Review: Kung Fu Hustle

Set in early 1940s China, Stephen Chow plays a thief who along with his fat buddy wants to join the notorious and feared Axe Gang, who rule most of the country. Only the poorest areas appear to be free of the Axe Gang (what would be the point in raiding people who have nothing?), so Chow, being the opportunistic twit that he is, decides to impersonate an Axe Gang member to extort the locals of Pig Sty Alley for money (What money, you dumbarse?). Unfortunately, the locals are better at martial arts than Chow, and basically kick his arse. In fact, a couple of legit kung fu masters are hiding in Pig Sty Alley, namely Landlord (Yuen Wah) and Landlady (Yuen Qiu, who was once a Bond girl in “The Man With the Golden Gun”!). Things get...erm, awkward when the real Axe Gang turn up, and they also hire some assassins posing as musicians (in a really cool sequence) to dispense with the two formidable kung fu masters. Leung Siu-lung (who reminded me of the great Bolo Yeung from “Bloodsport” for some reason) turns up as The Beast, a middle-aged, portly, deranged man freshly out of the insane asylum who is hired by the Axe Gang as the kind of super-indestructible arse-kicker you might find in a computer game (i.e. That last ‘boss fight’ that keeps you frustrated for ages).

 

If it weren’t for some confusing storytelling and an unsympathetic main character, this 2004 martial arts film from director/star/co-writer Stephen Chow (director-star of the HK box-office smash “Shaolin Soccer”) would be an absolute winner. As is, it’s really flashy, dynamic, and sometimes really funny, if broad and silly as hell. The film probably sits as a cult item (despite being another box-office smash in its homeland), but consider me one of the cult. I had fun with...whatever the hell this is.

 

It grabbed me from the impressive opening, set in 1940s China and it plays like a mixture of “Big Trouble in Little China”, “Dick Tracy”, Quentin Tarantino, and “West Side Story”. The humour is often fun too, like when Chow continually challenges tiny-looking people who turn out to be taller and/or ripped. Unlike the romanticised epic wuxia flicks released around the same time, this is one goofy-arse movie that is more “Monkey Magic” than “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”. It’s certainly the strangest film to feature a “Shining” parody. There’s also some amazing visuals like when a group of heavies walk with dark clouds above, casting a shadow. This is nonsense, but it’s extremely well-staged nonsense and never dull.

 

I just found it hard to watch a film where the main character was not only an insensitive prick, but the way it plays out, I wasn’t entirely sure for the most part of the film what his true allegiances were. In fact, Landlady and Landlord were easily the most sympathetic characters in the film, and our supposed hero spends most of the time on the opposite side to them (or at least the townsfolk that Landlady and Landlord are attempting to hide amongst). Jack Burton may have been more of a roguish sidekick than hero in “Big Trouble in Little China”, but it’s not like he ever wanted to join forces with Lo Pan, is it? I also think the half-hearted (and pretty much abandoned eventually) romantic subplot involving Chow and a girl from his childhood ought to have been removed entirely.

 

I can see why people might not get this film, especially as it’s a tad hard to follow, but it looks awesome and the action is great. That’s probably no surprise given the choreography is by Yuen Wo-ping (“The Matrix”), with an assist by the awesome Sammo Hung (Yuen Wo-ping in particular apparently directed the scene with the two musicians/assassins which is really cool). Excellent music score by Raymond Wong is a definite highlight.

 

You owe it to yourself to see this film at least once, whatever you may end up thinking of it. Being a fan of slapstick and Road Runner cartoons helps, I would suggest. The screenplay is by Chow, Tsang Kan Chong, and Chan Man Keung, who probably should’ve let an outsider read their material to see if it made sense to them.

 

Rating: B-