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God of Gamblers

Original title: Do san
  • 1989
  • R
  • 2h 6m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
6.9K
YOUR RATING
Chow Yun-Fat and Andy Lau in God of Gamblers (1989)
A master gambler loses his memory, and is befriended by a street hustler who discovers his supernatural gambling abilities.
Play trailer2:26
1 Video
30 Photos
Gun FuActionAdventureComedyDrama

A master gambler loses his memory and is befriended by a street hustler who discovers his supernatural gambling abilities.A master gambler loses his memory and is befriended by a street hustler who discovers his supernatural gambling abilities.A master gambler loses his memory and is befriended by a street hustler who discovers his supernatural gambling abilities.

  • Director
    • Jing Wong
  • Writer
    • Jing Wong
  • Stars
    • Chow Yun-Fat
    • Andy Lau
    • Joey Wang
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    6.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jing Wong
    • Writer
      • Jing Wong
    • Stars
      • Chow Yun-Fat
      • Andy Lau
      • Joey Wang
    • 31User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:26
    Trailer

    Photos30

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    Top cast37

    Edit
    Chow Yun-Fat
    Chow Yun-Fat
    • Ko Chun
    • (as Chow Yun Fat)
    • …
    Andy Lau
    Andy Lau
    • Michael Chan…
    Joey Wang
    Joey Wang
    • Jane
    Charles Heung
    Charles Heung
    • Lung Wu…
    Fong Lung
    Fong Lung
    • Ko Yee
    • (as Lung Fong)
    Sharla Cheung
    Sharla Cheung
    • Janet
    • (as Man Cheung)
    Hon-Lam Pau
    Hon-Lam Pau
    • Chan Kam-Shing
    Tse Lin Yang
    Tse Lin Yang
    • Nam
    • (as Chak Lam Yeung)
    Shing Fui-On
    Shing Fui-On
    • Kau
    • (as Fui-On Shing)
    Man-Tat Ng
    Man-Tat Ng
    • Brother Shing
    Dennis Chan
    Dennis Chan
    • Doctor Wong
    Ching-Ho Law
    Ching-Ho Law
    • Skinny
    Lap Ban Chan
    Lap Ban Chan
    • Knife's grandmother
    Michiko Nishiwaki
    Michiko Nishiwaki
    • Ko Chun's female Yakuza opponent
    Yu Shangkuan
    Yu Shangkuan
    • Jane's Mother
    Yasuhiro Shikamura
    Yasuhiro Shikamura
    • Seung San (Ueyama)
    • (as Chuen Luk)
    Wah Cheung
    Wah Cheung
    • Kwong
    Ronald Wong
    Ronald Wong
    • Crawl
    • Director
      • Jing Wong
    • Writer
      • Jing Wong
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews31

    7.26.8K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    6Leofwine_draca

    Odd mix of knockabout comedy and gambling gangster thriller

    One of Wong Jing's better directorial efforts, GOD OF GAMBLERS sees man-of-the-moment Chow Yun Fat playing an ultra-slick gangster/gambler who has a kind of supernatural ability to win at gambling. His activities soon bring him into contact with small-time crook Andy Lau, and after a bout of amnesia he finds himself caught up in a completely unpredictable adventure.

    GOD OF GAMBLERS is a bit of an odd movie, plot-wise. Part of it feels like a slick John Woo thriller, complete with a lengthy and violent shoot-out in a multi-storey car park which wouldn't be out of place in the likes of THE KILLER. The other part of it is a more traditional Hong Kong comedy, a bit like the Jackie/Sammo flick HEART OF THE DRAGON, with some low brow humour and lots of situational stuff mixed in.

    I have to say that I found the amnesia sub-plot to be overlong; it dragged the pacing of the film down as a whole, so my favourite parts were the first and final thirds. Saying that, it's still a pretty good little movie, with strong acting from Yun Fat and Lau, who make a good tag-team. The best bits are inevitably the stylish gambling sequences, which are funny and exciting in equal measure, filled with neat twists and some wonderful card tricks. Given this film's success at the box office, numerous sequels followed.
    Pornstar_Zen

    Great Movie

    This is an amazing all round film containing just the right amounts of comedy, drama and gunplay.

