Crazy Kung-Fu

Chaplin, Allen and now actor, writer, producer and director Stephen Chow can join the select few whose remarkable talent as a performer matches his ability behind the lens; Kung Fu Hustle proves it.

Chow is no stranger to direction. In 1994 Chow co-directed Love on Delivery and since then a number of other self starring projects and many of these projects are considered the best of his acting career. However his skills as a comedian - be it his brash physical comedy (Shaolin Soccer), his manical scenarios (Tricky Brains) or epic historical parodies (A Chinese Oddsey) - have never outshined his talents as a director. Kung Fu Hustle not only reminds us of Chow's terrific comedic timing, it introduces us to his stunning visual eye and exhilarating action direction.

More importantly this addition to Chow's superb filmography finally allows us a means of defining his technique. A master of blending both comedy and visceral action with artistic integrity and traditional melodrama. It has been awhile since a director has been able to take me from quite serious and intense graphic violence to over the top ridiculous spoofing. The contrast of atmosphere and mood throughout the film is incredible and even more incredible is Chow's ability to make it all work. When the scene is funny you appreciate the comedy, when it switches gears to action you are blown away by the terrific sequences, when it switches to melodrama you are on the edge of your seat awaiting character responses, and when they're all fused together you do exactly what Chow is hoping you'll do. You laugh.

So I liked the film, but what is the film exactly. Like most Stephen Chow films while the concept is simple to describe, the execution is far more complex. Kung Fu Hustle tells the story of Sing, a wannabe gangster attempting to join the famous Axe Gang (who during some of the early scenes seem to spoof Gangs of New York - look for a firework visual quote), a legion of black suits responsible for a series of gruesome murders and complete dominance over a 1940s Hong Kong. Sing's reasons for wanting to join the gang are simple: bad guys are cooler. His arrogance causes a war to break out between a poor housing complex that secretly holds a number hidden talents and the murderous axe gang. What starts as a relatively small skirmish (and I mean relatively) explodes into a war of Miike's "Dead or Alive" proportions.

The use of digital effects in this film are extreme. Chow having succumbed to the digital revolutions in Shaolin Soccer, manages once again to use his effects wisely. There are a terrific number of effects shots in this film far more then I've ever seen in a Hong Kong production (save maybe the terrible Wesley's Mysterious File) and while I am disappointed at the lack of practical effects the impressive quality of them more then makes up for it. This film simply does not look like a Hong Kong film. It rivals Hollywood features in every category (set, costumes cinematography), but amazingly enough the CGI is really good! You can notice most of the effects, but that doesn't matter because they are used for laughs and effectively so. Some of the effects not only will have you in stitches, but also in shock and awe at the sheer incredibility of some of the scenes. One scene that sticks out is a terrific spoof of the Road Runner. Its not hilarious, but also a visual feast.

The impressive action is thanks largely to the great choreography talent including both Sammo Hung and Yuen Wo Ping (each working on the film at spate occasions). Yuen Wo Ping manages to take a scene that appears to be rehash of the Burly Brawl (hundreds of suits against one guy) and manages to make it not only fresh, but a thousand times more exciting and intense. These fight sequences demand the attention of any cinephile who claims themselves a fan of marital art cinema. Wachowski's take not, this is how you direct Yuen Wo Ping to this artistic peak.

So everything seems great, right? This has to be Chow's best, right? Actually not everything works and is not at all Chow's best film. It is not his funniest film, but that is because it takes the risk of exploring the action genre. It also relies a bit too much on CGI, and while its use is effective, it can occasionally bring you out of the film. Compared to his other films this film ranks #1 for its visuals and action, but in terms of laughs and writing it cannot surpass the classics. That being said Kung Fu Hustle is absolute blast. See it if you can at the Toronto Film Festival, import it on DVD and catch in theaters when Sony Classics brings it here (in Febuary I believe). It is action comedy at its finest.

Three cheers for Chow Sing Chi!

After nearly two decades of avoiding kung fu movies, a copy of this one was pressed into my hands by a very dear friend... who then extracted a promise from me that I'd take the time that night to sit and watch it. I was less than enthusiastic when I tossed it into the drive of my Athlon, but a promise is a promise, after all. Five minutes later, a nuclear strike warning in my town couldn't have torn me away from the screen, and it's been watched a dozen times since.

There's always been a certain cheesiness to Hong Kong cinema, but on rare occasions a writer or director will directly tap a nerve and somehow weave that directly into the story: 'Kung Fu Hustle' is one of those films. This piece isn't simply a 'standard' kung fu movie; it's a romance, a sweeping portrait of good-versus-evil, and a moral lesson on the use of power. The comedic bits are so well integrated into the story that it flows smoothly from one tone to another. The fight choreography is stellar, and special care was taken to make sure that every character in the piece is human. There're no 'perfect' people or places, and it somehow makes the wire fighting that appears in parts seem believable. The acting is excellent and the camera work is all rock steady.

