King of Beggars (1992): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1992, King of Beggars is an action, comedy and drama film directed by Gordon Chan, running about 96 minutes.

What it’s about. The illiterate General of Canton, General So, advocates a lazy, happy lifestyle of sex and money. His spoiled and also illiterate son, Chan (Stephen Chow), is his most faithful disciple. For the love of a woman, Chan attends the national exams for Martial Arts Scholar in Peking. Chan is victorious on the physical test, but before he is to be crowned, he is found to have cheated on the written exam. The Emperor sentences Chan to be a beggar. Initially Chan is unable cope with his new role, but with some mystic help, he takes on the position as King of the Beggars Association. Leading this motley crew into battle against an evil warlord in the Emperor's entourage, Chan rescues the Emperor, and gains respect for the beggars.

Who’s in it. King of Beggars stars Stephen Chow as So Chan Ha Yee Chan, Sharla Cheung as Yushang, Richard Ng Man-Tat as General Su of Guangzhou and Vindy Chan Wai-Yee as Tracy, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.5/10, King of Beggars has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Fandango At Home. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch King of Beggars page.

If you liked it. Fans of King of Beggars tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.