''My Lucky Stars'' () is a 1985

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

action comedy film Action comedy is a genre that combines aspects of action and comedy. The genre is most prevalent in film with action comedy films, though several TV series fit this genre. Film The action comedy film is a film genre that combines aspects of acti ...

directed by

Sammo Hung Sammo Hung Kam-bo ( zh, t=洪金寶, j=Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a fight choreographer for ...

, written by

Barry Wong Barry Wong (20 November 1946 – 16 October 1991), also known as Wong Ping-Yiu (黃炳耀), was a Hong Kong screenwriter, film producer and actor. He was hailed as one of the most prolific screenwriters of Hong Kong cinema penning scripts for ...

, and starring Hung,

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

and

Yuen Biao Yuen Biao (born Ha Lingchun; 26 July 1957) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist and stuntman. He specialises in acrobatics and Chinese martial arts and has also worked on over 80 films as actor, stuntman and action choreographer. He was one of ...

. It was released as ''5 Lucky Stars'' in Japan and as ''Ninja Encounter'' in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. ''My Lucky Stars'' is the second film in the ''Lucky Stars'' series, and a semi-sequel to '' Winners and Sinners'', with many of the same actors returning as the "Five Lucky Stars" troupe, albeit with different character names and slightly different roles.

Plot summary

Undercover cop Muscles (

) enlists his childhood friends, the "Five Lucky Stars", to travel to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

to help him catch a

Yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the ter ...

group. A corrupt Hong Kong cop (

Lam Ching Ying Lam Ching-ying (; born Lam Gun-bo (); 27 December 1947 – 8 November 1997) was a Hong Kong stuntman, actor, and action director. As a practitioner of martial arts Lam starred in a number of notable films that found recognition outside Hong Kong ...

) flees to Tokyo to join his fellow mobsters, whose headquarters are secretly built under an amusement park (filmed in Fuji-Q Highland). Two loyal cops, Ricky (

) and Muscle (

), travel there to apprehend him and uncover the mobsters’ lair, but Ricky is kidnapped in a fight. Muscle goes into hiding and calls his supervisor to send help; since the mobsters already have information on the officers of the Hong Kong Royal Police Force, Muscle asks to send his orphanage friends, nicknamed the Five Lucky Stars, over to assist. The supervisor agrees and collects the five friends, who are all either petty criminals or low-wage workers. They refuse to aid the police, but the supervisor cunningly sets up a false story in the media that accuses the five of robbing a bank of millions of dollars, blackmailing them into helping. They ultimately agree when the supervisor teams them up with a rookie policewoman, Swordflower, who becomes an object of lustful target to the five. They travel to Tokyo and that night, Kidstuff (

), the Stars' most rational and talented member, and Swordflower go to Muscle’s apartment. After defeating some thugs, Muscle reunites with Kidstuff. The operation is to send phony money to the mobsters to allow the five to enter their lair, and that way they can get closer to freeing Ricky and apprehending the criminals. After a prolonged battle at the bowels of the amusement park, the criminals lose and the Lucky Stars receive a place to live back at Hong Kong as their reward.

Cast

Despite being billed as one of the stars, Jackie Chan's role in the film is relatively minor until the final half hour. The major star of the film is Chan's longtime associate and former member of the

Peking Opera School Professional schools for Chinese opera, known as ''keban'' (), existed in China from the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) to the 20th century. Formerly attached to performing troupes, many ''keban'' became independent boarding schools by the late 19th ...

. The film also features another of that troupe, Yuen Biao. In the first film, ''Winners and Sinners'', Stanley Fung played an undercover policeman who was posing as the leader of the Lucky Stars gang. In ''My Lucky Stars'' and the third film, '' Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars'', Hung's character is the nominal leader, and Fung's character is not a cop. John Shum ("Curly" in ''Winners and Sinners'') was notably absent from the gang in this film, due to his commitments as a

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

. He is replaced in this film by

Eric Tsang Eric Tsang Chi-wai (; born 14 April 1953) is a Hong Kong actor, film director, producer, and television host, best known for hosting the variety show '' Super Trio series'' on the Hong Kong television network TVB over 18 years. He currently hol ...

. As with '' Heart of Dragon'', Sammo Hung's real-life brother makes a cameo appearance as a henchman. *

- "Eric" / "Kidstuff" / "Fastbuck" / "Chi Koo Choi" *

Sibelle Hu Sibelle Hu (; born 4 May 1958) is a Taiwanese actress, singer and TV personality who starred in both Taiwanese and Hong Kong movies. She acted in many movies in the 1980s and 1990s and retired in the late 1990s. Life Hu graduated from Facult ...

- "Barbara Woo" / "Swordflower" / "Ba Wong Fa" *

Richard Ng Richard Ng Yiu-hon (born 17 December 1939), also known as Richard Woo, is a Hong Kong actor known for playing comedic roles, particularly in Hong Kong films of the 1980s and 1990s. Film and television career Ng has appeared in 80 films to da ...

