Part historical drama, part love story, and a LARGE part tongue in cheek social satire, this movie was a sheer delight from beginning to end.

To all that, add the fact that the magic presented is by and large correct and true to the art (unlike the totally incorrect mess that was The Prestige) and this is a movie for a magician to love.

But even without a background in magic, the clever twistyness of the plot, the humor of the dialog and the amazing acrobatics will carry almost anyone with some child in their heart through to the end with a smile on their face.

Truly a gem of a kind Hollywood hasn't made for a long time.

The anniversary of the Chinese 1911 Revolution being just behind us doesn't mean that period films of that era have come to a full stop. Writer-director Derek Yee throws in his hat to conjure a thriller with magic at the forefront, following in the footsteps of films such as The Prestige, The Illusionist and Death Defying Acts, which weaved mystery, romance and in this case political intrigue at a time when China was dominated by warlords, with foreign powers ala Imperial Japan at bay eager to gain a foothold in the Middle Kingdom through veiled diplomacy involving arms trading with selected warlords.

Teaming with co-writers Chun Tin Nam and Lau Ho Leung who between them have written some of the largest Chinese blockbusters from Painted Skin to Bodyguards and Assassins, The Great Magician centres around a scholar turned magician trained in Europe, Chang Hsien (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) returning to China to score multiple goals, having to rescue his mentor Liu Wanyao (Paul Chun)and reclaim the affections of his one time fiancée Yin (Zhou Xun),both of whom are now under the clutches of the warlord Bully Lei (Lau Ching Wan) and his evil bootlicking minion Kunshan (Wu Gang). Allying with revolutionaries hell bent on capturing Bully Lei, Chang Hsien anchors the magic show at a newly acquired theatre, and the troupe patiently waits for their bait to bite, with an elaborate kidnapping scheme in place to barter and demand terms for the return of a major player in town.

But things hardly ever go according to plan, and here's where The Great Magician shines when both Tony Leung and Lau Ching Wan get to grace the screen together (god knows when was the last time),with their characters trading barbs, suspicion and turning from would be adversaries to unsuspecting friends especially when the topic of true love comes up, with the generalissimo seeking the magician's help to turn on the charms in order to woo his "7th wife ". There's comedy, romance and plenty of magical tricks on display here when the stories shifts downgear to allow Lau Ching-wan to work his acting chops, from going over the top in his ridiculously decorated army uniform and playing the fool as the ruthless warlord in what would be a very sly attempt at downplaying his threat to his other 7 warlord allies (made up of cameos like vincent Kok and Tsui Hark),to being the puppy dog desperate to win the heart of Yin.

In fact his story arc is the more entertaining of the lot, especially since Tony Leung's character got bogged down by politicking with his comrades whether to take down Bully Lei or otherwise, compromised by Chang Hsien's growing admiration for a man who is definitely more than meets the eye. This constant guessing of intentions from all sides involving all the major multi-faceted characters, require steep attention to keep track of who's with whom, with Survivor-isque styled plotting, double-crossing and double meanings in words spoken all keeping the intrigue to the final moments of the story, with both the macro socio-political level involving different political factions from the Japanese, Manchus and current warlords, and the micro personal-romantic level in the love triangle centering around Yin, while casting doubts as to who of the two suitors would be best for her, with each showing their relative shades of grey.

Eventually this focus led to subplots being unceremoniously dumped, such as the much talked about 7 magical wonders that were not properly developed and copped out at the end with a relatively lengthy through effectively preachy moment in a talk about superstition and ambition. And one thing about the magic in a film - there's almost always that degree of CG thrown in that would leave even believers skeptic about how the illusions got pulled off, although Tony Leung did have enough charm and charisma to make a believable Chang Hsien with enough tricks up his sleeve for street magic, or elaborate illusions done on stage with the painting manipulation trick being one of my favourites through which Derek Yee effectively told the background of all the lead characters in one fall swoop of a plot device.

The Great Magician is made up of moments that seemed more of an all boys club, with both Lau Ching Wan and Tony Leung owning the best bits of the film through their characters. Zhou Xun's Yin had far too little to do other than to gatecrash as the object of both their affections, with an acrobatic introduction that wowed and the rest of her scenes belonging more to supporting cast levels. She's capable of a lot more if only the story had an equally expanded and important role for her to play, other than to be held captive and unwilling to leave until the whereabouts of her father is known, and accounted for as safe.

Derek Yee helmed a film that had all the ingredients to be great, with an effective setup, wonderful performances all round, plenty of twists and turns, but alas that took longer than expected to develop and rubbed some shine off its prestige, not forgetting a little bit of a rip off from a comical trick already seen in The A-Team. Still, the casting alone should guarantee a stellar response to it, and it's recommended for its Let The Bullets Fly-ish lite-version feel to its plotting.

