My Hero (1990)

My Hero is special because it lets Stephen Chow’s wide-eyed comic innocence crash headfirst into the swaggering, dangerous myth of the Hong Kong triad world—and somehow makes both sides feel real. Bryan Leung Kar-Yan keeps the pace snappy and the tone delightfully off-kilter, so the laughs land, the action hits with real punch, and the whole thing carries that neon-lit, back-alley energy of early-’90s crime cinema. What sneaks up on you is the emotional undercurrent: beneath the cartoon daydreams and gangland posturing, it’s a story about loyalty, ambition, and the cost of buying into a fantasy. It’s not for anyone seeking a purely goofy comedy—the violence and grim turns are part of the ride—but if you like your action-comedy with bite, heart, and a bit of melancholy in the aftertaste, this one’s an easy recommendation.

My Hero is clearly trying to mash up Stephen Chow’s underdog comedy with a triad rise-and-fall crime story, aiming for that bittersweet “laughs with consequences” vibe. The problem is the tonal whiplash: goofy daydreaming and broad gags sit next to sudden brutality and tragedy, so if you’re expecting either a clean comedy or a tight action-crime thriller, it can feel messy and oddly downbeat. The action and gangland plot deliver some momentum, but the storytelling is uneven and the violence and sleazy moments (including an attempted stripping and plenty of nudity in a sauna sequence) can sour the fun. If you like early Chow curiosities and don’t mind a rougher, meaner edge, you may find it interesting; if you want polished comedy or heroic wish-fulfillment, this one will likely disappoint.