Itchy Fingers
                 
Director: Leung Po-chi
Year: 1979
Rating: 6.5
In his first film Richard Ng played the righthand man to a triad leader played by Roy Chiao and here he is once again teamed up with him in a low-key but constantly amusing comedy that has no bite but is a light kiss on the cheek. The script is from Wong Jing and Ng and it is a Cantonese comedy from the get go full of visual puns and gags. Ng and Chiao have been rivals since their childhood when Ng set up Chiao for a good spanking by framing him for a candy robbery. When they grow up nothing has changed - Ng has become a professional thief with his goofy gang - one being a midget - and Chiao has joined the cops and chasing after Ng has become his full-time job. But underneath the rivalry there is an affection that stems from being from the same lower working class neighborhood. In the first scene Ng has no moustache and I barely recognized him - but thankfully it is back where it belongs after that. 



Finally, Chiao nabs him in a department store robbery even after Ng disguised himself as an Indian mannequin. Off to jail he goes for five years. When he gets out, he is in high demand for his services. A triad boss grabs him - played by John Woo - and then a respectable wealthy businessman Mr. Liu (Fung Yuen-chuen), but Ng refuses them - he has his small gang and likes working with them. But Mr. Liu has put the idea of stealing the valuable South Sea Diamond into his head. He romances and successfully beds the woman who runs the store (Cora Miao). Ng actually bedding a woman is very fishy and in fact he is being set up by her and Mr. Liu for the fall when all the jewelry is stolen.



Then Chiao and Ng have to team up to prove his innocence - by stealing all the jewelry back. The robbery is basic Mission Impossible style in which they have to put on helium suits to not touch the floor. It is actually quite brilliant. There are a bunch of clever bits - such as Ng's apartment is set up to practice his skills - combination locks on everything and a tunnel and slide to get to the bathroom. It is directed by Leung Po-chi who had directed the precursor to the New Wave with the terrific Jumping Ash. 90 minutes. Unfortunately, my copy was dubbed into Mandarin so I didn't get the great voices of Chiao or Ng. A Golden Harvest production.