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Kung Fu Hustle (Widescreen Edition)
: Having seen Stephen Chow gone from goofy TV star in the late '80s, to becoming the king of comedy of Hong Kong with a long list of box office hits since the early '90s, it's great to see him combining jokes, outlandish special effects, and Kung Fu in this film that is by far his most entertaining work, even better than Shaolin Soccer. This is no doubt Granddaddy Sing's(his nickname) most ambitious movie, since it had already conquered the box office in all Chinese cinemas as well in most Asian countries. Finally, his movie is getting to be launched in North America in wide release. Let's see if it'll kick ass like Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Since I have already acquired Sing(Stephen Chow's) style of comedy and action for film, I know it's not going to be a Jackie Chan or Jet Li kind of action/comedy. He's very much on a league of his own, so he's got something different to offer the foreign audiences. Fans of Jim Carrey will very likely dig Sing's movie, because the two actors have been compared a lot.
The movie is about the war between The Axe Gang and The Pig Sty Alley, and Sing is pretending to be an amateur while seeking
to become a member of the Axe Gang. There are some very powerful retired masters of Kung Fu Warriors living as normal residents in The Pig Sty Alley. The Tailor, The Coolie(handyman), and The Baker all have great power and skills, but have not use them until the intrusion of The Axe Gang. They defeated the gang effortlessly. The Axe Gang then hired The # 1 Killers(two men who use musical instrument to produce deadly melodies as their weapon) to fight against the Alley. Just when they had defeated the three defendents of the Valley, The Landlord and his wife The LandLady came out to show them some serious kung fu. The Landlord's special power is his body movement that can be bent like elastic, so his opponent cannot hit him easily. As for The Landlady, she can ran like a motorcycle, and her ultimate power is her voice(a skill known as The Lion's Roar). Sing was hired by the Gang to go help The Beast escape the mental Assylum, so that he can fight against The Alley. The Beast was known to be the best of the best in the world of kung fu, and he was in the Assylum because he had defeated everyone already. The Landlady and The Landlord were caught off guard when The Beast appeared. They thought they were the best in kung fu, and now they have to face the enemy of a life time. Who will save them if they failed?
Wah Yuen(Landlord) and Qiu Yuen(Landlady) are very good together, and they delivered the laughs and great battle scenes. Qiu Yuen is actually very striking, espeically when she had the funniest lines and a outrageous personality. Other supporting players including the goofy Gang Leader(Danny Chan), and Tailor provided with some funny moments. The scene when Tailor was prancing around wearing a pair of red underwear seen through in a pair transparent pants, and got mocked by Landlady was a comic relief. The Lollipop Girl was unerexposed here, and I was expecting to see her practicing some special candy power, but she's just Sing's love interest. The action direction from renowned martial arts veteran Yuen Woo Ping certainly made the fight scenes over-the-top here. Along with a ton of special effects, it's very captivating, even if it looked kind of cartoonish at times.
Stephen Chow didn't totally dominate the movie like his other films, and he allowed the supporting cast enough screentime, so that the group scenes are worthwhile. In fact, I didn't find him to be as funny as his previous films. He's more serious, and his fight scenes have improved a great deal, considered that he's not an action star.
 Kung Fu Hustle is again a wonderful & just plain amazing film from writer/director Stephen Chow. However, this American release by Sony Pictures Classic is horrendous as they censored & edited some scenes heavily in order to make it look perhaps more slap-sticky /or family-friendly.
It's an R. Yet the higher ups in the studios think that Americans can't handle a real uncensored release...so they censor and don't tell anyone.
This IS censored & edited. Avoid if you don't agree with big studios censoring artists works. Buy if you are a sheep and don't care.
Links:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews16/kung_fu_hustle_dvd_review.htm
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Shanghai, China, the 1930s. The Axe Gang is taking over the town but is not interested in the poor slums. This leaves the residents of Pig Sty Alley to deal with their overbearing Landlady. One day, Sing (Stephen Chow) and his sidekick, walk into the Alley and attempt to blackmail people there. When the residents of the tenement stand up to fight him, he reveals that he is part of the Axe Gang and signals for help. Gang members show up and the landlady and the tenement residents fight them off. The Axe Gang realizes that they have been called to help someone who is not a part of the gang, but Sing is desperate to become a member. Now that the gang and the residents of Pig Sty Alley have met, they can't back down from each other, fighting until one group is victorious. The leader of the Axe Gang realizes that he will not be able to fight them alone and brings in The Beast.
