In WHERE’S OFFICER TUBA?, Sammo Hung plays a goofy police officer haunted by his dead partner to solve a crime. The 1986 Phillip Chan & Ricky Lau film is now available on Blu-ray via 88 Films.
The Film
Where’s Officer Tuba? A silly title for a silly movie. A silly mid-80s (1986) Sammo Hung flick, directed by Phillip Chan & Ricky Lau and written by prolific writer (and actor; the directors are also actors; but that’s how Hong Kong worked) Barry Wong, whose career ranged from silly comedy like this, or films like She Shoots Straight (also from 88 Films recently) and the stone-cold classic of Hard Boiled. It’s the sort that is perfectly acceptable, with plenty of funny and fighting, with some supernatural slapstick, an afternoon of enjoyment. Will it be your next favorite movie? Nah. But it’s not trying to be.
Our ol’ pal Sammo Hung is the titular Tuba. Slightly goofy, a little incompetent, but just well enough; he’s more of a lazy rookie. Well, he and his partner, played by Jacky Cheung in his first role before a long career including the recently reviewed Haunted Cop Shop, end up on the wrong side of some gangsters. Cheung ends up dead. He becomes a ghost, haunting Tuba until he finishes the job. Thus, Tuba must work his way up the case, with Cheung popping in occasionally to bug him and influence the world. Prepare for plenty of the “dude is talking to a ghost, therefore everyone else is confused” and slapstick that come with that. It literally has a pie-to-the-face gag. That’s how slapstick it hits. There’s fun in Tuba not really wanting to do it and being more interested in food and dating, angering the ghost pal and pushing the action.
Sammo Hung always brings his best, whether fully kicking ass or in here, in his “fat man does slapstick” era. No matter where he aims the mix of martial arts and comedy on the sliding scale, he’s forever entertaining. In the past year and some, I’ve covered so many Hong Kong films (this is my FOURTH this week after The Owl vs Bumpo and the Arrow Golden Harvest duology), and it’s been a joy watching him in all of them. Here he shows his fantastic physical prowess, no matter what he’s up to. Whether he’s getting laughs with an impromptu band dance at the funeral (with a haunted mansion eye-follow gag), fighting under the ghost’s control, or just moving about on his own, his impressive command of himself drives all the action.
Where’s Officer Tuba? falls into the entertaining diversion end of things. It’s funny, with Hung bringing all of his energy, and the beats are wide in style and method. Laughs happen among punches, and we all have a good time.
Packaging and Presentation
88 Films puts Where’s Officer Tuba on a single-disc Blu-ray. The disc image features the three leads with a mix of images and Sean Longmore’s new art from either side of the O-ring slipcover. The clear black Blu-ray case features a double-sided sleeve: one side with Longmore’s art and the other with the original poster art. Folded inside is a double-sided poster with one of Longmore’s art pieces on one side and the original poster art on the other. A U-shaped strip folds over the bottom of the outer case. While they look cool, they fall off incredibly easily; gravity and all.
88 Films presents Where’s Officer Tuba with a 2k remaster from the original camera negative. It’s a good look. The colors pop, and the details in the busy scenes stay clear. Audio is original Cantonese mono and an English dub. Sounds fine in both versions. English subtitles are available.
The Features
A bit light, but for a film like this, glad to get what we got!
Commentary
Our consummate commentators are back with Frank Djeng and F. J. DeSanto on their 47th! They have a spirited talk about how this film fits into Hung’s career, the stories behind it, and the film itself. A good one, as always is with Djeng and DeSanto.
Trailer
Plays much of the slapstick with the theme song to the movie
Image Gallery
About 2 minutes and some over the same song as the trailer
English Credits
English versions of the opening and closing credits (here titled Supercop with a subtitle I forgot to write down). (3m)
Final Thoughts
Where’s Officer Tuba, directed by Phillip Chan & Ricky Lau, is an entertaining supernatural crime comedy. Sammo Hung is a draw no matter the project, and fans of his style will enjoy it. The disc looks great, although the features package is pretty light. Where’s Officer Tuba is out now from 88 Films.