Sifu VS Vampire (2014) (DVD) (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region 3

Ronald Cheng (Vulgaria) and Philip Ng (Once Upon a Time in Shanghai) play low level hoodlums Nicky and Boo, who end up tangling with the undead after their boss (Tony Ho, Sara) gets involved with ruthless TV station boss Ah Keung (Kelvin Kwan, Tales from the Dark 2). To ensure another 30 years of fortune, Ah Keung tries to push Taoist Charlie Chiang (Yuen Biao) to exhume and move the body of his grandfather, an immoral task which the priest refuses, his father having died during the original ritual. Unfortunately, after evil priest Leopard Man (Ricky Yi) agrees to do the job, the corpse turns into a powerful vampire, and Nicky and Boo are forced to team with Charlie and his disciple Lingxin (Jiang Luxia, Ip Man – The Final Fight) to try and save the day.

Though the obvious point of comparison for Sifu VS Vampire is Juno Mak's recent genre homage Rigor Mortis, the two are actually very different, as where Mak attempted to do something new and contemporary with the form, Daniel Chan is more than happy to stick to what made these films so popular a few decades ago – for some audiences, at least. The film dusts of all the time honoured trappings that fans should know and love, from magic mirrors and peachwood swords, through to gags involving virgin blood and rice, even working in a subplot in which Nicky falls for a winsome spirit called Tomorrow (Michelle Hu, From Vegas to Macau), vowing to find her ashes so she can be reincarnated. Unsurprisingly with Wong Jing onboard the film also goes for the same kind of old fashioned lowbrow humour, packing in an impressive number of penis and breast jokes, complete with lashings of slapstick and bizarre, cartoonish special effects.

Whether or not the viewer finds this kind of nonsense funny is very much key, as the film does focus far more on daft comedy than on horror, with Chan only taking a few stabs at actually making the vampire frightening – certainly, a couple of mild gore scenes and jump scares aside, it's hard to imagine the film giving anyone the chills, and it's best approached with this in mind. Thankfully, the hit and miss humour is balanced to a degree by Chan throwing in plenty of stylishly directed action set pieces, which are well-choreographed by Philip Ng and Yuen Cheung Yan and keep the film bumbling along at a brisk, if uneven pace. The always impressive Yuen Biao gets several chances to show off his skills, as does Jiang Luxia, and their vampire battling scenes provide the film with its best and most entertaining moments, recalling the genre's heyday. The cast in general give the material a lift, and though the only interesting thing about Philip Ng's Boo is his ridiculous afro, Ronald Cheng is on fine and manic form, and throws himself into the fray with likeable enthusiasm.

It's fair to say that all of this will appeal to some audiences while alienating others, and Sifu VS Vampire is clearly one for the fans, who should find plenty to enjoy. An unpretentious, well-meaning piece of fun, the film has exactly the same strengths and weaknesses as those from the 80s which inspired it, Daniel Chan succeeding in recreating their look, feel and zany spirit.

by James Mudge - EasternKicks.com