THE SHELL GAME (千王之王) (1980) Thread
In 1980, TVB released THE BUND, which started a whole new vogue for gangster dramas set in the 1920s/1930s during the early Republic of China era.
Within the same year, THE BUND spawned not only two direct sequels, but also THE SHELL GAME, which used a similar 1920s/1930s gangster conflict milieu, but whose focus was on the world of gambling, gamesmanship, and deception rather than the more overtly social/political/cultural focus of THE BUND.
On the one hand, THE SHELL GAME was definitely produced at the time to capitalize on the vogue created for gangster dramas by THE BUND. THE SHELL GAME, however, was no cheap, exploitative knockoff of THE BUND, but a classic in its own right. Unlike THE BUND, which aspired to be art and attained that lofty objective, THE SHELL GAME didn't have any ambition to be more than the standard TVB drama, circa 1980. Drawing upon the intensive quality-control standards that went into the production of THE BUND, however, TVB seemed determined that although THE SHELL GAME would be, by comparison to THE BUND, standard TVB product, it would be standard TVB product at a higher level of quality than had been previously seen.
Unlike THE BUND, THE SHELL GAME did not aim to reproduce a special noir atmosphere (although it occasionally did so anyway, since it borrowed many of THE BUND's production values). Where THE SHELL GAME couldn't lose, however, was in its casting. The principals:
Patrick Tse Yin as "Southern Divine Eyes," Guangzhou Gambler King Lo 4 Hoi
Liza Wong Ming Cheun as Tam Siu Tong
Peter Yeung Kwun as "Northern Thousand Hands," Shanghai Gambler King Cheuk 1 Fu
Simon Yam Dat Wah as Tam Sing
Rounding out this stellar main cast was a strong supporting cast, including:
Regina Tsang Hing Yu as Cheuk Lei
Gwok Fung as Hung Pau
Sheut Lei as Hung Ying Ying
...among others.
The actors played their roles extremely well. Direction by Wong Teen Lam was excellent, and the script by Wong Jing was probably his best work ever. The characters were well developed and engaging, and the narrative was gripping. A suite of songs was composed by Joseph Koo Ga Fai and stands as one of his best suites of work for a TVB series.
The series focuses on a thematic element of deception, not only in gambling games or in schemes for the attainment of power, but also how people deceive themselves in matters of life. At twenty-five episodes, THE SHELL GAME, like THE BUND, is a textbook example of economic teledrama that delivers on multiple levels.