Brothers in arms

THE vaults of Cantonese cinema history have been mined for yet another Christmas 'blockbuster'. Ten Brothers is so innocuous that it will pass largely unnoticed, too insignificant to qualify either as homage or desecration of the 1959 classic.

The script by Kuk Tak-siu and director Lee Lik-chi follows familiar lines, with the '10 brothers' (here changed to nine brothers and one sister) each possessing a supernatural power. They are the progeny of Tai Ha (Kenny Bee) and his wife (Sharla Cheung Mun), each of whom ingests five magic pearls that come to full term in a matter of minutes.

Most prominent among the 'kids' (some of whom are adults) are Law Ka-ying) as son number one, infant kung-fu star Shi Xiaolong as son number three and kiddie comedian Hao Shaowen as son number five.

The movie takes place in the decade after the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911, an era in which warlords controlled large sections of China. The film's villain is a particularly buffoonish and tyrannical warlord (Tsui Kam-keung), intent on using the brothers' powers to consolidate his authority. Too bad their powers don't extend to scriptwriting.

Another set of villains is Tai Ha's simpleton of a sibling (Wong Yat-fei) and his scheming wife (Kingdom Yuen King-tan, playing her patented role of shrew and, as always, very funny). The multitude of miscreants gives the film-makers ample opportunities for slapstick, most of which is mustier than a Keystone Cop comedy.

Tai Ha's farm, for instance, possesses magic soil that makes everything grow to huge proportions. There are giant apples, peppers, and bananas - and a giant banana peel that causes one of the warlord's henchmen to slip.