Cantonese: Kui moh ging chaat
Mandarin: Qu mo jing cha
English: Cop Who Can Drive Away Spirits

An immensely enjoyable blend of the horror and cop action genres, this imaginative effort is the perfect vehicle for its star, the late great Lam Ching-ying. He plays Fung Zee, a tough-as-nails policeman who is also a Taoist master. His expertise is required when the police must kill a drug trafficker who refused to surrender and behaved like a zombie. Fung's examination of the corpse leads him to a health club in Tsimshatsui and Eddie (Frankie Chin Chi-leung), a musclebound courier who works for a mysterious Japanese woman (Michiko Nishiwaki; image). When Fung determines the woman's location, he quickly discovers that she is just as skilled in the supernatural as he is, setting the stage for a magical duel of grand proportions.

Almost entirely unpredictable and filled with wild, intricate spells that will amaze most Western viewers, MAGIC COP is one of the best entries in the horror/comedy craze that was fuelled by the success of MR. VAMPIRE (reviewed in issue #142a). While obviously produced using the most basic means, the special effects are still terrific, effectively conveying the required illusions, no matter how intricate or otherworldly they may be. The magical combat is perfectly staged by veteran stuntman/director Stephen Tung Wai; the climax is paced like lightning, rarely allowing one to catch a breath. A likeable cast (including Miu Kiu-wai, Wilson Lam Chung-yin, Wong Mei-wah, Wu Ma, and Billy Chau Bei-lee) and genuinely amusing comic asides are icing on the cake. While there were three official follow-ups to MR. VAMPIRE, Fung Zee unfortunately never received his own series.

Mega Star #MS/DVD/401/HK (Hong Kong label) Dolby Digital 5.1 Cantonese, Mandarin, and English Language Tracks (all post-synced) Optional Subtitles in English and Chinese (Traditional or Simplified) 12 Chapters Illustrated in the Menu With Video Grabs Enhanced for 16:9 Displays Letterboxed (1.80:1) Coded for ALL Regions NTSC Format 87 Minutes Contains moderate violence and horror

DVD menu courtesy Mega Star.

MAGIC COP is available at Poker Industries.