Kung Fu, Cartoon-Style

The first thing I thought when I saw a preview of Kung Fu Hustle was a more comedic version of Iron Monkey.  Lots of martial arts and unbelievable moves, a few jokes, etc.  I seriously underestimated director Stephen Chow.

Kung Fu Hustle is both more serious and sillier than expected.  The violence factor is just a tad higher than Monkey or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but the R-rating seems undeserved.  Meanwhile, notable homages in the film include The Shining, The Matrix, The Untouchables, and Looney Tunes’ Roadrunner in scenes so absurdly over the top that you might start to think this is a parody.  Not so, however.  Director and star Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer) jams 95 minutes full of action and comedy without glossing over themes like the responsibility that comes with power and need for community.  It’s pretty impressive.

Gangs, the ruthless Axe Gang in particular (they prefer to use hatchets and wear gigantic top hats à la Gangs of New York), control Shanghai during the early-mid 1900s.  Sing (Stephen Chow) and his sidekick (Chi Chung Lam) are low-level crooks who don’t seem to be smart, tough, or mean enough to make a living.  They want to join the Axes for fame and fortune, but can’t seem to do much worse than stealing ice cream cones.  Even the extortion of an effeminate barber in the slums goes awry when they aren’t able to intimidate the residents of Pig Sty Alley by posing as gang members.  When the real gang shows up, hostilities ensue between them and the secretive residents who include Fairy (Chiu Chi Ling), Coolie (Xing Yu), and Donut (Dong Zhi Hua), as well as a cigarette-bogarting landlady (Qiu Yuen) and her henpecked husband (Wah Yuen).

These slum residents are no pushovers.  After the Axes are beaten back with cartoonish glee, their leader hires the most deadly assassins in China to kill those who humiliated them.  The fights get more intense as we near the final clash between our heroes and The Beast (Siu Lung Leung), who is supposedly the most dangerous killer of all.

It’s a great story on so many levels that the movie is enjoyable for just about anyone.  Ultimately, the good guys choose to be good even in the face of defeat and the bad guys care only about winning, but there is so much more in addition to that: The film references, the humor, the philosophy, the over-the-top sight scenes.  Kung Fu Hustle offers an interestingly original mix of characters, story, and approach, and is a most refreshing beginning to a Summer movie season that will be marked in large part by remakes.

Film Rating: êêêê  (out of 5)