KING OF BEGGARS

5Reclining Buddha: So Chan demonstrates his newly acquired martial arts skill.

A lot of moviegoers may not be aware of this, but a decade or so ago before he achieved international success with SHAOLIN SOCCER and KUNG FU HUSTLE, comedy grandmaster Stephen Chow had already conquered half of Asia with his perennially top grossing productions like ALL'S WELL, ENDS WELL, JUSTICE, MY FOOT! and ROYAL TRAMP.

None, however, made an impact on me the manner in which KING OF BEGGARS did. A rags-to-riches tale of the underdog, the period action flick stars Chow as an affluent sloth who, by fate and treachery, is reduced to a homeless bum, only to rise back to power once again as chief of the Beggars' Sect.