An emblematic Hong Kong action comedy in its heyday conjoined by legendary Kung Fu trio Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, shot abroad in Barcelona with Sammo also taking the director job, WHEELS ON MEALS sees Chan and Yuen as two cousins, Thomas and David respectively, who are adroit in martial arts (and skateboards),run a fast food van in the tourist spot, soon they will team up with Hung's amateurish shamus Moby to fight against the evil Mondale (Sancho),whose henchmen are relentlessly hunting down a young heiress Sylvia (the stunning former Miss Spain, Lola Forner),with whom both Thomas and David are infatuated.

The star trio (their third picture together, preceded by PROJECT A and WINNERS AND SINNERS, both released in 1983) brings about authentic bonhomie in their two against one raillery, with Hung often comically in the receiving end of the ribbing and pratfalls. Forner's deceptively virtuous damsel-in-distress (petty larceny merely a peccadillo) doesn't drive a wedge between the two cousins, instead, Thomas and David's gauche vying for her affection elicits abundant lulz, including one sterling idea from Thomas, by suggesting David's father (Paul Chang Chung) to marry Sylvia's mother (Sentís),both mental hospital residents (there are stimulating cameos from regular collaborators Richard Ng, Wu Ma and John Sam as fellow head cases) who are smitten with each other, to the utter dismay of Yuen, since he and Sylvia will become step-siblings.

Whereas the plot gives no spectacular twists or suspense to elevate WHEELS ON MEALS head and shoulders above its similar peers, the climatic action set piece is a captivating blinder, in particular, the fisticuffs between Jackie Chan and kickboxing champion Benny Urquidez, which gives a visceral flesh-to-flesh impact that bespeaks what makes martial arts actioner such an entertaining delight to watch, and Chan's epiphany of loosing up in the face of a formidable rival well speaks volume of his trademark amalgamation of levity and lethality that eventually would win him gazillion of fans in every nook and cranny of the world, an exemplar of how to take up the baton (from Bruce Lee, obviously) and pass it on with one's own distinctive style (Chan is in his sixties and his clout still rolls on).

Elsewhere, Hung relishes in the self-referential jokes of his (only slightly at then) portly figure (when Moby hollers around in looking for a man named Fatso, whose corpulence can legitimately pale him into insignificance, or the running jokes of being unable to keep up with a simian Chan in all the shinning and whisking),and in fact, Hung is famous for his disproportionate agility that lends him a unique presence among other uniformly jacked Chinese martial artists. Without any help of wire-fu, Hung really cuts it both in and behind cameras, and WHEELS ON MEALS is a testimony to the halcyon days of Hong Kong action cinema, fun, thrill and a bit of romance, recommended for the whole family.

Another winner from the prolific Jackie Chan, not as slick or as big budget as his later productions like POLICE STORY but still packing a mean punch in terms of martial arts sequences. This time, the reliable Sammo Hung directs the film as well as co-starring as an idiotic and bumbling private eye who ends up helping hero Chan and his partner Yuen Biao in saving a beautiful heiress - as played by the genuinely charming Lola Forner - from a gang of thugs.

Once again the plot is trivial stuff in which the trio of Chan, Biao, and Hung are up to all kinds of slapstick shenanigans, whether engaging in typically ill-fated battles with hired goons or making trouble between themselves. The emphasis in this low-budget film is on the comedy, and you get it in spades. This time around the inmates of a mental asylum (including the always-good-to-see Richard Ng and John Shem) are the basis for some crazy humour and our three unlikely heroes add a Three Stooges-style manic humour to their scenes. In fact I'd argue that this is the closest the three stars get to paying homage to the old ensemble comedy productions of the '30s.

For a change, this present-set production was made in Spain, which offers up some nice locations which are highlighted in a lengthy car/van chase which offers up some excellent slow-motion stunts and typically unlikely comedy antics involving flying cars. The pacing is fast and furious and never lets up, even during the slow spots in the story where nothing much is happening, and the script is consistently funny.

The various fight and action scenes are a delight to watch and make fine use of props like motorbikes, tables, skateboards, chairs, and the usual. After a few minor battles with the bad guys, things pick up for the excellent finale in the castle in which our heroic trio find themselves up against two powerful thugs and a fencing champion. The resulting battles are frenetic, stylish, and occasionally awesome to behold, benefiting from the presence of real-life champions Benny 'The Jet' Urquidez and Keith Vitali to add to the super-fast realism of the action. In fact the battle between Chan and Urquidez is one of the fastest and best I've seen on film, full stop, not even surpassed by their rematch in DRAGONS FOREVER. Although not one of Chan's top movies, this can best be described as a solid addition to his filmography, with three winning turns from the leads. Instantly disposable, but fun with it!

Thomas (Jackie Chan) and David (Biao Yuen) have a food truck in Barcelona. Thomas delivers the food and takes orders on his skateboard. They fight off a group of bikers. Bumbling private detective Moby (Sammo Hung) gets hired to find Gloria and her child. David's father gets out of a mental institution. Her Spanish girlfriend Gloria has beautiful daughter Sylvia (Lola Forner). Sylvia is actually a con woman stealing from unsuspecting men and being pursued by a lot of gangsters.

This is one of those 80's HK action comedies with Jackie and Sammo. As often is the case, the foreign actors are B-level. It traffics on stereotypes while fighting other stereotypes against the Chinese. The fighting action is top rate. There is one awesome stunt from Biao Yuen to start off. His butt must hurt after that. The story is simple. It's everything one expects from this type of movie. It's action. It's silly humor. The writing is simple. It's fun for those who love it although it doesn't have the Jackie Chan closing credit stunt outtakes. That's the only disappointing aspect for Jackie fans.