By Hook or by Crook (1980 film)

By Hook or by Crook
By Hook or by Crook
	Film poster
Traditional	鹹魚番生
Simplified	咸鱼番生
Mandarin	Xián Yú Fān Shēng
Cantonese	Haam4 Jyu4 Faan1 Saang1
Directed by	Karl Maka
Written by	Raymond Wong
Produced by	Karl Maka
Starring	Sammo Hung; Dean Shek; Eric Tsang; Wu Ma; Karl Maka; Alice Lau
Cinematography	Manny Hoh
Edited by	Tony Chow
Music by	Frankie Chan
Distributed by	Bo Ho Film Company Ltd
Release date	7 August 1980;
Running time	87 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
Language	Cantonese
Box office	HK$3,285,724

By Hook or by Crook (Chinese: 鹹魚番生) is a 1980 Hong Kong kung fu film produced and directed by Karl Maka and starring Sammo Hung and Dean Shek.

Plot[]

The film starts out with a thief stealing jewelry from a millionaire Chin Pai-wen (Tang Ching). The family believes it was done by the infamous Flower Kid, who steals from the rich and gives it to the poor. They then hire Sheriff Butcher Wing (Karl Maka) to find him. However, Chin's wife (Yau Poon-ling) suggests Skinny Gee (Dean Shek), a con man who catches crooks, instead. So Butcher Wing tries to get Skinny Gee by framing him for harassing his sister and offers him a deal if he finds the Flower Kid. Gee manages to Flower Kid. Gee then tells Wing a plan to arrest Flower Kid by setting him up. They fail and Wing arrests Gee for fooling him. Flower Kid then arrives, disguised as a woman, to rescue Gee out of jail. It was a set up by Flower Kid and Gee. Later it is revealed that he is not the real Flower Kid. He is a man named Fatso (Sammo Hung), who idolizes Flower Kid and pretends to be him.

Fatso and Gee later finds the real Flower Kid (Wu Ma), who is now old and retired. Then it was also revealed who the thief was at the beginning of the film, a lover of Lady Chin. Later, Lady Chin hires an assassin, Chung Fat-pak (Chung Fat), to kill Flower Kid. The assassin also kills Lady Chin's lover.

Fatso and Gee tries to get a bodyguard for Flower Kid. The bodyguard is a knife throwing expert. He engages in a Mexican standoff against Never Miss (Eric Tsang) a gun expert. Never Miss kills the bodyguard. Then, Fatso and Gee start training Flower Kid to get his confidence and energy back. During this time, Chung kills Chin Pai-wen. Later, Fatso and Gee also hired a family to act as victim of Chung to get Flower Kid's confidence to battle Chung.

The trio then proceeds to find Chung where they engage in a big fight at Chin's funeral. First, Fatso and Gee battles Chung's two henchmen and Flower Kid fights Chung. Then, Fatso and Gee kill the henchmen and then Fatso fights Chung eventually killing him in the end. Afterwards, Flower Kid leaves town. In the end, Gee is arrested again, Fatso is arrested too, but he was rewarded out to be sheriff and instead, Wing takes his spot in jail.