ROYAL TRAMP should've been titled ROYAL PAIN. Wei Bo (Chow) is an entertainer in a brothel who makes the mistake of agreeing to help steal The 42 Chapters, a kung fu instruction book of great renown. To get closer to said book, he signs on as a royal bodyguard to The Empress. And only EUNUCHS can be bodyguards for The Empress. He's on the "operating table" about to be castrated before he realizes this. It takes some doing, but he manages to talk his way out of the situation. He's nicknamed "Penis" thereafter. At one point, he goes sneaking around the grounds looking for the book- and looks directly at the camera, as if it were just something insignificant in his line of sight. It's a brief but extremely funny moment that happens in passing. There's even an encounter with the infamous Obai, a white-maned madman of the Bai Mae variety. (During an early battle scene, Obai literally shreds his opponents, using his fingernails to lop the top off of one man's head.) The fight scenes make extensive use of over-the-top wirework, but, this being a comedy, one can't argue with the choice.

Mo lei tau is a name given to a type of humor originating from Hong Kong during the late 20th century. It is a phenomenon which has grown largely from its presentation in modern film media. Its humor arises from the complex interplay of cultural subtleties significant in Hong Kong. Typical constituents of this humor include nonsensical parodies, juxtaposition of contrasts, and sudden surprises in spoken dialogue and action....Stephen Chow and Uncle Tat team up once again to bring you many moments of nonsensical hilarity in this classic period piece. I particularly like the musical sequence and bits of kung fu.

Slapstick Stephen Chow / Wong Jing comedy, which follows the exploits of hapless but well-meaning Wai Xiao Bao (or, er, Wilson Bond) as he manages to land himself in the middle of a power struggle between warring dynasties.The bawdy humour is purely physical enough for the movie to be enjoyed even if you have to rely on the somewhat flaky subtitles (I was watching the Deltamac version). Naturally, Chow's more verbal comedy doesn't translate well to English, but there's still plenty to enjoy in this lively spoof, including some surprisingly good kung fu, Chingamy Yau as a cheeky princess, and a cameo by Brigitte Lin to set up the sequel. Good fun.

Laughing was the only action (besides watching) I did throughout the entire movie. Wilson Bond, played by Cantonese comedian (Stephen) Chow Sing Chi, works with his sister {(Sandra) Ning Kwan Yue} at a local brothel. The poor lad experience several unexpected events all in one day, like being forced to steal Empress Dowager's book of 42 chapters and almost had his "thing" chopped off because he was mistaken for an eunuch at the royal palace. Really funny and worth watching the entire length of the movie.