Synopsis: After he is invited to come to Macau and gamble, the King Of Gamblers is joined by two bumbling small-time wannabe's who find trouble round every corner. Between them, the trio take on a host of gangsters that result in many gun battles and card games, both of which they must win to save their lives and titles as Asia's top gamblers. (107 Mins)

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Views: The prolific Wong Jing steps down as director to focus on writing and producing this non-related sequel to his previous years hit-film, Casino Raiders. For this chapter, Wong polishes-up his mistakes from the first and blends in some elements from God Of Gamblers that helps make No Risk, No Gain a hugely enjoyable film. Alan Tam returns to play the King Of Gamblers, this time known as Ray. After Ray gets a forceful invite to come to Macau and play some cards, he is tricked and robbed by two small-time swindlers called Big Dee and Snake. Stealing his VIP pass and invite, Big Dee and Snake head to Macau with the latter posing as Ray – although dressed more like Chow Yun Fat in God Of Gamblers. Once there, the pair find themselves faced with one problem after another, and are soon joined in their adventures by Ray who finally catches up with them. As they learn to trust one another, the trio must face off against some angry gangsters, stolen love, and a table of gambling experts who all have one too many tricks up their sleeves!

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Although it may not have done as well at the box-office than it's predecessor, it's fair to say that No Risk, No Gain is by far the most enjoyable of the series. I definitely enjoyed seeing a more comedic side to Alan Tam here as I felt he was somewhat miscast in Casino Raiders – even though he plays a very similar character. But much like God Of Gamblers 2, with Andy Lau and Chow Sing Chi, it seems that everyone involved this time around is just out to have fun. And fun it certainly is, with Wong Jing providing many hilarious hijinks without ever getting too ridiculous which provides some genuinely hilarious moments throughout. The most of these are delivered by Andy and Nat, with both working off each other perfectly and bringing Alan in on the joke when needs be. One hilarious scene sees Nat Chan try to copy some moves that Chow Yun Fat pulls-off in A Better Tomorrow, although not with the same joy which had me laughing hard. Andy Lau's role as Big Dee is very similar in tone to the character of Knife, who he played in God Of Gamblers. Of course, this is the lovable and fun type of Andy Lau that he was playing in every second movie at this stage of his career, so it's hardly a groundbreaking performance in the grand scheme of things. Nat Chan plays his usual idiotic self, although proves to be less eccentric and wild than usual. The three of them are backed by a trio of girls in the shape of Michelle Reis – in one of her five introductory roles of 1990 alongside Coup De Grace, Doctor's Heart, Perfect Girls, and A Chinese Ghost Story 2. She does a great job in the role of Winnie and would, of course, go on to have a healthy career starring in films such as A Kid From Tibet, Swordsman 2, Wicked City, Fong Sai Yuk 1 & 2, Drunken Master 3, Fallen Angels, and alongside Donnie Yen in Bodyguards & Assassins, which would also be her last film to date. The lovely May Lo, whose first film role was also with Donnie Yen in the brilliant Mismatched Couples, stars as Jane and also shared the screen around this time with Andy Lau in City Kids '89, Return Engagement, Dances With Dragon, and The Last Blood which also starred Alan Tam. And Christine Ng makes her feature film debut as Maureen, going on to star in titles such as The Cat, Crime Story, A Taste Of Killing & Romance with Andy once again, Banana Club, Storm Riders, a few of the Troublesome Night movies, and more. Prolific Taiwanese actor (and Ng Man Tat lookalike) Chen Song Yong plays the man who coaxes Alan to Macau by threatening to blow-up his casino, and Anthony Wong stars as the annoyingly outlandish son of Casino owner Yeung Chun, played by long-time actor Tien Feng – Jackie Chan's teacher in The Young Master. As Yeung Sing, Wong gives Jimmy Lee's brutal character from the first Casino Raiders and God Of Gamblers films, a run for his money in how violent and twisted he can be. Interestingly enough, this was only Wong's 7th role in the film world after small roles in films such as The Iron Butterfly, News Attack, and How To Be A Millionaire. 1990 would be his breakthrough year with a leading role in Lee Lik Chi's crime-thriller, The Set Up, before making an impression here as the crazy Yeung Sing – a trait in his roles that seemed to stick, fast making Wong a fan-favourite of Hong Kong cinema which allowed him to deliver many disturbing and memorable performances, with over 200 films behind him to date. The wonderful Shing Fui On pops-up as a gangster known as Big Fool who gets his introduction in a nightclub after viewers are treated to a fantastic wee number by Andy, Alan, and Nat on the karaoke stage. Actor/choreographer Benz Kong cameos as a tricky gambler who shares a cell with Alan, and Andy Lau-film regular Kan Tat Wah stars as Western Boy – the heavy-handed bodyguard of Anthony Wong. The Hong Kong film career of Kan was a short lived one that saw him star in only 14 films over 5 years. A lot of these were with Lau in films such as Sworn Brothers, Rich & Famous, As Tears Go By, The First Time Is The Last Time, and Crocodile Hunter, as well as roles in Flaming Brothers, Spiritual Love, and The Big Score the same year as this. His final role was in Wong Jing's Casino Tycoon with Andy Lau before disappearing from the scene altogether, eventually passing in 2018...

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With Wong Jing stepping back as one of the directors, Jimmy Heung brought in the underrated Taylor Wong to join him. Of course, Taylor had already proven himself to be a fantastic director since making his debut on 1979's television show, Reincarnated, with Norman Tsui Siu Keung who would return to star in Wong's first feature film, Return Of The Deadly Blade. Wong followed this with the Shaw Brothers hit Buddha's Palm and would go on to make the impressive Rich & Famous and Tragic Hero just a few years later – both with superstars Andy Lau and Chow Yun Fat (with the first film also featuring Alan Tam). Taylor would direct Lau few more times over the years in The Truth, Stars & Roses, and the fun Kung Fu Vs Acrobatic which was made the same year as this and also starred Nat Chan. The pair would work again in The Three Swordsmen in '94 which would be his last directed feature to date. Along with the first Casino Raiders film, this would be the only other credit to Jimmy Heung as a director, although the man had most definitely made a name for himself as one of the biggest producers in Hong Kong from the late 70s – most of which were Wong Jing scripted and/or directed features. The brilliant Paul Wong Kwan handles the films action scenes in No Risk, No Gain and provides a lot of fun moments from cool shoot-outs to fight scenes that blend humour and action flawlessly. Starting as a bit-player in Jimmy Heung's Goose Boxer in 1978, Paul went onto appear in films such as 36 Crazy Fists, Shaolin Rescuers, Monkey Kung Fu, The Daredevils, Magnificent Ruffians, and The Fighting Fool, before joining Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung in a host of their hit films. He would gain his first credit as a martial arts director on Project A and would go on to handle the action in many great titles including The Good, The Bad & The Beauty, The Big Heat, Fatal Termination, Blue Jean Monster, God Of Gamblers 1 & 2, In The Line Of Duty 6: Forbidden Arsenal, and many more. His career would seem to fade around the mid-90s with final appearances in films such as Way Of The Lady Boxers, Underground Judgement, and the very underrated Once Upon A Time In China 5. While No Risk, No Gain isn't the biggest action flick of the century, it certainly has enough going on in all departments to keep fans of Hong Kong cinema entertained. It's a definite must-see for anyone who fell in love with God Of Gamblers and proves to be a very well-made film overall.

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Overall: Highly entertaining and genuinely funny, No Risk, No Gain is well worth watching for fans of Hong Kong action and Wong Jing comedies!