Night King review – Hong Kong hostess bar comedy is love letter to old-style Kowloon nightlife

2026-02-17 - 17:33

Dayo Wong and pop star Sammi Cheng star in strangely coy comedy which has glitzy charms and jokes but lacks raw chemistry This lustrous, gauzily shot tribute to old-time Cantonese nightlife looks at times like a Wong Kar-Wai film – but is actually closer to something like Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. Hong Kong comedy stalwart Dayo Wong stars as Foon, manager of EJ Entertainment, the last nightclub standing in the fading East Tsim Sha Tsui district. A corporate takeover suddenly means his ex-wife Dame V (Cantopop diva Sammi Cheng) is in charge and intent on replacing the regular hostesses there to schmooze clients with her “fighter jet” upgrades. No sooner do Foon and V start sparring about how the joint should be run, then they discover there’s a takeover within the takeover: playboy Prince Fung (Chun Yip Lo), V’s partner on the original deal, does the dirty on her and pulls out. As the contract’s guarantor, either V stumps up the $80m needed to buy EJ, or she is liable for the cancellation fee – when Fung plans to swoop in for a pittance. So the perennial soft touch Foon agrees to team up with his no-nonsense ex, all for the sake of saving nostalgic razzle-dazzle. Continue reading...