A super cop named Joe (Fui-On Shing) has got problems. Aside from the fact that he died in the line of duty and was resurrected by a glowing cat and a downed powerline, his very pregnant wife Chu (Siu-Fung Wong) has had it with his tireless dedication to his work while she is left neglected and full of his enormous baby. She’s also very tired of his ne’er-do-well sidekick named Power Steering (Wai-Kit Tse), a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who Joe has all but adopted into their family. Now Chu has to deal with Gucci (Glorida Yip), a girl on the run from some bank robbers after she ran off with their stolen loot that Joe is letting hide at their place. Did I mention that Joe is the living dead?
I don’t really know much about director Kai-Ming Lai other than he directed Daughter of Darkness (1993), a pretty infamous Category III sleazefest. The Blue Jean Monster (1991) is rude, crude, charming, convoluted, and totally weird. This goofy horror slash action slash superhero slash comedy movie is a shining example of the “something for everyone” Hong Kong movie I adore. You cannot predict what is going to come next in this thing. For instance, the plot gets derailed for a long time while a character named Power Steering and another character named Gucci are trying to prove that Joe is, in fact, a zombie and/or a vampire through all kinds of lamebrained schemes. It’s totally wacko.
This cast is so dang amazing. I have seen Fui-On Shing in many, many Hong Kong films over the years, but I think this is my first where he was the lead. He’s such a magnificent presence in Blue Jean Monster. His giant face can and will consume your soul. I love how he plays Joe as such a good-natured goofball. The stunning Siu-Fung Wong of Mr. Vampire (1985) and Her Vengeance (1988) plays his ball busting wife. Super cute Gloria Yip of The Cat (1992) and The Story of Ricky (1991) is on hand as the just obnoxious enough, Gucci. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the legendary Jun Kunimura of pretty much every movie ever made as the leader of the bank robbers.
If you get hyped up for cool action setpieces, slapstick comedy, some nauseating gross out jokes, and baffling stylistic choices in pretty much every scene, then The Blue Jean Monster is for you. I really hope that watching this film lovingly restored on Blu-ray is a sign of things to come. I would love to retire some – heck, make it all – of the awful copies I have of obscure Hong Kong horror junk from old bootlegs and truly gnarly downloads I’ve been stockpiling since the early 2000s in favor of these beautiful discs. Keep ‘em comin’, y’all. I’ll be watching.
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