Derek Yee's name may be synonymous with socially-aware crime thrillers like 'One Nite in Mongkok', 'Protégé' and 'Shinjuku Incident', but the veteran writer/director's latest work- adapted from the novel by Zhang Haifan- shows that the man has quite the sense of humour too. Defying expectations as well by reuniting two heavyweight dramatic actors in Tony Leung and Lau Ching Wan, Yee's 'The Great Magician' plays less like the historical drama you would expect it to and more like a witty comedy packed with trickery, shifting alliances and of course sleight-of-hands.

Just with its tone alone, Yee differentiates his film from Hollywood's critically-acclaimed 'The Illusionist' to which it has been compared to- never mind that both movies deal with the return of a powerful magician and his attempt to win the heart of a woman he has loved before. Leung plays that very magician, Zhang Xian, who comes back to 1920s Beijing to reclaim the love he left behind three years ago and rescue his mentor imprisoned by an arrogant warlord General Bully Lei (Lau Ching Wan). Coincidentally, his lover, Liu Yin (Zhou Xun),has also been taken by Lei as his seventh wife- though despite Lei's best efforts, he has not been able to make her fall in love with him.

The story is as much Zhang Xian's as it is General Lei's, and the equal emphasis that Yee gives to each character affords his audience distinct but equally delightful pleasures. There is campy fun to be had with General Lei's scenes- whether his six wives, including an especially hardworking Third Wife played by Mainland actress Yan Ni, fighting for his attention; or his futile attempts at trying to win Liu Yin's heart; or his condescension towards his second-in-command Butler Liu (Wu Gang)- and Yee deliberately plays them for broad laughs. Nowhere is this more obvious than in a classic scene where General Lei is discussing power plays with fellow bickering warlords (featuring cameos by director Tsui Hark and Vincent Kok),the squabbling and wrangling among them simply a riotous hoot.

On the other hand, the scenes with Zhang Xian crackle with riveting intensity. Yee successfully keeps his audience rapt with Zhang's elaborate prestidigitation, as well as his and that of his magic troupe's plot to kidnap General Lei for the release of the political prisoners Lei has kept imprisoned since assuming power. Zhang's ostensible enmity with Lei- at least in the first half of the movie- also makes for an equally fascinating watch, as the former tries to overcome the latter's inherent suspicion for someone who has (literally) always something up his sleeve. And of course, in the hands of two of the best male actors in Hong Kong, both Zhang and Lei truly come alive.

Last paired on the Johnnie To-produced crime thriller 'The Longest Nite' (for which both Leung and Lau received Best Actor nominations at the year's Hong Kong Film Awards),both actors seem to be having a great time playing against their usual serious dramatic type roles. Lau gleefully hams it up in an over-the-top performance that is surprisingly endearing, especially for his well-meaning but unsuccessful attempts at trying to impress Liu Yin. On the other hand, Leung is charismatic as ever as the titular 'great magician' performing with poise and confidence his array of dazzling tricks. Though a trifle compared to his previous roles in 'In the Mood for Love', '2046' or 'Lust, Caution', Leung is still as alluring playing the pining lover, and his scenes with Zhou Xun have an understated chemistry.

Yee engineers a number of twists and turns in the script he co-wrote with his regular collaborators Chun Tin-Nam and Lau Ho-Leung, but the most rewarding one is that which changes the dynamic between Zhang and Lei and allows them to share the screen as allies. The quick-witted Zhang and the brusquer Lei makes for an oddball but eccentrically appealing combination, and the second half of the film works like a charm thanks to the rapport and repartee between the two actors. Their engaging performances also anchor an otherwise frenetic final half-hour where Yee and his writers try to pack a lot of plot development into too little time- which admittedly also causes the tone of the film to veer quite dangerously into farce.

Mostly though Yee treads the fine line between wit and farce deftly- and even if certain scenes, especially those with Lau Ching Wan and Yan Ni, end up in slapstick, the movie is almost always smarter than what it appears to be. Yee may have been considerably influenced by the runaway success of Jiang Wen's 'Let the Bullets Fly', so while it doesn't possess the latter's ingenuity and social acuity, there are similarities in the 'wink-wink' comic tone of both films. Much as it draws from historical events- the turbulent period after the fall of Yuan Shikai and his cronies trying to re-establish the Chinese monarchy- there is little to be taken seriously here, especially not when you have General Lei telling his guards to drive a tank backwards down the dust-beaten streets of Beijing because the other end of the vehicle looks nicer. It's a departure from the usual Derek Yee films for sure, but one that's light-hearted, witty and entertaining fun all around- besides, how often do you get both Tony Leung and Sean Lau at the same party?

• www.moviexclusive.com