The Private Eyes (1976 film)
Encyclopedia
The Private Eyes is a 1976
Hong Kong
comedy film
directed by and starring Michael Hui
and co-starring Samuel Hui
and Ricky Hui
and featuring Richard Ng
in his second film role. John Woo
was the production designer and also co-director though he was uncredited. Sammo Hung
served as the film's action director
and Jackie Chan
was also a stuntman. This is the third film of the Hui Brothers and it is the first film that established the Hui Brothers' comedies internationally.
) with his emotionally drained assistant Puffy (Ricky Hui
). Meanwhile, Lee Kwok Kit (Samuel Hui
), a kung fu expert, who works at a Vitasoy
plant factory and spends most of the time doing kung fu tricks to impress a girl, ultimately loses his job. Seeking to find another line of work, Lee attempts to joins Wong's detective agency. Despite Lee's impression with his kung fu talent which involves his snatching trick, Wong was not impressed. Then, as it appears that Lee would not get the job, Wong discovers that his wallet was missing and was presumed stolen by one bystander who bumped into them, which led to a scene where Wong fights the thief in the kitchen using sausage nunchaku
as a weapon. Wong's onslaught backfires, and just as the thief walks away, Lee intercepts him and recovers the wallet, thus impressed Wong to hire him for the job. In truth, the wallet was in Wong's possession the whole time; they attacked an innocent bystander and stole his wallet.
The trio work together to serve their clients in many situations. For example, they were hired by a woman to capture photos of his husband's affair with another woman so she can get reward money at court. Later, they were also hired by a supermarket owner to foil an upcoming shoplifting case which leads to a scene where Lee puts his kung fu skills in use to fight thugs.
The most important part of the film is when a gang of robbers led by Uncle Nine (Shih Kien
) who demands ransom from a cinema mogul. He then leads his gang to extort movie goers and Wong is one of them, who struggles against Uncle Nine in the mayhem, injuring his leg in the process. Lee, in the midst of the chaos, catches a few of the thugs and beats them up. Later, the gang leaves in an ice cream trunk that one thugs stole from the street, but Lee had defeated the thug earlier as he drives them to the police station. Along the way, Lee turns on the freezer which freezes the gang in the back. At the police station, Lee hands in the thugs to a police sergeant (Richard Ng
), who appears throughout the film, both as a pursuer and as an investigation case to Wong and Lee. Lee later receives a good citizen award and leaves Wong's agency to start his own. Puffy also joins Lee.
Months later, an injured Wong returns to his agency with no assistant and no clients, who all went to Lee's agency known as Cannon Detective Service. Lee makes a deal with Wong to work together with Lee getting a higher share of profits. Wong refuses, and later learned a snatching trick from Lee, who was doing it in the beginning. Lee then offers a deal to work with Wong where they share half of the profits.
The Front Page (1990) (新半斤八兩), unrelated to the 1976 film, reunites the trio of the Hui Brothers, which is also the last film the three appeared together. This time the story revolves around the exploits of a tabloid magazine company. Like its predecessor, their exploits throughout the film resulted in investigation on celebrity scandals and their unfortunate situation involving the trio and a group of bank robbers.
8,531,700 at the Hong Kong box office and broke the record during that time.
's third Cantopop
album. The title song is the film's theme song with the same name, which was a hit, using especially colloquial street Cantonese in the lyrics which was a breakthrough at that time. The use of street Cantonese was justified as the film, which depicted the working class
, struck a chord with Hong Kong people after its release.
Hong Kong films of 1976
A list of films produced in Hong Kong in 1976:.-A-B:-C-:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 1976 at...
Hong Kong
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by and starring Michael Hui
Michael Hui
Michael Hui Koon-Man is a Hong Kong comedian, scriptwriter and director. He is the eldest of the four Hui brothers who remain three of the most prominent figures in the Hong Kong entertainment circle during the 1970s and the 1980s...
and co-starring Samuel Hui
Samuel Hui
Samuel Hui Koon-kit , usually known as Sam Hui, is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, lyricist and film actor. He is credited with popularizing Cantopop both with the infusion of Western-style music and using popular, street Cantonese jargon in his lyrics writing...
and Ricky Hui
Ricky Hui
Ricky Hui Koon-Ying was a Hong Kong movie star. He and his brothers, Michael and Sam, made several comedy blockbusters in the 1970s and 1980s.-Biography:...
and featuring Richard Ng
Richard Ng
Richard Ng Yiu-Hon is a Hong Kong actor. He is known for playing comedic roles, particularly in Hong Kong films of the 1980s and 90s.-Film and television career:...
in his second film role. John Woo
John Woo
John Woo Yu-Sen SBS is a Hong Kong-based film director and producer. Recognized for his stylised films of highly choreographed action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and use of slow-motion, Woo has directed several notable Hong Kong action films, among them, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard...
was the production designer and also co-director though he was uncredited. Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in many martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema...
served as the film's action director
Stage combat
Stage combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions. The term is also used informally to describe fight choreography for other...
and Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
was also a stuntman. This is the third film of the Hui Brothers and it is the first film that established the Hui Brothers' comedies internationally.
