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God of Gamblers II

original title: Dou Hap

Comparison:

  • Theatrical Cut
  • Taiwanese Extended Cut
Release: May 15, 2026 - Author: Muck47 - Translator: Muck47 - external link: IMDB

Comparison between the theatrical version on the British Blu-ray from 88 Films and the extended version on the Taiwanese VCD from King's / Thunder Media (all extended material is included as a bonus featurette on the 88 Films Blu-ray)

 

- 16 differences
- Duration: 923.9 sec (= 15:24 min)

 

God of Gamblers 2 was a massive box office hit in Hong Kong in 1990. The busy Chow Yun-Fat from the prequel released a year earlier was unavailable at the time, but director Wong Jing had lucrative replacements in the form of the then-rising stars Stephen Chow and Andy Lau. Curiously, this also allowed them to kill two birds with one stone: the surprise hit All for the Winner, which had been conceived just a short time earlier as a parody of God of Gamblers and starred Chow, was thus continued here as well. So it’s essentially a hybrid sequel that incorporates characters from both films - well, back then in Hong Kong, practically anything was possible.

The film was released on Blu-ray in the UK on April 27, 2026, likely using the master previously released on HD media in Hong Kong. As a bonus, a featurette compiles the exclusive footage from the roughly 15-minute-longer version that was available in Taiwan. Thanks to the VCD we have on hand, we were also able to confirm once again that all the extended scenes were included by 88 Films. As we recall: Previously, 88 Films released older films starring Stephen Chow, such as Fight Back to School 2, and none of the vast amount of exclusive material from the Taiwan version was included. Fortunately, however, there weren’t as many small and often totally unspectacular moments in God of Gamblers 2 as there were in those earlier films: In fact, these are almost exclusively extended scenes, some of which actually add real value.

On the one hand, silly dialogue extensions featuring Chow himself and his regular co-star Ng Man-Tat (known to international audiences, of course, primarily from Shaolin Soccer) are nice for fans, as the chemistry was already there in this early collaboration. The fact that Chow is a big fan of Bruce Lee also comes through in several additional scenes with corresponding references. This also means that, on the other hand, there are actually a few extra action/violence scenes to discover. The assassination attempts - which include, among other things, the curious idea of a brief fight sequence involving a broken laser disc - also fill in small plot holes.

All in all, it’s a shame that this longer film version hasn’t been preserved in better quality. But at least the bonus material has been archived for posterity thanks to the release by 88 Films.

 

Runtime information is organized according to the following scheme
Theatrical version on British Blu-ray at 23.976 fps / Taiwanese VCDs in NTSC

Additional Gala logo on the Blu-ray. Also, the Win's Entertainment logo appears slightly earlier.

28.5 sec



The credits that follow shortly after are slightly delayed, but essentially identical.

Theatrical version on British Blu-rayTaiwanese VCD




The following differences in the film itself can be seen in the 88 Films bonus featurette as upscaled footage. Since the footage was often extended in the middle of dialogue, the portion that was still included in the theatrical cut shortly before was presented in black and white for reference:

Bonus featurette on the UK Blu-rayTaiwanese VCD



For the scenes themselves, 88 Films also offers optional subtitles, which (unlike the permanently burned-in ones from the Taiwan master) are newly translated and grammatically correct.




05:49 / Disc 1: 05:21-06:24

The conversation on the sofa is significantly longer before Blackie gets up. Blackie says contemptuously that he would rather have eaten shark fins, and Sing wonders what’s wrong with his instant noodles. Sing talks about eating rituals, which include licking the bowl clean and using a finger as a “toothpick” to pick the leftovers out of your mouth. Blackie reacts with annoyance.

63.4 sec (= 1:03 min)




13:42 / Disc 1: 14:17-14:54

After the exterior shot of the pool, the action starts earlier indoors. Little Knife (Andy Lau) walks in and enthusiastically greets Seung (aka Mr. Ueyama from Part 1). After a few grim looks, he leans back and asks his question about meeting new women again with a serious expression.

