Cantonese: Ji juen mo seung
Mandarin: Zhi zun wu shuang
English: Most Respected, No Superior

Many believe it was Wong Jing's GOD OF GAMBLERS that ignited the late 80s/early 90s gambling movie craze in HK but this popular production (co-helmed and co-written by Wong and Jimmy Heung Wah-sing) actually predated it by six months and is a better movie in most respects. Master gamblers Sam Law (Alan Tam Wing-lun) and Crab Chan (Andy Lau Tak-wah) are reunited when the latter is released from jail. The pair head to America, where Sam helps a casino manager (Charles Heung Wah-keung) nail some Japanese sharks (including the ubiquitous Lung Fong) that have won over $60 million from the establishment in just two weeks. While there, Sam meets beautiful heiress Tong Koyan (Idy Chan Yuk-lin) and uses a rather elaborate practical joke to help win her favor. Unfortunately, the Japanese hire men to get revenge and, in the process of saving Sam's life, Crab's left hand gets slashed, effectively ending his days as a lightning-fast con artist. After a further attempt on his life, Sam accepts an offer tabled to him by Koyan's father: Sam will receive a job in his company, if he agrees to leave his life of crime behind him. Unable to support himself and unwilling to take money from Sam, Crab challenges the Japanese gangsters to a high stakes game but Sam refuses to go to the match with him. Crab swindles his opponents out of their money and the Japanese retaliate by kidnapping Koyan, setting the stage for multiple tragedies.

Darker than most of the imitations it spawned, CASINO RAIDERS is closer in tone to the gangster films being produced at this time in the way it mixes melodramatic plotting with strong male bonding and acrobatic gunplay. Alan Tam and Andy Lau both deliver solid performances and the big game finale is enjoyably tense, with a surprising denouement. However, some viewers may be put off by the brutality directed towards women here, something that Wong Jing's work has often been criticized for. Actor/director Che-Kirk Wong Chi-keung gives a typically colorful turn as a crooked cop, and Rosamund Kwan Chi-lam, Eddy Ko Hung, Shum Wai, Ronald Wong Pan, Robin Shou Wan-bo, and Godfrey Ho regular Mike Abbott also appear in support. CASINO RAIDERS II and NO RISK, NO GAIN: CASINO RAIDERS THE SEQUEL have no direct connection to this production.

Universe #5295 (Hong Kong label) Dolby Digital 5.1 Cantonese and Mandarin Language Tracks (both post-synced) Optional Subtitles in English and Chinese (Traditional or Simplified) 8 Chapters Illustrated in the Menu With Clips Letterboxed (1.90:1) Coded for ALL Regions NTSC Format 124 minutes Contains brutal violence and coarse language

DVD menu courtesy Universe.

CASINO RAIDERS is available at Poker Industries.