Plot
The film revolves around the exploits of a detective agency in Hong Kong called Mannix Private Detective Agency. It is headed by private detective Wong Yeuk Sze (Michael HuiMichael Hui
Michael Hui Koon-Man is a Hong Kong comedian, scriptwriter and director. He is the eldest of the four Hui brothers who remain three of the most prominent figures in the Hong Kong entertainment circle during the 1970s and the 1980s...
) with his emotionally drained assistant Puffy (Ricky Hui
Ricky Hui
Ricky Hui Koon-Ying was a Hong Kong movie star. He and his brothers, Michael and Sam, made several comedy blockbusters in the 1970s and 1980s.-Biography:...
). Meanwhile, Lee Kwok Kit (Samuel Hui
Samuel Hui
Samuel Hui Koon-kit , usually known as Sam Hui, is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, lyricist and film actor. He is credited with popularizing Cantopop both with the infusion of Western-style music and using popular, street Cantonese jargon in his lyrics writing...
), a kung fu expert, who works at a Vitasoy
Vitasoy
Vitasoy is a brand of beverages and desserts in Hong Kong. Founded in 1940, it now operates under the Vitasoy International Holdings Limited based in Hong Kong....
plant factory and spends most of the time doing kung fu tricks to impress a girl, ultimately loses his job. Seeking to find another line of work, Lee attempts to joins Wong's detective agency. Despite Lee's impression with his kung fu talent which involves his snatching trick, Wong was not impressed. Then, as it appears that Lee would not get the job, Wong discovers that his wallet was missing and was presumed stolen by one bystander who bumped into them, which led to a scene where Wong fights the thief in the kitchen using sausage nunchaku
Nunchaku
is a traditional Okinawan weapon consisting of two sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or rope.-Etymology:The Japanese word nunchaku is the Kun'yomi reading of the Kanji term for a traditional Chinese two section staff....
as a weapon. Wong's onslaught backfires, and just as the thief walks away, Lee intercepts him and recovers the wallet, thus impressed Wong to hire him for the job. In truth, the wallet was in Wong's possession the whole time; they attacked an innocent bystander and stole his wallet.
The trio work together to serve their clients in many situations. For example, they were hired by a woman to capture photos of his husband's affair with another woman so she can get reward money at court. Later, they were also hired by a supermarket owner to foil an upcoming shoplifting case which leads to a scene where Lee puts his kung fu skills in use to fight thugs.
The most important part of the film is when a gang of robbers led by Uncle Nine (Shih Kien
Shih Kien
Shek Wing-cheung , better known as Shih Kien, was a Chinese actor from Hong Kong. He is sometimes credited as Shek Kin or Kien Shih...
) who demands ransom from a cinema mogul. He then leads his gang to extort movie goers and Wong is one of them, who struggles against Uncle Nine in the mayhem, injuring his leg in the process. Lee, in the midst of the chaos, catches a few of the thugs and beats them up. Later, the gang leaves in an ice cream trunk that one thugs stole from the street, but Lee had defeated the thug earlier as he drives them to the police station. Along the way, Lee turns on the freezer which freezes the gang in the back. At the police station, Lee hands in the thugs to a police sergeant (Richard Ng
Richard Ng
Richard Ng Yiu-Hon is a Hong Kong actor. He is known for playing comedic roles, particularly in Hong Kong films of the 1980s and 90s.-Film and television career:...
), who appears throughout the film, both as a pursuer and as an investigation case to Wong and Lee. Lee later receives a good citizen award and leaves Wong's agency to start his own. Puffy also joins Lee.
Months later, an injured Wong returns to his agency with no assistant and no clients, who all went to Lee's agency known as Cannon Detective Service. Lee makes a deal with Wong to work together with Lee getting a higher share of profits. Wong refuses, and later learned a snatching trick from Lee, who was doing it in the beginning. Lee then offers a deal to work with Wong where they share half of the profits.
The Front Page (1990) (新半斤八兩), unrelated to the 1976 film, reunites the trio of the Hui Brothers, which is also the last film the three appeared together. This time the story revolves around the exploits of a tabloid magazine company. Like its predecessor, their exploits throughout the film resulted in investigation on celebrity scandals and their unfortunate situation involving the trio and a group of bank robbers.
