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(chǎng)讓人印象深刻。片頭在播放演職人員字幕的同時(shí)，沒有對(duì)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(biāo)對(duì)象，沒想到一只鞋底掉了下來，這時(shí)他的光腳正好踩到一個(gè)乞丐的碗，然后又踩到一個(gè)煙頭上。許冠文飾演一個(gè)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(gè)忠心耿耿的幫手，一個(gè)是會(huì)拳腳功夫的老實(shí)學(xué)徒（許冠杰飾），另一個(gè)是口吃的蠢蛋助理（許冠英飾），助理負(fù)責(zé)幫老板測(cè)試炸彈。伴隨著許冠杰和他的蓮花樂隊(duì)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(shí)，從小雞健美操到面粉和香腸亂飛的打斗場(chǎng)面（洪金寶設(shè)計(jì)、靈感源自李小龍）。