- "Sandy" / "Dee"/ "Dai Sang Dei" * Charlie Chin - "Herb" (as Charlie Ching) "American Ginseng"/"Fa Kei Sam" *

- "Roundhead" / "Buddha Fruit" / "Lo Hon Gwo" * Stanley Fung - "Rawhide" / "Rhinohide" / "Sai Ngau Pei" *

- "Muscles" *

- "Ricky Fung" * Michiko Nishiwaki - Japanese Gang fighter *

Cho Tat-wah Walter Tso Tat-Wah (15 September 1915 – 10 January 2007) was a film actor of Hong Kong, most famous for the roles he played in a number of ''Wuxia'' films in the 1950s and 1960s. The names Cho Tat-wah and Shih Kien were synonymous to "good ...

- "Supt. Walter Tsao" *Paul Chang - Gang Chief *

Dick Wei Dick Wei (, born April 15, 1953) is a Taiwanese actor, director and writer who specializes in martial arts and action films. Early life and career A Hakka, he was born in the town of Pingtung in southern Taiwan and began studying martial art ...

- gang member *

Lam Ching-ying Lam Ching-ying (; born Lam Gun-bo (); 27 December 1947 – 8 November 1997) was a Hong Kong stuntman, actor, and action director. As a practitioner of martial arts Lam starred in a number of notable films that found recognition outside Hong Kong ...

- gang member / Renegade Cop * Lau Kar-wing - gang member *

James Tien James Tien is the name of: *James Tien (actor) (; born 1942), Hong Kong actor from Guangdong *James Tien (politician) (; born 1947), Hong Kong politician, former Liberal Party chairman and Legislative Council member *James M. Tien, American enginee ...

- Parole Officer *

Teresa Ha Teresa Ha () (October 6, 1937 – August 5, 2019) was a former Chinese television and film actress from Hong Kong. Ha is credited with over 260 films. Career In 1956, Ha started her acting career in Hong Kong films. Ha first appeared in The Soul ...

- Ping *Huang Ha - Prisoner No. 6377 (''uncredited'') *Tai San - Prisoner *San Kuai - Prisoner No. 5734 * Bolo Yeung - Millionaire Chan (''uncredited'') *Alice Lau - Millionaire Chan's wife *Ho Kai-law - Dentist * Fruit Chan - Card Player *Dick Tso - Card Player *Billy Lau - Mental patient on Bench *Lau Chau-sang - Bus Driver with Funny Hair *Yu Chi-ming - Man with Funny Hair *Chu Tau - Bus Driver with Funny Hair *Teddy Yip Wing-cho - Mental Patient with Sandy *Yuen Miu - Amusement Park Ninja *Chow Kam-kong - Gang Thug *Johnny Cheung - Gang Thug *

Yuen Wah Yuen Wah (born Yung Kai-chi; 2 September 1952) is a Hong Kong action film actor, action choreographer, stuntman and martial artist who has appeared in over 160 films and over 20 television series. Early life Born Yung Kai-chi on 2 September 1950 ...

- Gang Thug (''uncredited'') *Lee Chi-kit - Gang Thug *

Chin Kar-lok Chin Ka-lok, sometimes credited as Chin Kar-lok (Chinese: 錢嘉樂, Pinyin: Qián Jiālè, born 6 August 1965), is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, and television presenter. Chin was born in Hong Kong, the younger brother of actor and ...

- Gang Thug / Masked Ninja at Muscles' home *Siu Tak-foo - Gang Thug *Chow Kong - Gang Thug (''uncredited'') *Pang Yun-cheung - Gang Thug *Wellson Chin - Dumb Gang Thug *Wong Kim-ban *Lung Ying * Wu Ma *Tau Cheung-yeung *Ng Hoi-ti

Box office

During its Hong Kong theatrical run, ''My Lucky Stars'' grossed HK $30,748,643. It was the first film to pass the HK $30 million mark in Hong Kong.

Accolades

*1986 Hong Kong Film Awards **Nomination: Best Action Choreography (

)

Home media

On 23 September 2002, DVD was released by

Hong Kong Legends Hong Kong Legends was a United Kingdom DVD distribution company, based in Hertfordshire and operating from the UK and Australia between 1999 and 2007. Hong Kong Legends was initially part of Medusa Communications, who, along with Soulblade bough ...

at UK in Region 2.

References

External links

* * {{Lucky Stars franchise, state=expanded 1984 films 1980s action comedy films 1980s buddy comedy films 1984 martial arts films Buddy comedy films 1980s Cantonese-language films Films directed by Sammo Hung Films set in amusement parks Films set in Hong Kong Films set in Tokyo Hong Kong gangster films Golden Harvest films Hong Kong action comedy films Hong Kong buddy films Hong Kong martial arts comedy films Media Asia films Police detective films 1984 comedy films 1980s Hong Kong films