Costume martial arts meets slapstick comedy in Stephen Chow and Wong Jing’s Royal Tramp and sequel Royal Tramp II

Chow’s slapstick humour and parody of the costume martial arts films popular in early 90s Hong Kong was enhanced by action scenes choreographed by Tony Ching

Popular actresses Sharla Cheung in the first film and Brigitte Lin in the sequel added to the attraction in Chow and Wong Jing’s retelling of a well-known story

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Stephen Chow in a still from “Royal Tramp”. His slapstick comedy, mixed with action choreography from Tony Ching and the star power of Sharla Cheung and, in “Royal Tramp II”, Brigitte Lin made for a popular retelling of a well-known tale. Photo: Eureka Entertainment

Published: 7:45am, 17 Dec 2023Updated: 4:28pm, 21 Dec 2023

The 1992 film Royal Tramp was one of the most popular comedies created by prolific Hong Kong producer/director Wong Jing and comic superstar Stephen Chow Sing-chi in the early 1990s.

The film married Chow’s mo lei tau slapstick humour to a parody of the costume martial arts films which then dominated local cinema screens. Chow excelled as Wei Siu-bo, a kind of kung fu anti-hero whose main skill was getting out of trouble.

The film’s sequel, Royal Tramp II (1992), proved doubly delicious as it featured Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia – who took over Sharla Cheung Man’s role – in a parody of her gender-bending role as Asia the Invincible in the blockbusting Swordsman II.

Here we talk to expert on Asian films Frank Djeng, who provided the audio commentary for the Eureka Entertainment release of both films.

The martial arts sequences are choreographed by Tony Ching Siu-tung, who set the style for the wuxia revival films of the early 1990s, and are as good as those in some non-comedic films.

Yes, even though this was a comedy, a lot of effort and budget went into the production, into the costumes, and into the action.