Movie Review: FULL STRIKE (NC16)

Goofy and wacky, Full Strike is an enjoyable Hong Kong sports comedy that shows plenty of empathy for the down-and-outs.

In fact, at the end of the film, the directors pay tribute to "all the beautiful losers".

Once an elite badminton player, washed-out athlete Ng Kau Sau (Josie Ho) has been living aimlessly since she injured an opponent and was banned professionally.

She finally feels inspired to pick up her racquet again after meeting a quartet of reformed ex-convicts - "Drunken Master" Chik (Andrew Lam), one-armed Lam Chiu (Edmond Leung), lazy-eyed Ma Kwan (Wilfred Lau) and their hearing-impaired leader Lau Dan (Ekin Cheng).

Amid the laughs, Full Strike serves up some touching, inspiring scenes, yet things never get mawkish. An earnest effort.

Rating: 3/5