Kung Fu Hustle
(aka; Gong fu)
(2004)
review by Mickey Juice

Following on from his highly successful movie 'Shaolin Soccer' ( Siu lam juk kau ) Stephen Chow has continued in the action/comedy genre and created a most highly enjoyable film. Gong Fu (‘Kung Fu Hustle' being its English title) has also taken over from 'Shaolin Soccer' to become one of the highest grossing Hong Kong films made in Hong Kong .

Set in the 1940s Kung Fu Hustle (KFH) follows the story of a petty thief Sing & his side kick and their attempts to join the infamous gang of killers called “The Axe Gang”. Through scare tactics and various bloody methods of violence, the Axe gang rule over the streets of Hong Kong . Members are dressed in black suits (a clear homage to Tarantino) and have hatchet type axes as the weapon of choice.

While posing as an axe gang member in an attempt to get a free hair cut, Sing manages to cause a war to break out between the people of a poor housing complex and the real axe gang.

The axe gang run into problems when they discover some of the quiet residents of this little housing complex are actually masters of kung-fu. Several failed attempts are made by the gang to take over the community, before they bring in several kung-fu masters of their own.

Stephen Chow has successfully blended the over-the-top action with moments of comedy as well as quieter, tender moments throughout KFH.

The comedic aspects are more visual and slapstick in style, which I'm guessing would translate easily across to Western audiences. I didn't find too many laugh-out-loud moments, but there is still amusing elements none-the-less. Some of which reminded me of the 80's John Carpenter film ‘Big Trouble in Little China' .

The action scenes are what really made the movie for me. They're exceptionally well choreographed and filmed, including a lot of originality. There was one scene in the housing complex that involved lots & lots of black suited axe gang members, and it was reminiscent of the ‘burly brawl' seen in The Matrix Reloaded. This fight however was much more enjoyable due to some funny moments mixed in with some funky fight manoeuvres and wire work.

I haven't seen any of Chow's earlier films, but his camera work and setups are really well done. Plenty of crane shots, dolly shots and steady cam shots are all larger than life, just like the characters in the film. The camera hardly stays in one fixed position as it moves around the main characters and the well designed production sets.

Stephen Chow has embraced CGI and uses it a lot in this film. Some elements are poorly done and stand out for everyone to see, especially with a few of the weapons. I thought this detracted from the movie somewhat but it was still bearable, similar to the CGI effects seen in Zatoitchi: The Blind Warrior.

Kung Fu Hustle opens in the US during April and May here in Australia . I'm guessing it will be a limited release, but I recommend you get out and see it. It doesn't have an overbearing moral theme or a challenging storyline; it will simply entertain you, which all good movies should.