Odd Hong Kong-Chinese cop comedy from first-time director Wong Tsz-ming who uses mostly computer effects to create outlandish slapstick sequences with cartoonish sound effects. The comedy never quite gets beyond the juvenile – up-skirt kilt shots, leery cleavage, pratfalls and so on – and in-jokes referencing the Hong Kong film industry. Celebrity cameos crop up to break the fourth wall: Jacky Wu Jing as a kung fu insurance inspector; Alex Fong as a fortune teller; Michael Tse as a dancer; Collin Chou as a criminal; Leung Kar-yan, Corey Yuen Kwai, Fung Hark-on and other kung fu veterans are called upon to send up their kung fu credentials. The central cast are strong and play their roles with adequate knowingness and comic timing. They’re a trio of enthused but bumbling cop buddies consisting of youthful lunatic Wen Zhang, the brilliantly deadpan Michelle Chen, and “grizzled old cop” Jet Li, playing a character called Huang Fei-hung (ba-doom) in a rare comedic turn. They are tasked with investigating the so-called ‘smile murders’ which involve the mysterious deaths of a series of potential suitors for a wannabe actor, played by Cecilia Liu, which may or not involve her busty sister Ada Liu. There’s a scene in which Interpol agents congratulate Jet Li on uncovering a kung fu movie piracy ring where the culprits have been selling pirate Jet Li films, and another scene in which the Hong Kong police claim to have made Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh famous thanks to the Police Story franchise. So, as you can see, it’s a bit full of itself, but not totally without merit; any film including Jet Li wire-fu encounters with both Wu Jing and Bruce Leung puts paid to that.

AKA: Badge of Fury; The One Detective