Cast
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Michael Hui Michael Hui Michael Hui Koon-Man is a Hong Kong comedian, scriptwriter and director. He is the eldest of the four Hui brothers who remain three of the most prominent figures in the Hong Kong entertainment circle during the 1970s and the 1980s... |
Wong Yeuk Sze |
| Samuel Hui Samuel Hui Samuel Hui Koon-kit , usually known as Sam Hui, is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, lyricist and film actor. He is credited with popularizing Cantopop both with the infusion of Western-style music and using popular, street Cantonese jargon in his lyrics writing... |
Lee Kwok Kit |
| Ricky Hui Ricky Hui Ricky Hui Koon-Ying was a Hong Kong movie star. He and his brothers, Michael and Sam, made several comedy blockbusters in the 1970s and 1980s.-Biography:... |
Puffy |
| Richard Ng Richard Ng Richard Ng Yiu-Hon is a Hong Kong actor. He is known for playing comedic roles, particularly in Hong Kong films of the 1980s and 90s.-Film and television career:... |
Police sergeant |
| Shih Kien Shih Kien Shek Wing-cheung , better known as Shih Kien, was a Chinese actor from Hong Kong. He is sometimes credited as Shek Kin or Kien Shih... |
Uncle Nine |
| Chu Mu | Mr. Chu |
| Angie Chiu Angie Chiu Angie Chiu , born 15 November 1954 in Hong Kong is an actress, and was the third runner up in the 1973 Miss Hong Kong pageant... |
Jackie |
| Mars Mars (actor) Mars , born Cheung Wing Fat is a Hong Kong actor, action director, stuntman and martial artist. He is one of Jackie Chan's best friends.-Early life:... |
robber |
| Tsang Choh Lam | bomb blackmailer of theater |
| Huang Ha | shoplifter in supermarket |
| Chan Yam | |
| David Cheung | [cameo] at hotel |
| Lai Siu Fong | Mrs. Mok |
| Chan Kim Wan | Thief of Wong's wallet |
| Ko Hung | Biu |
| Leung Shun Yin | Mrs. Chu |
| Chieh Yuan Chieh Yuan Chieh Yuan was an actor and martial artist. He was an actor for Shaw Brothers and in 1972, he was cast in Bruce Lee's The Game of Death. Chieh died in 1977 from cerebral edema, the same cause to Bruce Lee's death, and at age 32, the same age at which Bruce Lee had died.-External links:* at the... |
Big Brother in gym |
| Lo Wai Chi | Mrs. Chow |
| Cheng Siu Ping | shoplifter in supermarket |
| Ng Kit Keung | Hung |
| Wong Chi-Keung | drink in supermarket |
| Wan Leng Kwong | policeman |
| Siu Kam | Junior Brother in gym |
| Chan Lap Ban | theatre robbery victim |
| Yu Mo Lin | theatre robbery victim |
| Kam Lau | eats dim sum |
| Billy Chan | robber |
| Stanley Hui | |
| San Sin | |
| Cheung Sin Ming | King Kong |
| Joe Junior Joe Junior Joe Junior is a popular Hong Kong English pop singer from Hong Kong during the 1960s. He has since been in a number of TVB drama series in the 1990s and 2000s playing older character roles. Joe Junior is his stage name. Regularly appeared on TV music programs as host and as performer... |
|
| Melvin Wong | theatre robbery victim |
| Jackie Chan Jackie Chan Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts... |
stuntman |
Box office
The film grossed HK$Hong Kong dollar
The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of the jurisdiction. It is the eighth most traded currency in the world. In English, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
8,531,700 at the Hong Kong box office and broke the record during that time.
Album
The Private Eyes is Hong Kong singer and the film's costar Samuel HuiSamuel Hui
Samuel Hui Koon-kit , usually known as Sam Hui, is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, lyricist and film actor. He is credited with popularizing Cantopop both with the infusion of Western-style music and using popular, street Cantonese jargon in his lyrics writing...
's third Cantopop
Cantopop
Cantopop is a colloquialism for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop...
album. The title song is the film's theme song with the same name, which was a hit, using especially colloquial street Cantonese in the lyrics which was a breakthrough at that time. The use of street Cantonese was justified as the film, which depicted the working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
, struck a chord with Hong Kong people after its release.
Track listing
- "半斤八兩"
- "浪子心聲"
- "打雀英雄傳"
- "梨渦淺笑"
- "大家跟住唱"
- "有酒今朝醉"
- "知音夢裡尋"
- "鬼馬大家樂"
- "夜半輕私語"
- "斷腸夢"
- "追求三部曲"
- "流水恨"
External links
- The Private Eyes at Hong Kong CinemagicHong Kong CinemagicHong Kong Cinemagic, sometimes referred to as HKCinemagic, is a bilingual website providing a repository for information about Chinese language films from Hong Kong, China and Taiwan, and the people that created them. The website contains news, interviews, film reviews and a database of people,...