Another entry in the long line of Hong Kong gambling films, 2006's Bet to Basic flirts with actually being a good movie at several points during its' running time. But ultimately, it tries to leverage too many laughs out of the same few lame chestnuts that weren't great to begin with, and ends up dealing the viewer a losing hand in the process. Even die-hard fans of over-the-top mahjong-based escapades are going to be struggling to find anything that provides true enjoyment here.

The plot, which was obviously "inspired" by the oeuvre of the king of Hong Kong gambling movies, Wong Jing, stars Jordan Chan as Lloyd, who has come to HK to stay with his cousin, Dragon (Chin Kar-Lok). Lloyd has the ability to always draw a winning hand in mahjong, which Dragon looks to put to use in the King of Mahjong tournament. But along the way, Lloyd loses his mojo, and so it's up to a pair of kooky old masters (Yuen Wah and Eric Kot) to get his groove back.

Bet to Basic follows the "flying paper" style of Hong Kong comedies popularized by Wong Jing all the way, with many of the jokes consisting of pop culture references and parodies. At times, these sorts of comedic bits do work, such as a musical number where Lloyd learns how to draw mahjong tiles via the old Sam Hui song "Mahjong Ying Hung". But, more often than not, the parodies (like several that riff on Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle) fall flat and induce groans rather than the intended belly laughs.

The gambling scenes aren't all that hot, either. They're staged in an extremely sloppy style that offers up no tension at all as to who is going to win the games. Perhaps sensing this, the film-makers decide to up the ante during the final mahjong duel by throwing in some computer effects, which really only serve to make things look worse. It's representative of Bet to Basic as a whole. This is definitely an instance of the writer and director trying to throw everything into the pot, with the result being a bland mess.

RATING: 4