has no side effects. Or has it? Maybe in my case, yes.