Film

It Takes Two

Name: It Takes Two
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1982
Cast: Eric Tsang Chi-Wai, Richard Ng Yiu-Hon, Cherie Chung Cho-Hung, Karl Maka, Dean Shek Tin

Other titles called It Takes Two: the 1995 film.

Comedy
Light-hearted

A scrappy Hong Kong comedy about two down-on-their-luck hustlers scrambling through the streets, trading schemes and wisecracks. It's buoyant, anarchic, endlessly inventive with gags, and utterly uninterested in plot coherence. Made for people who want pure entertainment—no apologies, no sentiment, just noise and joy.

If you liked this

Police Story1985

Jackie Chan at his physical peak, performing stunts that still look impossible. The action is kinetic and genuinely funny, with Chan's comedy instincts sharp as a blade throughout.

But The plot is skeletal and the dubbing (on most cuts) is rough. If you need narrative scaffolding, you'll feel adrift.

Wheels on Meals1984

A masterclass in comedic action. Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung improvise brilliantly together, and the final fight scene is pure invention—fight choreography as slapstick art.

But The early pacing is lazy and the setup takes forever. You're waiting for permission to have fun.

Drunken Master1978

Jackie Chan vs. Yuen Woo-ping's direction: pure kinetic magic. Every frame bursts with physical comedy and acrobatic precision. This is where Chan's genius first bloomed.

But The structure is thin and the dialogue scenes drag. The film knows to get out of its own way, but not always fast enough.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from It Takes Two

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Ong-Bak2003

Both films prioritize pure physical comedy and action spectacle over narrative—they trust the audience's eye more than their script.

A spiritual successor to 1980s Hong Kong action but filtered through Thai cinema: the stunts are real, the camera is clear, and Tony Jaa's physicality is as expressive as any actor's voice. It proves the lineage never died.

But The plot is paper-thin and Jaa's acting chops are limited. If you need character development, you won't find it here.

My Heart Is That Eternal Rose1989

Alan Tang and Maggie Cheung in a crime romance that's visually lush and emotionally baroque. Hong Kong cinema at its most stylish and melodramatic—utterly intoxicating.

But The plot folds into itself messily. Some viewers will find the sentiment overwrought rather than moving.

Painted Faces1988

The origin story of the Peking Opera School and Sammo Hung's early career. Technically dazzling fight choreography mixed with genuine pathos about sacrifice and legacy.

But It's a period film with scattered pacing. The emotional beats don't always land if the historical context doesn't grip you.

Aces Go Places1982

A heist comedy with genuine wit and chemistry between leads. The pace is brisk, the setpieces are clever, and it understands how to milk a joke without exhausting it.

But The tone wobbles between comedy and action. Some gags land harder than others, and not all of them age well.

The Magnificent Butcher1979

Sammo Hung in peak form, a martial arts comedy about a butcher with a past. The fights are inventive and the comedy has real timing and character.

But It's episodic and meandering. The pacing feels more interested in setting up the next sequence than building toward anything.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang2005

Both are comedies that weaponize chaos and use action as a punchline—where the joke IS the absurdity of the situation, not a thing happening before the action.

A Hollywood action-comedy that learned from Hong Kong's playbook: self-aware, rapid-fire, aggressively entertaining, with genuine affection for genre nonsense. It's what happens when American filmmaking finally understands the assignment.

But The meta-commentary can feel smug. It's winking so hard at itself that some moments miss their mark entirely.

Kung Fu Hustle2004

Both films treat action and comedy as the same language—they're not interrupting each other, they're the same conversation.

Stephen Chow's love letter to action cinema filtered through slapstick and surrealism. It's visually inventive in ways the 1980s could never achieve, but spiritually pure Hong Kong—genre reverence mixed with gleeful anarchism.

But The CGI is dated now and the tone shifts wildly. If you want restraint or consistency, you're watching the wrong director.