Kung Fu Hustle

Directed by Stephen Chow

Cast:
Sing: Stephen Chow
Landlord: Yuen Wah
Landlady: Yuen Qiu
Fong: Huang Sheng Yi
The Beast: Leung Siu Lung
Sing’s sidekick: Lam Chi Chung
Coolie: Xing Yu
Tailor: Chiu Chi Ling
Donut: Dong Zhi Hua
Axe Gang Boss: Chan Kwok Kwan
Axe Gang members: Lam Suet (cameo) and Tin Ka
Deadly Harpists: Fung Hak On and Jia Kang Xi
Crocodile Gang Leader: Feng Xiao Gang

Stephen Chow’s latest piece of work definitely shows that he has grown as a comedian and as a filmmaker. I was definitely not expecting much more of the manic and goofiness of “Classic Stephen Chow,” given the feeling of disappointment I felt when watching “Shaolin Soccer.” Not that “Shaolin Soccer” was not a great flick; it’s just that Stephen Chow was then beginning to go into another style of comedy which was not yet refined in that film. No more goofiness on his part, but rather, a comedy dispersed to other members of the cast with more subtle punch lines. In “Kung Fu Hustle” (I rather hate the fact that Columbia added Hustle to the title), however, it shows that Stephen Chow is refining this and taking his comedic career into the next level.

Set in 1940s Shanghai, Sing (Stephen Chow) attempts to join the notorious Axe Gang by impersonating as a member along with his sidekick (Lam Chi Chung). In a funny scene, they attempt to blackmail the residents of a slum called “The Pig Sty Alley,” but were surprised to find that the residents, led by the Landlord (Yuen Wah) and the Landlady (Yuen Qiu) are not what they appear. The real members of the Axe Gang are drawn into Sing’s plot and it is revealed that several residents are martial arts masters. Out comes a battle between a powerful gang and the lowly residents of the slum with Sing caught in the middle of it. Sing, does not realize it, but he is deep down changing inside into a righteous martial arts master.

If “Kill Bill” was a look into Quentin Tarantino’s inner child, then “Kung Fu” is definitely a look into Stephen Chow’s inner child. This whole movie is a homage to classic Hong Kong cinema. The cast includes members that have acted in old-school kung fu flicks in the 60s and 70s, such as Yuen Wah, Leung Siu Lung, Chiu Chi Ling, etc. There were references from a wide range of films; from “The Buddhist Palms (Yu Loi San Jeung)” and “Six Finger Lyre Demon” to Jin Yong novels, Bruce Lee flicks and even Looney Tunes. I’ve even caught one from “Spiderman” surprisingly. The landlady and the “Pig Sty Alley” are clearly references to “The House of 72 Tenants” (1972). These references are one of the key ingredients which made this film so very much enjoyable to me.

The action choreography to this film is simply mind-blowing. It may seem cartoonish at times, but it makes the film all the more enjoyable. Although, I must say, I am a little peeved with the overly liberal use of CG in this film. Had this film had more real hard-core hand to hand combat as demonstrated by the three masters (Coolie, Tailor, and Dough), it would be more enjoyable. By no means, though, was using CG a downside. My favorite fight scene was the visualization of the harpists’ skills. In wuxia novels and flicks, usually one would have to use your imagination to get a feel for the power of “sound kungfu.” In “Kung Fu,” you get to witness this power visually. Speaking of sound, the soundtrack to this movie is one of the best I’ve heard in Chinese cinema today, the use of the tracks is right on cue for each scene.

I was kind of surprised to see that Stephen Chow was not exactly the funny one in this film. In fact, he probably had, at most, four funny bits. Rather, the members of the supporting cast got to shine in this movie. It goes with the consistent element of surprise in this film. Several cast members from “Shaolin Soccer” were also present in this film, with a lot more chances for funny gags. However, my favorite characters in this film has got to be the Landlord and Landlady played by Yuen Wah and Yuen Qiu. Every moment with them on the screen was hilarious and they were a pleasant surprise of the movie. Heck, when their characters reveal the true identities to The Beast in the film, it was a rather side-splitting bombshell. I never quite saw Yuen Wah as a comedic actor. His roles in various TVB series were meant to be funny, but somehow awkward. Yet in “Kung Fu”, it appears that he has found his comfort zone and displays his comedic skills quite well. However, Yuen Qiu rather outshines him as his wife. She has the character of the miserly and sharp-tongued landlady down right. One thing this movie could have done without was Huang Sheng Yi’s character Fong. She is only present for at most 10 minutes of the film, and is my opinion a rather useless character and should have been developed more.

Overall, the movie is extremely entertaining and it kept me at the edge of my seat right until the end. Though, the ending was a bit rushed. Sing transformed into a hero just too quickly for my comfort. There also could have been more development of other characters in the story. For example, why did the three masters escape into the Pig Sty Alley? And what about the past of the Landlord and Landlady? Since Stephen Chow is planning a sequel to this film, perhaps he can address such issues in the next round.