From Beijing with Love
From Beijing With Love is a 1994 Hong Kong spy comedy film directed by Stephen Chow and Lee Lik-chi. The film is a very direct spoof of the James Bond films.
Plot
A mask and armored criminal Golden Gun steals a valuable Tyrannosaurus fossil from the Government of China. Chow, starring as a hawker-turned-secret-agent 007 named Ling-ling-chat, is dispatched to Hong Kong by the commander of the Guangzhou Military Region to recover the cranium. When he arrives in Hong Kong, he meets Lee Heung-kam, who offers to help him in his mission. However, she turns out to be a subordinate of Golden Gun, who is revealed to be the commander himself.The commander instructs Heung-kam to send Ling-ling-chat on a false lead suggesting that the cranium may have been stolen by a smuggler. 007, with the help of Heung-kam, sneaks into a cocktail party held by the smuggler. Before he enters, he tells Heung-kam that he will fetch her some white roses. Heung-kam tells 007 to find evidence implicating the smuggler. Meanwhile, Heung-kam hides in a tree, preparing to assassinate 007 from a distance.
The party is interrupted by a mysterious man and a mysterious woman who are out to kill 007. Taking this opportunity, Heung-kam shoots 007 several times, including once in the leg with 007 thinking another assassin has shot him. 007 escapes, grabbing three white roses on the way out.
Heung-kam is touched by this gesture and saves his life. She decides to defect from Golden Gun. Together, they dismantle the criminal organisation behind the fossil theft. 007 eventually wins the hand of Heung-kam and is rewarded with a meat cleaver engraved with the calligraphy of Deng Xiaoping.
Cast
- Stephen Chow as Ling-ling-chat '
- Anita Yuen as Lee Heung-kam
- Law Kar-ying as Tat Man-sai '
- Wong Kam-kong as Golden Gun, a corrupt commander of the Guangzhou Military Region
- Pauline Chan as Mystery woman
- Lee Lik-chi as Executed martial arts master
- Wong Yat-fei as Executed illiterate person
- Yu Rongguang as Chinese agent killed by Golden Gun
- Lee Kin-yan as Regent Motel manager
- Yip Chun as Deputy commander Chan
- Leung Hak-shun as Lai Yau-wai
- Spencer Leung as Man about to be executed
- Johnny Dang Siu-Juen as Man about to be executed
- Raymond Tsang as Man from Hunan
- Joe Cheng Cho as Metal Death Killer
- Indra Leech as Guard
- Jerry Ku as Firing squad commander
- Chow Yee-Fan as Bald waiter
- Quinton Wong Liu-Che as Photographer
- Wong Kar-Leung as Soldier
- So Wai-Nam as Soldier
- Tang Tai-Wo as Soldier
- Lam Kwok-Kit as Soldier
- Chung Wing as Soldier
- Wong Shiu-Keung as Hotel clerk
- Lo Gwok-Wai as Firing squad soldier
Music
The song Stephen Chow sang while playing the piano is 李香蘭 by Jacky Cheung, a Chinese-language adaptation of the 1989 Japanese song "Ikanaide" by Kōji Tamaki.Box office and reception
The film grossed HK$37,523,850 in Hong Kong and has garnered positive reviews in Taiwan as well.The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 50%, based on 6 reviews.