Kung Fu Hustle

Director: Stephen Chow 

Stars: Stephen Chow, Wah Yuen, Qiu Yuen, Kwok Kuen Chan, Shengyi Huang, Chi Chung Lam

Following in the footsteps of Shaolin Soccer comes Stephen Chow’s next mix of humour, martial arts, traditional story, and wild CGI in the guise of Kung Fu Hustle. A lot of the stars of Shaolin return to this film, this time playing the parts of Chinese gangsters and the inhabitants of a poor community who find themselves being hassled by the “Twin Axe Gang”. Within this community are a selection of old ‘Masters’ who must step forward to aid the people in this time of need. Additionally, one of the bad gang has a mysterious past, and may very well be the chosen one…or was that just a scam to get some money off him? Yup, the story is cliché central, throwing in elements from many genres from the mystic Chinese epics, to classic westerns. However this matters not as the fun and frantic manner in which the film is put together keeps it all ticking over, and the audience chuckling away.

As with Shaolin Soccer, the martial arts on offfer range from the standard fights, but then go to the extremes of bizarre, cartoon-style powers. Much like watching a live action version of Dragonball Z, some of the attacks are pure nonsense, with people fighting with the power of music (true power chords!), or running faster than cars (especially in one chase very reminiscent of a Road Runner cartoon). The violence is akin to that in Tom & Jerry at times, and is amusing, and brutal at the same time. However, despite all the jokes in the combat, the effects of the attacks are deadly, and many a body is left for dead throughout. This dark undertone strikes hard when it comes at the end of a laugh-out-loud section, yet does so without upsetting the balance of the film. The overall tone is a film which is immense fun, but also manages to convey a positive message about violence and atonement.

Perhaps I’m reading too deeply into the flick, and it was just meant to be a bit of fun. Well, it is this too. From the opening scenes, with the leader of the Twin Axes doing a dance as he kills someone, followed by a full dance routine to introduce the main players, to the comedic sidekick routine between two of the antagonists. Ever character has their quirks, and their moments to shine in the tightly woven script. No one character has full credit, with all lending their own presence to the film.

The whole film is rounded off by some wonderful costume designs, very reminiscent of Chicago gangster mixed with a taste of the Orient, and a lively soundtrack which can only be described as Oriental Jazz (with thanks to Trist for coining the phrase). From the suits and top hats of the gangsters, to the simple peasant clothing of the community, all the costumes feel authentic, yet lend life and colour to an already vibrant production.

All in all this is a fun packed film with some great action, some CGI which isn’t ashamed to be CGI (and works because of it), and no FTF (we can actually see the action take place). With a reasonably tight 1 hr 30min running time, it won’t tax the mind at all, never drags, and leaves you wanting more. Roll on Chow’s next film!