Lucky Number (film)
Lucky Number is a 1999 Singaporean film, directed by Hong Kong director Danny Ko.
Synopsis[edit]
Jonathan is a cowardly kopi kia who is fired and replaced by a cheaper, Mainland Chinese "dragon lady" who also doubles as the mistress of his boss, Tau Huay Chio. With his recently retrenched friend Leon, they embark on various illegal schemes to survive, all of which fail before taking off.
Finally, they are arrested for hawking pirated VCDs, and face jail or a $40,000 fine. Jonathan and Leon split after a petty fight, and he is left to raise the sum on his own. After a chance encounter with Hong Kong celebrity Law Kar-ying, Jonathan strikes 4D, pays off the fine and buys over the coffeeshop after Tau Huay Chio runs into debt.
Cast[edit]
Apart from Lim Aik Seng, Law Kar Ying, and Eileen Yeow, most of the cast were SBC artistes who mostly played supporting and cameo roles.
| Actor/Actress | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ng Kin Wah | Jonathan | |
| Lim Aik Seng | "Leon Lai" (Li Ming Lai) | |
| Sachdev Mohander Mohin | Wengum Sami | |
| Eileen Yeow | Man | |
| Lim Lee | Lo So Poh | |
| Georgie Ong | Xiang-ge | |
| Tony Hart Lim | Melvin | Uncredited |
| Lim Poh Huat | T-shirt buyer | Uncredited |
| Chun Keng Wah | T-shirt buyer | Uncredited |
| Lily Ong Siew Keng | VCD buyer | Uncredited |
| Marson Ang | Sar Jiak Sio Hor Sin gangster | Uncredited |
| Heng Goh Soon | Effeminate man | Uncredited |
| May Oon Nielsen | Make up artist | Uncredited |
| Sim Gee Sing | Policeman | Uncredited |
| Yoo Ah Min | Umbrella lady | Uncredited |
| Ng Khim Teck | Crazy man | Uncredited |
| Quek Chin Chuan | Gambler | Uncredited |
Production[edit]
Filming[edit]
The movie was shot on location in various parts of Singapore. The coffeeshop featured is the Aljunied branch of Kim San Leng at Blk 133 Geylang East Ave 1. Some scenes were shot at Golden Mile Tower, where DS Movie Production was based at the time. Other shooting locations include People's Park Complex, People's Park Centre, 531 Upper Cross Street, and Lau Pa Sat.
Reception[edit]
Lucky Number was criticised as a poor clone of Jack Neo's Money No Enough, which was a major box office hit just the year before. A reviewer from The New Paper described it as "Money No Enough" without Jack Neo. Online film reviews website FilmsAsia gave it half a star out of four, saying "Lucky Number follows the footsteps of Money No Enough, without providing anything new ... even good acting cannot salvage a bad script".
The movie made a loss at the box office with only S$360,000 in revenue against an estimated $500,000 in production costs.