With a name like Casino Raiders, the expectation of a film involving a heist of Danny Ocean proportions would perhaps be high. Casino Raiders, however, is less about over-elaborate robberies played out to a funky soundtrack and is more startlingly a melodramatic bromance between two petty swindlers.
There’s fun to had in Jimmy Heung and Wong Jing‘s 1989 feature. Released at a time when the sub-genre of gambling films was about to kick off in Hong Kong cinema, Casino Raiders’ small-scale feel is combated by solid chemistry from its leads and some neat twists and turns from its outlandish plot. Despite this, Casino Raiders is just as enjoyable as it is unremarkable, finishing with a bittersweet climax that feels unearned as the film never truly settles on its tone. The film has a little bit of everything. A sprinkling of action. A dollop of humour with a smattering of pathos. And all of which is competently filmed.
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Yet the stakes never feel high. The calmly observed inciting incident which kicks off proceedings could be missed by those with diminished attention spans. That said, it’s enjoyable to watch Andy Lau and Alan Tam bounding around town as two self-proclaimed “swindlers”. The feisty duo falls afoul with the Yakuza, setting off a chain of events that leads them to a high-risk gamble with the organisation. Everything seems set to a stand-off of epic proportions. However, the film only ever reaches mid-level peaks. It never finds the nail-biting intensity of more “known” Hong Kong affairs that made more successful crossovers on Western shores.
Casino Raiders is certainly worth the time for Hong Kong completists. The film’s history as one of the first “gambling films” should be noted. While the knock-around chemistry from its two leads is consistently engaging and never without charm. However, it is hard to fully embrace Casino Raiders‘ brand of melodrama with the knowledge Wong Kar Wai’s wonderfully crafted As Tears Go By (1988) was released only a year before. Both films star the magnetic Andy Lau, but only one of the features lingers in the memory. Casino Raiders misses the emotional pull so deftly executed by Wong Kar Wai.
That’s not to say that it doesn’t have its moments. The final third features some succulent twists that are more than enjoyable. The film’s action set pieces are solid and crunchy affairs. While not as outlandish as anything you’d find from John Woo or Jackie Chan, they’re still far more watchable than many recent efforts in middling budget fare from the other side of the pond. Safe to say that while Casino Raiders may not turn everyone’s head, it’s still a decent film to indulge in on a Friday night with a takeaway.
Extras wise, the Casino Raiders disc, released by Eureka Entertainment, is a mixed affair. The ‘material cards’ video will not be for everyone. Its two hosts are well-versed in the history of Hong Kong cinema and the gambling film sub-genre. However, the duo’s talking over each other and irreverent nature distracts from the fascinating history of the Hong Kong gambling film. Casino Raiders shows up more than a few times in the extra, but the larger focus on other films is disappointing.
The second video extra, with action director Bill Chan, is broadly amusing, yet light on insight. Chan notes the rushed chaos he faced when making the movie, often mentioning the rush and how little he can recall due to overseeing both the Chinese and English versions of the movie together. Chan stating that if the scene he was directing didn’t have his crew’s life in his scenes he couldn’t remember what occurred is an amusing aside, but something that doesn’t provide much profundity.
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Not that Casino Raiders is a film about depth, however, the lightness of the on-disc extras is a little unfortunate considering the fascination of this sub-genre and its heroic chivalry and melodrama. The real treasure in the extras lies in the detailed booklet about the film by David West. An enjoyable and comprehensive look at the film’s history which is worthy of the purchaser’s time.
Casino Raiders is out now on Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment.
