Zhong Huan Ying Xiong
1991 / 98m - Hong Kong
Comedy, Romance
1.5*/5.0*
Central Hero poster

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July 11, 2015

1.5*/5.0*

Herman Yau's early days. Like most Hong Kong directors, he started out directing throwaway genre fluff, filler films with little value that teach young directors the ropes. The only notable thing is the cast, as there are quite a few famous names present. Even they couldn't save this somewhat bland and noisy comedy though.

Hero Wah is part of the Triads, Kit is an insurance broker. When Kit learns that he has a brain tumor, he wants to turn his life around for the time that he has left on this Earth, and so he switches lives with Hero. In their new realities they both find romance, but taking over someone else's life isn't as easy as they had imagined.

With guys like Andy Lau, Tony Leung and Anthony Wong around, expectations may rise, but don't bother. Like Yau, they are stuck in a bland and unadventurous comedy that fails to be funny, but tries to get by with increased pacing and noisy situational comedy. It's a good thing Yau left this type of films behind soon after, as he couldn't really excel or make a difference directing simple pulp like this.