    Although the Uk edition of VHS suffers terrible subtitling it is still a must see.
    8evilhinata

    Makes me want to become god of gamblers

    This movie once again demonstrates Hong Kong cinema at its best. At the helm of the movie, Chow Yun Fat demonstrates magnificent acting skills as he is able to act in all types of characters, from being a man trapped in a child-like state, to ultimately being the "God of Gamblers". Andy Lau also gives a very note-worthy performance, as Chow Yun Fats sidekick (even though this is a much younger Andy Lau). The movie itself was pretty good, although I would have preferred if the movie was entirely serious instead of putting comic relief in the middle. Regardless buy this movie, it is a must for people who enjoy Hong Kong cinema!!
    10Matty_01

    A brilliant film!!!

    It's rare that you see a movie that's so cheap yet so cool. How do you define 'cool'? What makes a guy 'cool'? If you would like to know the answers to these questions, there's one person you can ask, Chow Yun Fat (Yun-Fat Chow). He basically defines cool in this movie. However, that's not the only kind of character he plays in this film. Try and think of the coolest person you know. Now, try and imagine someone really childish. Now imagine both as one person. Sound like a difficult role for an actor to play? After you see the acting in this film, it won't look difficult at all. If you didn't think much about Chow Yun Fat before this movie, I can almost guarantee you will after seeing it. He is clearly a brilliant actor.

    There's really no point to have a really good actor if you can't even have a good story. Luckily though, God of Gamblers succeeds in this aspect as well. I don't really want to say anything, as the plot is kind of weird at parts, but if you just follow along with it, you should pleasantly enjoy it. The characters are all performed fairly well, and are enjoyable to watch. There is also a great sense of humour to this film, which may seem weird at times, but always funny.

    The directing is well done and the music is absolutely awesome, and fits the film perfectly. This movie also has what could be considered as one of the greatest endings of all time. This movie is brilliantly executed and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys watching movies.
    9ballazrus

    gambling, intellect, and guns, is anything missing??

    No, not much is missing at all. The movie has great actors performing great all around whether it is comedy or action. The action wasn't much emphasized as in rather friendship, but when the action does kick in, it brings you to the same level as John Woo's bullet exchange, and heck, even Dragon (the bodyguard) knows some kick ass moves when he fights.

    I did not expect much of this movie at first knowing it wasn't john woo who directed it, but after just the first 5 min i was totally into the movie and had forgotten who directed the movie, because it was equally great, and i couldn't ask for more

    get this movie! i can't wait til i get my hands on it's sequels

    More like this

    God of Gamblers II
    6.8
    God of Gamblers II
    The Return of the God of Gamblers
    6.7
    The Return of the God of Gamblers
    God of Gamblers Part III: Back to Shanghai
    6.6
    God of Gamblers Part III: Back to Shanghai
    All for the Winner
    6.8
    All for the Winner
    Fight Back to School
    7.1
    Fight Back to School
    God of Gamblers 3: The Early Stage
    6.2
    God of Gamblers 3: The Early Stage
    Hail the Judge
    7.5
    Hail the Judge
    Tricky Brains
    7.0
    Tricky Brains
    Flirting Scholar
    7.6
    Flirting Scholar
    The God of Cookery
    7.2
    The God of Cookery
    Royal Tramp
    7.1
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    Fight Back to School II
    6.6
    Fight Back to School II

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Both Chow Yun-fat and Andy Lau did their own card manipulations.
    • Goofs
      In the opening scene, Ko appears to play baccarat in a casino in San Francisco whilst other gambling machines are visible. Casino gambling is illegal in most parts of the United States including California. This caption, mentioning San Francisco at the start, is excluded in English language print.
    • Alternate versions
      41 seconds of cuts were applied for UK cinema and VHS releases to remove shots of a butterfly knife being twirled and to shorten the sight of a man using one to threaten a woman. The DVD released in 2003 is uncut, as the BBFC waived all previous cuts in December 2002.
    • Connections
      Featured in Rewind This! (2013)
    • Soundtracks
      Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
      (Instrumental)

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    FAQ17

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 14, 1989 (Hong Kong)
    • Country of origin
      • Hong Kong
    • Languages
      • Cantonese
      • English
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Thần Bài
    • Production companies
      • Win's Movie Productions Ltd.
      • Nova Media
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $4,751,175
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 6 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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