Dir. Stephen Chow, China/Hong Kong, 2004, 95 mins, subtitles
Cast: Stephen Chow, Yuen Wah, Yuen Qui, Leung Siu Lung
Despite hit and miss marketing management, Shaolin Soccer introduced to western audiences the zany brand of humour from actor/writer/director/producer Stephen Chow. With a little defter of hand promotion this time round, Chow looks set to go head to head with Jackie Chan as the east’s most daring funnyman.
Kung Fu Hustle, the film to have the widest distribution in the US enjoyed by that in a foreign language, is a death and gravity defying smorgasbord of high kicking martial arts action. It takes its references from both classic kung fu movies and those of Hollywood, but its biggest influence of all seems to be the madcap comedies of the silent era, or else straight out of a cartoon, a la Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam and the Road Runner. The action is fast, furious, beautifully choreographed, highly stylised and fun – extreme, but fun.
Set in Shanghai in the 1930s, Sing (Chow) is a bit of a nobody who has aspirations of being a gangster. The city is in the grip of the pin-striped, top-hatted Axe Gang, and Sing longs to be a member. Instead, he hits on the next best thing – in dingy, dusty Pigsty Alley, the folks are too poor to be worth the gang paying them a visit, so Sing decides to try his luck moving in on the neighbourhood, trying to convince them that he’s one of the notorious gang. Pigsty Alley people are no fools however and find his attempts at being a bad guy gloriously inept, and Sing is soon in a spot of bother when the real baddies decide its finally time to pay a visit. However, he’s reckoned without the cigarette-smoking landlady (Qiu), and the residents of Pigsty Alley, who are more than capable of looking after themselves, and Sing is very soon putting his comic-book learned kung fu techniques to good use.
Thanks to every trick in the trade, from wires to slick CGI, the multi-talented Chow has created a riotous, kinetic world with non-stop action and the kind of violence that wouldn’t look out of place in a Tom and Gerry cartoon, the set pieces and stunts deliciously escalating with every turn. Cast and crew clearly enjoyed themselves making the film and it should raise more than the odd smile from the audiences too!
Jean Lynch
Region 2 DVD extras include:
2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Cantonese, English and Spanish DD5.1 Surround
English, Dutch, Greek, Portuguese and Spanish subtitles
Cast and Crew Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
Interview with Stephen Chow
Outtakes & Bloopers
Photo Gallery
TV Spots
Released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
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