As their popularity snowballed from the early days of television broadcast, the iconic Hui Brothers team left behind a trail of vernacular comedy movies that struck a resounding chord with working class audiences. Easily one of the best from writer-director Michael, The Private Eyes immediately impresses with its wordless opening credit sequence showing only the characters’ feet – in which a private detective tails his subject in a pair of miserably broken shoes, only to have one of his soles accidentally ripped off before stepping on a beggar’s bowl and a cigarette stub with his exposed foot. A cheeky, stingy boss who’s all too ready to exploit his employees, Michael’s small-time private eye is nonetheless faithfully aided by an honest, kung fu-fighting apprentice (Sam) and a stupid, stammering assistant (Ricky) who will literally test a bomb for him. Together with the funky soundtrack by Sam and his band, The Lotus, the movie also tapped into our collective consciousness with a range of riotous gags, from aerobics for chicken to a Sammo Hung-choreographed, Bruce Lee-inspired fight scene with flour and sausages.
在廣播電視發(fā)展初期，許氏兄弟的名氣迅速攀升，他們留下了許多令打工階層深感共鳴的喜劇港片?！栋虢锇藘伞房胺Q編劇兼導(dǎo)演許冠文的最佳作品之一，這部電影的開場讓人印象深刻。片頭在播放演職人員字幕的同時，沒有對白，只有不同人物的腳走來走去。一名私家偵探穿著一雙破破爛爛的鞋子跟蹤目標對象，沒想到一只鞋底掉了下來，這時他的光腳正好踩到一個乞丐的碗，然后又踩到一個煙頭上。許冠文飾演一個愛從員工身上揩油的厚顏無恥的吝嗇老板兼三流偵探，他有兩個忠心耿耿的幫手，一個是會拳腳功夫的老實學徒（許冠杰飾），另一個是口吃的蠢蛋助理（許冠英飾），助理負責幫老板測試炸彈。伴隨著許冠杰和他的蓮花樂隊創(chuàng)作的放克爵士樂，電影用一連串喧鬧的插科打諢喚起了人們的集體意識，從小雞健美操到面粉和香腸亂飛的打斗場面（洪金寶設(shè)計、靈感源自李小龍）。