In 1991, when Stephen Chow Sing-chi’s Fight Back to School was released, everyone was talking about the “heroic” image makeover for the star of mo lei tau slapstick comedies.
Chow kept his suave new image for the film’s sequel, before reverting to a more typical zany style for part three.
Here we dive deep into Chow’s Fight Back to School trilogy.
1. Fight Back to School (1991)
The story is lean, and features many comic diversions. Chow plays a cop who fails his test for the SDU – the Hong Kong police’s Special Duties Unit. To avoid being discharged, he takes an undercover assignment in a school to find his superior’s missing gun, which has been stolen by a student. The stakes become higher when Chow discovers that triads have infiltrated the school.
The brilliant set-up leads to numerous hilarious situations, including one where Chow has to secretly call the police department for answers during an exam on Chinese history – if he fails he will have to leave the school, and the crime will not be solved.