Magic Cop

Stephen Tung Wai's 1990 Hong Kong film follows a man who is both a policeman and a Taoist priest, called in from the provinces to investigate murders committed by sorcery. Modern police procedure and traditional talismans and ritual work side by side. The film is another form of the figure Lam Ching-ying built through the Mr. Vampire series, and the actor's calm seriousness carries all the absurdity. It is a good example of the mixture of horror, comedy and fighting common in Hong Kong genre cinema of the time. The effects are inventive for their period and made by hand. The narrative is loose and the villain's motivation thin. Who it's for: viewers who like Hong Kong horror comedy and Lam Ching-ying's work. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a consistent story, or who will find old-fashioned effects crude.