"Kung Fu Hustle", written and directed by the star, Stephen Chow, is a fun, exhilarating, fast-paced film, borrowing elements from and paying homage to many other genres. Chow is clearly a filmmaker who loves films; he seems like a kid in a candy store. Now that he can make a film, how many different types of things can he get into the story? "Hustle" combines all of these elements in a way that is fresh and exciting.
The opening sequence is a homage to police interrogation films and westerns. When the opposing sides face off on a dusty road, we are transported from Shanghai to the Wild West. The sky turns magenta and everybody faces off, preparing for a classic gun fight. This scene is very theatrical, comical and sets the tone for the remainder of the film. Of course, we aren't in the Old West and the leader of the Axe Gang uses an axe to prove his point and keep us firmly rooted in the world of kung-fu.
The story is a framework for Chow to throw each and every trick in the book at the audience. After he introduces the Axe Gang, we then meet the residents of Pig Sty Alley. Landlord walks through the shops, receiving tributes and terrorizing everyone in a jovial way. Until he meets up with his wife, Landlady, who terrorizes her husband. Everyone in the Alley appears perfectly normal until Sing shows up.
When the two groups meet, we learn that people have special skills that they hesitate to use, unless absolutely necessary. They will do anything to protect their lives and friends. This leads to a series of amusing, entertaining fights, in which their skills are comically enhanced by special effects. Chow deftly blends all of these elements together making them appear somehow natural. Amazing considering all of the special effects, cartoon style action and over the top acting. Once we have accepted that these things can happen in this universe, we can accept the behavior as it becomes more cartoonish and more outlandish.
The story, while slight, is effective at creating a character that we can root for. Chow's Sing is just a guy looking to join the Axe Gang, but as he witnesses their brutality, he seems more drawn to the people of Pig Sty Alley. He realizes that their efforts to use their powers, only when absolutely necessary, to defend themselves, is the more responsible course of action. Throughout the film, we see glimpses of a pivotal moment in his childhood; he saves a deaf mute girl from a bunch of bullies and buys a book about kung-fu from a street beggar. Later, we learn that Sing may be the Chosen One. To live up to this prophecy, he has to make some changes in his life.
All of these over-the-top, disparate elements combined together would normally create a mess of a film. In "Hustle", they come together to create a fun, enjoyable film that will hopefully spur filmmakers to come up with more creative ways to tell a story.
 When I think about pure entertainment I'm not necessarily thinking about a traditional comedy. Rather, I think about a feeling I get when I'm sitting there and watching outrageous actions on the screen and I'm constantly giggling. Such is the delight of Kung Fu Hustle, a brainchild of Stephen Chow from Hong Kong who wrote, directed and stars in this rather outrageous spoof of martial arts movie. He's also captured the spirit of American cartoon characters, the ones that get hit on the head with a hammer and come up smiling, or whose legs turn into a roadrunner in order to flee disaster. This is the stuff that this 2004 film is made of - a rare piece of clever entertainment.
The plot revolves around a group of poor but hardworking people who live in Pigsty Alley. However there just happen to be three accomplished martial artists in their midst. One is a tailor. One is a hen-pecked husband. And one is a matronly woman in a shapeless housedress and curlers who always has a cigarette dangling from her mouth. Into this neighborhood comes our star, Stephen Chow and his chubby sidekick. They pretend they belong to the Axe Gang so that they can shakedown the people for a little money. They're stopped cold in their tracks though. And soon there is more than only the three unlikely martial artists of Pig Sty Alley they have to contend with. There's the real Axe gang itself.
The action never stops and the story plays out with outrageous martial arts scenes enhanced by the use of modern technology, concealed wires, and special effects.
On the negative side, the film did drag a bit though, especially near the end when the jokes had already worn thin. But I think just a few more feet on the cutting room floor would be all it needs.
Kung Fu Hustle is a rare treat. I definitely recommend it.
 Interesting movie.
You've got slaptstick Keystone cops like comedy, impressive serious kung fu fighting, some brutal violence, special effects -good and bad and a cute mute ice cream seller with a lollipop. It seems though that this movie doesnt know what type of movie it wants to be. I think this is what made me keep watching it as I wanted to see what film genre it would next try to be.
Quality of the DVD was good both sound and picture. As far as the story goes, it was a little loose but generally kung fu movies arent known for their quality plots and executions anyway so I wasnt expecting much anyway.
Overall entertaining, at least on the first watch.
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