To Catch a Thief | 契媽唔易做 | Kaii Mhaa M Yri Zrou

Carol Cheng is a city woman, has had enough with the hectic stress of the city life, decides to move to a calm country-side. But just as she does so, she encounters a bank heist gone wrong. One of robbers Do Siu-Chan hides in the moving-van and is now in her new home along with the stolen loot. She is joined by a kid Cheng Pak-Lam and his older nephew(!) Ng Man-Tat, kind souls who are out to make a buck from anything. Her Boyfriend Tony Leung along with Moon Lee is investigating this case right under their noses.

The premise of the story is great and has many oppurtunities for jokes and fun. Alas, more time is spent building the setup and the humor is not quite at the level it could have been.

On the outset the direction is not that bad. But some of the choice to setup a premise in a long winded manner with the action sequences tacked on feel a bit out of place. Moon Lee's Character is wholly comical and fully out of place. This was a time when movies tried to do away with a main hero, and possibly make do with a simple bad-turned-good villian. Maybe it helps with keeping the budget low but it greatly reduces the effectiveness of the story and mood. Also there is a disconnect between the scenes with the robbers, where the director takes them too seriously for a comedy.

The main actors are great. Carol Cheng, Ng Man-Tat and Cheng Pak-Lam carry the film through its misguided direction. Jaime Luk's cameo is far more interesting than Tony Leung or Moon Lee's presence. They are seriously limited by their roles in the film. Ng Man-Tat is his usual decent sleezy creep and the child star Cheng Pak-Lam is cool and keeps up with the great actors around him. Carol Cheng is decent in this comedy.

Production is adequate and typical of the early 90's. Needless action, fights and car chases sprinkled in a the otherwise simple set. It still fun though, but totally unecessary. More music and visuals could have been picturised to give more life to the rural setting. But still it captures some of the moods of the late 80's retro lifestlye perfectly and is interesting to watch.

Overall its an odd little comedy, sprinkled with bits of action. Good to watch for nostalgia and casual viewing.