Feeling jaded? Burdened? Wonder if it's possible for one person to make a difference? Settle in with a copy of this film, and believe...

Being a complete sourpuss when it comes to most comedic film offerings from the last three decades (though I attribute a lot of that to inanity rather than taking full credit for being a wet blanket), I find that when there is a film that makes me laugh so hard that I am concerned about the possibility of a stroke, I have no choice but to rave about it. So having said that, consider this a rave review of Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle".

While the film itself was entertaining, the prospect of summarizing the scattered plot is not. Set in 1940's Shanghai, "Kung Fu Hustle" basically centers on a tenement ruled over by a mean, chain-smoking landlady (Qiu Yuen) and her whipped husband (Wah Yuen). When someone deigns to complain about the fact that they don't have enough water to take a quick shower, she pounds them senseless, with everyone standing by completely helpless. Flip to another part of town, where the notorious "Axe Gang", a deadly bunch of dancing, axe wielding guys are wreaking havoc on a city that can't even be protected by the police. The two areas of town don't concern themselves with one another until a wannabe member of the Axe Gang, Sing (Stephen Chow) and his sidekick (Chi Chung Lam) poses as a member in the tenement to extort money, causing a series of events to occur in the tenement that wind up with most of the Axe Gang either killed or injured and Brother Sum (Kwok Kuen Chan), the leader of the gang, to do everything in his power to wreak revenge on both the tenement and its occupants, particularly those who act as its safeguards.

As I mentioned earlier, there were a lot of parts that I found so funny that I was either finding myself almost lightheaded from laughing so hard, or finding myself obnoxious because I would struggle to recoup in order to read the subtitles in time to not miss anything. While there are several movie "in jokes" (even one dedicated to Chow's prior film "Shaolin Soccer") it was the sight gags that really did it for me. The chase between Landlady and Sing and especially the knife scene with Sing and his sidekick were brilliant slapstick. A lot of the action was extremely over the top, and complimented by some pretty decent CGI work.

While anyone who has seen "Shaolin Soccer" knows that Chow does not employ a normal cast of "heroes", it was still interesting to see that for the most part, almost anyone who could have heroic qualities attributed to them did not fit the "normal" model. As a matter of fact, several of the major players in the film were middle aged or even elderly, a notion that is both funny and refreshing for anyone who looks for something a little different in their heroes. Surprisingly, there was also a very well conceived scene in the middle of the film involving two professional assassins who are trying to kill the main defenders of the tenement that I found to actually be a pretty kick-ass action sequence. Despite a couple of gags here and there, until the end when the Landlady got involved, the scene was playing off like something I would say "cooool" in an awed tone about in a Tarantino film or something. So while the film was overall one of the funniest I've seen in recent memory, there were a couple of great moments of highly stylized action.

"Kung Fu Hustle" wasn't a perfect film by any means, but the criticisms I have about it are completely nitpicky. For instance, the romance between Sing and the mute girl was just kind of thrown in, though some of it was necessary for background on his character. And a purely aesthetic complaint; I wanted more dancing by the Axe Gang. Chow shouldn't have teased us with the little bit that they danced and then abruptly take it away for the rest of the film. Hey, it's a review – I've got to air the good and the bad.

But since the good outweighs the bad exponentially, I highly recommend "Kung Fu Hustle" to just about anyone because of both its action and comedic elements. For making me laugh to the point of near-aneurysm, "Kung Fu Hustle" gets a solid 8/10.

In my opinion this is the best Chinese comedy kung fu movie yet to be made. I'm not very familiar with the previous work of the director Stephen Chow except for Shaolin Soccer but this flick has everything to entertain any movie fan.

Both the humor and the drama made me weep like a small girl, even thou I'm a guy almost at my 30's. The impressive camera techniques and the story sure made this a phenomenal viewing experience.

Sorry Jet Li & Jackie Chan - None of the Hollywood movies has ever touched me like this movie did. I recommend this movie to be watched with friends in order to share the feeling of joy and laughter. We'll be waiting for a sequel - don't let us down!

I saw this movie at the Toronto filmfest and I have to say I loved it, I really didn't know what to expect as I didn't know the director and had only really seen some pretty bad kung fu many years before. There are many pop culture references in there like reservoir dogs and the matrix.. all done very tongue in cheek.

The fight sequences are very well done and keep the movie moving at a frenetic pace, the jokes tend to be visual in nature and as such side step the normal translation problems.

All in all I thought this was a great movie and suspect this will be a huge hit !