36.8 sec




15:00 / Disc 1: 16:12-16:42

Little Knife turns toward the door and snaps at another guy (another appearance by Mansook Ahmed), whose dogs have apparently attacked him several times before.

30.3 sec




8:55–8:56 / Disc 1: 22:37

Minor master error on the VCD as Little Knife walks around the corner.

+ 0.7 sec



25:53 / Disc 1: 27:34-28:04

Little Knife changes the subject and wants to talk about women. Of course, he believes he understands the opposite sex perfectly and ends up throwing a playing card at the photo.

29.4 sec




30:12 / Disc 1: 32:22-33:31

In a completely new scene, Mr. Chan (the gambling king from Singapore) plays cards and outsmarts his opponent. They were playing for cigarettes, of which Mr. Chan now has far too many. There’s also a bit of trash talk between the two.

68.8 sec (= 1:09 min)




31:23 / Disc 1: 34:42-37:24

The next scene is a bit longer at the end. Hussein is still laughing, and Mr. Chan warns of a new player. Hussein says he’s prepared. Then we see an assassination attempt on Yamas, right after he’s finished a squash match. However, the shot hits an innocent bystander, whereupon Yamas smashes a laser disc he had just received as a gift and uses it as a weapon. Black Panther then shoots him after a brief standoff, and he crashes through a window and out into the street. In the car, they discuss the next assassinations.

162 sec (= 2:42 min)




31:28 / Disc 1: 37:29-37:55

After briefly seeing the somersault, there’s still some entertainment by the pool - or rather, a few silly comments from Little Knife.

25.3 sec




34:13 / Disc 1: 40:40-41:07

Sing and Blackie go up to the next floor and run into Little Knife there. After a few brief skirmishes, they talk briefly, but more attackers come from behind, so Sing and Blackie rush away.

27 sec




37:34 / Disc 1: 44:28-46:46

In a completely new scene, Little Knife enters the house with police officers, where Hussein and Black Panther are already waiting. They now brazenly pose as Yama, Little Knife, and Lung. This is supposed to lead to our heroes’ arrest, which Hussein condescendingly refuses. As the three are led away, Hussein says that they will be very rich in three days and that until then, he can use any distraction from the police.

138.6 sec (= 2:19 min)




39:04 / Disc 1: 48:17-50:11

Sing and Blackie watch the gangsters’ antics for a while longer and are then drawn into the action sooner. This additional scene makes the transition easier to understand. Blackie says that once inside, they have to make an impression and act violently. After a brief discussion, they agree that Blackie will play the role of the debtor, and Sing theatrically beats him up inside (from a safe distance). In the process, he strikes a typical Bruce Lee pose, and a final blow nearly makes Blackie vomit. One gangster is unimpressed, but Sing is told to follow him anyway for a conversation.

113.5 sec (= 1:54 min)




47:18 / Disc 2: 04:35-05:49

Blackie argues at length with Sing about the fact that Sing doesn’t want to help him. Offended, he goes outside, but then relents and goes back inside.

74.3 sec (= 1:14 min)




72:11 / Disc 2: 30:42-30:52

A first shot of gangsters approaching on a jet ski.

10.8 sec




72:25 / Disc 2: 31:07-31:35

You can still see a few hands being played at the tables. The house always wins.

28.4 sec




72:39 / Disc 2: 31:49-32:35

Hussein talks a bit more about his motivation and wonders if Big Knife will show up. There’s then a nice visual gag where someone lights his cigar with their finger.

46.4 sec




93:20-93:22 / Disc 2: 53:16

Small master error in the VCD source material, before a close-up of banknotes on the gaming table.

+ 2.1 sec



100:34 / Disc 2: 60:27-61:11

Sing wanders around a bit more and runs into a guy, whom he then beats up with a plunger. Finally, he marks him up a bit with a marker.

44 sec




102:42 / Disc 2: 63:19-63:45

Long Kau asks Sing if he would still choose her if the other woman (‘Beautiful Dream’) were to show up now.

25.2 sec




The end credits differ. Additionally, only the Blu-ray briefly shows the Gala Film logo again afterward.

Theatrical version on British Blu-rayBonus featurette on British Blu-ray / Taiwanese VCD