''A Hearty Response'' is a 1986 Hong Kong

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

and

action thriller Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include lif ...

film directed by Norman Law and starring

Chow Yun-fat Chow Yun-fat (born 18 May 1955), previously known as Donald Chow, is a Hong Kong actor. He is perhaps best known for his collaborations with filmmaker John Woo in the five Hong Kong action heroic bloodshed films: '' A Better Tomorrow'', '' A ...

Joey Wong use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinate ...

and David Lui.

Plot

Kong-sang is a mainland Chinese girl who illegally entered Hong Kong, hoping to retrieve her birth certificate, which proves that she was actually born in Hong Kong. She flees from her smuggler, Shing (Shum Wai), after she injures him when she was harassed by him. Meanwhile, police detective Ho Ting-pong (

) is an upright and virtuous police officer who was assigned with his partner, Long Man (David Lui), to arrest drug dealer Addict Hung (Ng Hong-sang) in a supermarket. There, Long Man sees Kong-sang stealing from the supermarket and arrests her. As Ting-pong was distracted by this, Addict Hung manages to get on a car and runs over Kong-sang before fleeing. After regaining consciousness in the hospital, Kong-sang feigns amnesia to avoid being repatriated and identifies Ting-pong as her husband. Since Ting-pong is a man of chivalry, he takes Kong-sang home and takes care of her. Ting-pong's mother (

Lee Heung-kam Lee Heung-kam (13 January 1932 – 4 January 2021) was a Hong Kong Cantonese opera and TVB actress. Career She joined the entertainment industry when she was 14 years old. Since 1960, she became known for being an antagonist in many Cantonese o ...

) is really fond of Kong-sang and sees her as an ideal daughter-in-law. However, when Ting-pong's mother convinces him into letting Kong-sang stay, Kong-sang leaves to wander in the streets, not wanting to give Ting-pong a hard time to face his girlfriend. After going through many trials and tribulations, Ting-pong and Kong-sang eventually fall in love. As everything is seemingly going well, Shing reappears and kidnaps Kong-sang.

Cast

as Ho Ting-pong *

as Kong-sang *David Lui as Long Man *

Kent Cheng Kent Cheng Jak-si (born 22 May 1951) is a Hong Kong film and television actor. He is a two time recipient of the best actor award at the Hong Kong Film Awards The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual film awards cerem ...

as Policeman outside bank (cameo) *Wong Wan-si as Auntie Wan (cameo) *

Paul Chun Paul Chun (; born 26 June 1945) is a Hong Kong actor. He has appeared in more than 130 films and television series since 1949. In 1966, he appeared in ''The Sand Pebbles'', an American film produced and directed by Robert Wise. Early life He wa ...

as Chief Inspector Lui Tak *Poon Lai-yin as Judy *

as Ho Ting-pong's mother *Shum Wai as Shing *

Felix Lok Felix Lok Ying-kwan is a Hong Kong actor. His television appearances include roles in ''Looking Back in Anger'', '' The Drive of Life'' and '' The Academy''. Filmography Television series Films *''Heroes of the Underground'' (1976) *''The Hap ...

as Restaurant manager *Ng Hong-sang as Addict Hung * Chiu Chi-ling as Doctor *Siao San-yan as Wan's husband *Ng Kwok-kin as Policeman *Fei Pak as Policeman *Danny Tang *Leo Tsang *Lung Ying

Reception

Critical

LoveHKFilm
' gave the film a mixed review describing the film as "forgettable", with "some decent moments."
Hong Kong Film Net
' gave the film a score of 5 out of 10 criticizing director Norman Law's direction and its unfunny comedy, but noting the good chemistry of

and

Box office

The film grossed HK$13,461,667 at the Hong Kong box office during its theatrical run from 10 October to 20 November 1986.

References

External links

* *
A Hearty Response
' at Hong Kong Cinemagic * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hearty Response 1986 films 1980s action thriller films 1986 romantic comedy films 1980s comedy thriller films Hong Kong action thriller films Hong Kong romantic comedy films Police detective films 1980s Cantonese-language films Golden Harvest films Films about immigration Films set in Hong Kong Films shot in Hong Kong 1980s Hong Kong films