Line #21 Film/KingOfBeggars


1	[[quoteright:297:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/king_of_beggars_south_korean_poster_md_0.jpg]]
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3	A 1992 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film starring Creator/StephenChow, ''King of Beggars'' is loosely based on So Chan, a legendary martial artist who lived in [[UsefulNotes/DynastiesFromShangToQing the late Qing Dynasty]] and was a member of the "Ten Tigers of Canton".
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5	The spoiled son of the wealthy General So (Ng Man Tat) in the province of Canton (present day Guangzhou), So Chan excels in martial arts, but is incredibly lazy and [[NeverLearnedToRead cannot read or write]]. After visiting a brothel and falling for a courtesan named Yu Shang (Sharla Cheung), she agrees to marry him only if he wins the title of martial arts champion. To that end, So becomes eager to win her hand and cheats his way through the written examination for the imperial martial arts tournament, and wins the physical tests. Although he emerges as champion, before the Emperor can award him the title, [[EvilChancellor government official]] [[BigBad Chiu Mo Kei]] (veteran {{Wuxia}} actor Norman Chu aka Norman Tsui) reveals So's deception on the written tests. The insulted Emperor declares So Chan's family possessions and property seized, and banishes father and son to a lifetime of being beggars.
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7	So's life turns utterly miserable: not only does [[KickTheDog Chiu break his legs]], preventing him from ever using martial arts again, but he discovers Yu Shang and her family are one of the leaders of the "Beggars' Sect", and is ashamed about his earlier actions towards her and resolves to sleep away his problems. When the Beggars' Sect uncover a ploy about Chiu planning a rebellion and assassination on the Emperor's life, Yu goes to investigate but is kidnapped by Chiu and his subordinates. So must shakes off his burdens and rescue Yu, but cannot do it alone unless the rest of the Beggars' Sect is behind him. To that end, he must gain the organization's trust by becoming their leader and earn the titular title "King of Beggars".
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9	!!''King of Beggars'' provides the following tropes:
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11	* AlmightyJanitor: [[spoiler: So Chan became an Imperial Beggar at the end, which is a beggar sanctioned by the palace to...well, beg, with a very nice golden bowl...which you cannot say no to...]]
12	* ActionGirl: Yu Sheng.
13	* AllYourPowersCombined: [[spoiler:The final stance for the "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms" is a combination of the previous seventeen stances]].
14	* BigBad: Chiu Mo Kei.
15	* BreakTheHaughty: So Chan
16	* BroughtDownToNormal: [[spoiler: So Chan after Mo Kei broke his limbs, preventing him from doing martial arts.]]
17	* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler: Yu Sheng after she was captured by Mo Kei.]]
18	* ChekhovsGunman: The dirty beggar So Chan gave money to at the brothel [[spoiler: turns out to be a spirit who later taught him how the Sleeping Arhat Palm in gratitude. This also serves to get So Chan out of his HeroicBSOD.]]
19	* ChekhovsSkill: A sinister ''inversion'' of this trope takes in the form of [[spoiler: So Chan's illiteracy, which causes him to get disqualified [[DisproportionateRetribution AND]] has his property confiscated]].
20	* CoolOldGuy: Uncle Mok
21	* CripplingTheCompetition: [[spoiler: Chiu breaks So's legs, preventing him from ever using martial arts again.]]
22	* DeadlyGas: [[spoiler: Mo Kei utilises poisonous gas to shred apart the Emperor's army, but fortunately the wind manages to blow the gas into another direction, and the Beggar's Sect responded to the incoming gas by urinating to neutralize the gas.]]
23	* DefeatMeansExplosion: [[spoiler: The fate of Mo Kei after he got struck by the final stance of the "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms".]]
24	* DemonicPossession: The spirit of Hong Qigong, the previous leader of the Beggars' Sect, possesses So as he vies for leadership of the organization. [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] as So is faking the possession to fool the Beggar's Sect into believing Hong is choosing him to be their leader ''after'' he broke the Dog-Beating Stick]].
25	* DisproportionateRetribution: (To non-East Asian viewers)[[spoiler: Cheated in an exam? You get a death sentence! But, if you are a high-ranking government official, your property shall be confiscated and you will become a beggar for a ''lifetime'', which is still this. Subverted in that So's crime was not so much cheating in an exam, but cheating ''the Emperor'', which is treason.]]
26	* DogFoodDiet: Some {{Jerkass}} officials caught So's father stealing someone else's food and force both So and his father to eat on what appears to be a bowl of rice for dogs. [[MoodWhiplash The two find it tasty, though.]]
27	* TheDragon: Sengge Rinchen
28	* EvilChancellor: Mo Kei
29	* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler: So Chan after he becomes a beggar and got his limbs broken by Mo Kei.]]
30	* HistoricalDomainCharacter: The character [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sengge_Rinchen Sengge Rinchen]] is another government official who introduces Chiu to the Emperor. He is based on the RealLife general of the Qing Dynasty.
31	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: An opponent during the martial arts section of the imperial examination attempts to use PoisonedWeapons on So. So manages to misdirect said weapons back towards him and kill him instead.
32	* MoodWhiplash: So declared his love to Yu Sheng ''right in the middle of the latter's plot [[spoiler: to assasinate Mo Kei.]]''
33	* NeverLearnedToRead: So Chan. [[spoiler: Which bites back at him ''very'' hard, forcing him to improve his literacy.]]
34	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: While the Emperor has his flaws, he is not above recognizing his mistakes [[spoiler: and offered to reward So Chan a position in office for his heroism.]]
35	* ReligionOfEvil: [[spoiler: Mo Kei's cult, the Tianlijiao.]]
36	* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: Yu Sheng's sister when So Chan declared his love to Yu Sheng.
37	* ShoutOut: The Beggar's Sect, the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and "Dog Beating Staff" are all elements from the same-named organization written by Chinese author Creator/JinYong for his novels ''Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'' and ''Literature/HeavenSwordAndDragonSabre''. Hong Qigong is the same character from ''Literature/TheLegendOfTheCondorHeroes'' and ''Literature/TheReturnOfTheCondorHeroes''.
38	* TookALevelInBadass: So Chan [[spoiler: learns the Sleeping Arhat Palm from what is implied to be the spirit of one of the past Beggar Sect leaders and later learns the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm, which turned him into a OneManArmy.]]
39	* TrainingFromHell: Attempted by So's father to push So to get his martial skills back, but failed hilariously.
40	* {{Wuxia}}

Context Film / KingOfBeggars