Kung Fu Hustle (2004) [Film Review]

Kung Fu Hustle; or, From Zero to Hero

     Hey there, handsome boy. Stop. Amazing! Do you know you have a special aura? You're so young, but you have the bone structure... and chi flow of a kung-fu genius. If your chi flow can be channelled, then you will be invincible! Like the old saying: You cannot escape your destiny. The duty of upholding world peace and punishing evil will be yours. This is the scroll of the Buddhist Palm. It's priceless. But as it’s fate, I'll let you have it for $10.

In his review from 2005, Roget Ebert wrote the following: “Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton meet Quentin Tarantino and Bugs Bunny”. This description was so spot on that it ended up being printed on the U.S. promotional posters of Kung Fu Hustle. Directed and co-written by Stephen Chow, Kung Fu Hustle is an action comedy which broke the Hong Kong domestic box office records as well as won five Golden Horse Awards and six Hong Kong Film Awards. This year, this cult classic celebrates the 15th anniversary of its release and it is a great opportunity to revisit the movie again.
Release Info

Directed by: Stephen Chow Starring: Stephen Chow, Eva Huang, Yuen Qiu, Yuen Wah, Danny Chan Kwok-kwan

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 功夫 Runtime: 98 min

 

Synopsis

Shanghai, the 1930s. The city is ruled by mobster groups, the most powerful of which is the Axe Gang, led by Brother Sum (Danny Chan Kwok-kwan). Only in the poorest districts, where the mobsters have no influence, can ordinary people live peacefully. Sing (Stephen Chow) and Bone (Lam Chi-ling) are a pair of stooges who desperately want to make a name for themselves and join the Axe Gang. By a series of unfortunate events, Sing makes the Axe Gang declare a war on the inhabitants of the Pig Sty Alley, an apartment compound managed by the Landlady (Yuen Qiu) and the Landlord (Yuen Wah). When the gangsters are chased away by three retired kung fu masters, Brother Sum hires more and more sophisticated assassins so as  to annihilate the Pig Sty Alley. In the meantime, Sing realises that he does not want to harm anyone. In the fight with the Beast (Bruce Leung Siu-lung), the greatest kung fu master, Sing’s chi flow is fixed and he can now fully use the Buddhist Palm style in order to save the day.

 

The Power of Lollipop

The first time I saw Kung Fu Hustle was a couple of years ago, on TV. I barely recognised Stephen Chow, but when the epic dance sequence kicked in at the beginning, I knew that I struck gold and had to watch the whole film. It’s such a well made comedy indeed. Apart from standard Stephen Chow’s comic style (an idiot trying to talk his way out of heated situations), we get tons of references to other films (Matrix, Spiderman, The Blues Brothers, The Untouchables, The Shining, you name it), over-the-top CGI fights done in Looney Tunes fashion, and hilarious supporting characters.

 

What is more, Kung Fu Hustle is cited at the picture which brought back many famous Hong Kong actors from the 1970s, such as Bruce Leung Siu-lung, Chiu Chi Ling, and Yuen Wah together with Yuen Qiu; these two were the best as the kung fu fighting husband and wife! Gotta love the Lion’s Roar, the ultimate trump card against every opponent!

 

It has to be also noted that, although being a comedy, Kung Fu Hustle was meticulously prepared from the technical side. The Pig Style Alley was a real, enormous set designed by Chow and decorated with numerous Chinese antiques. The fights were aided with CGI, but on the set, traditional choreography and wire work were used. Speaking of the devil, Sammo Hung was the film’s original action choreographer before he had to quit due to ill health. He was replaced by Yuen Woo-ping who had done action stuff for The Matrix Trilogy and Kill Bill movies at that point. In addition, the traditionally scored music by Raymond Wong should not go unnoticed.

 

With regard to performances, Stephen Chow is hilarious as always. He is truly the master of making off-the-wall, heart-warming comedies with motivational messages. Yuen Qiu and Yuen Wah are right behind him as the epic Landlady/Landlord duo. They became so recognisable after the movie came out that Wong Jing used them in his Kung Fu Mahjong Trilogy (2005-2007) and My Kung Fu Sweetheart (2006) comedy. Additionally, Danny Chan Kwok-kwan and Bruce Leung Siu-lung were unforgettable as the bad guys. Honourable mention goes to Eva Huang who played Fong, Sing’s mute love interest. Her part might not have been big, but it was central to the story.

 

Recommendations

If you have a free afternoon and are looking for a decent comedy, then Kung Fu Hustle is the best choice. This movie is so great that even when you’re down, it will definitely uplift your spirits. For over 10 years Stephen Chow has been talking about making a sequel but none of the plans came to fruition so far. Personally, I would not like to see the continuation happening. Kung Fu Hustle is the perfect hero story and its legacy should be left untouched.

Overall score: 10/10