The Owl vs Bumbo / Where's Officer Tuba?

Jackie Chan may be the most recognizable Hong Kong action star of the last 40 years, but his childhood friend and frequent collaborator Sammo Kam-Bo Hung has had a career that eclipses Jackie’s in many respects. Both trained at the China Drama Academy and worked their way up through bit parts in Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest productions to become in-demand performers. But Sammo upped his game from stuntman to stunt coordinator to producer, director and, eventually, his own production company. And as the Hong Kong vaults have opened for more North American releases, casual fans are finally getting a chance to appreciate just how skillfully Hung built his career onscreen and off.

The Owl vs. Bumbo (1984) sets up a buddy comedy with George Lam as “The Owl,” a heist artist who ripped off the mob for millions, and Bumbo (Hung), an ex-thief sitting on the hefty proceeds from a bank job. They’re both blackmailed by a straight-arrow cop trying to weed out the corruption in his own department, passing themselves off as consultants at a school for troubled youth whose teacher (Michelle Yeoh) is in over her head.

With complete control over the production, Sammo leans hard into the physical comedy, pulling inspiration from Charlie Chaplin and Curly Howard in equal measure. Unlike Jackie Chan, who was never keen to share the spotlight, Hung surrounds himself with talent and gives them all a chance to shine. Michelle Yeoh, in her first film role, is a bit wasted as a generic love interest, but George Lam makes a perfect straight man for the film’s constant barrage of jokes, visual gags and light-hearted fight scenes. Hung is no slouch behind the camera either, delivering one carefully choreographed sequence after another. The Owl vs. Bumbo finds nearly everyone involved in peak form.

Sporting one of those “only in Hong Kong” titles, Where’s Officer Tuba? (1986) casts Hung as a cowardly member of the HK police marching band who’s recruited as a courier for a dangerous blackmail money swap. But when things go wrong, Tuba is haunted by the ghost of his superior officer until his death is avenged and the bad guys are behind bars.

It might seem like a weird combination of genres and plot points (although the plot of 1990’s Ghost follows the same structure), but Hung’s likability is, once again, off the charts. Action fans will really only get their rocks off at the beginning and end – trust me, it’s one hell of a finale – but a mid-film family dinner where Tuba is distracted by his unseen spirit guide is hilariously uncomfortable. A seat-of-your-pants mix of awkward romance and physical comedy, Where’s Officer Tuba is anything but subtle…yet always entertaining.

These two separate U.S. Blu-ray releases from 88 Films come in O-ring slipcases with reversible sleeves and a sleek finish. Both feature 2K restorations from the original negatives and newly translated English subtitles. The Owl vs. Bumbo includes an audio commentary by Hong Kong film expert David West, a featurette with Ricky Baker, the original trailer and an image gallery. Where’s Officer Tuba? adds an English mono dub and an audio commentary by Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto, along with English opening and closing credits, the original Cantonese trailer and an image gallery. Bring on more Sammo!