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Kung Fu Hustle Our rating: Your rating: 1 2 3 4 Your Comments: see all MPAA rating: R (for sequences of strong stylized action and violence) Theater release: April 08, 2005 by Sony Pictures Classics Wide release: April 22, 2005 Limited release: April 08, 2005 Directed by: Stephen Chow Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes Cast: Stephen Chow (Sing), Yuen Wah (Landlord), Yuen Qiu (Landlady), Leung Siu Lung (The Beast), Huang Sheng Yi (Fong), Chan Kwok Kwan (Brother Sum), Lam Tze Chung (Sing's Sidekick), Dong Zhi Hua (Doughnut), Chiu Chi Ling (Tailor), Xing Yu (Coolie)Cantonese/Mandarin, with subtitles Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

Interest in Eastern cinema has been on the rise ever since the popularity of Jackie Chan in the '90s. The unconventional martial arts magic of 1999's The Matrix played its part in rekindling interest, contributing to the success of Ang Lee's 2000 masterpiece Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. In recent years, critics and art house audiences have come away enthralled with the stunning visuals of both Hero and House of Flying Daggers, both from acclaimed Chinese director Yimou Zhang.

But whereas most of those films relied heavily on drama, romance, and epic scopes, Kung Fu Hustle fuses the kung fu action film with an altogether different genre: comedy. Even the film's original 2004 Hong Kong title, Gong Fu, sounds funny. However, Kung Fu Hustle doesn't really take the parody approach that you might expect. Rather, it pays admirable tribute to the genre while weaving comedy into it and telling a story.

Stephen Chow: Remember that name, because his fame will only increase for years to come. The 41-year-old actor and director is Hong Kong's No. 1 comedy star, credited for starting the Mo Lei Tau ("Nonsesne") comedy style of Chinese cinema. He's starred in more than 50 films, and directed 7 of his own. The critically acclaimed Shaolin Soccer (2001) was his first international success. A silly and spirited combo of loveable loser sports films and kung fu action, rent this one if you want a foretaste of Chow's unique style.

Stephen Chow plays Sing, posing as a member of the Axe Gang

Kung Fu Hustle is set in pre-revolutionary China during the 1930s—a world that is in some ways surprisingly similar to Depression-era America. Organized crime rules the streets, with no gang more notorious than the Axe Gangsters, led by the ruthless Brother Sum. They wear black suits, they sport top hats, they even dance a little bit, and yes, they do carry axes.

They're also focused on extorting the rich, so life in the impoverished Pig Sty Alley is relatively safe. The residents there live the simple life of tradesmen, happy to do what they love. Among them are muscleman Coolie, baker Doughnut (mmm … doughnut), and a rather swishy Tailor. In a scene reminiscent of the flashback sequence from The Godfather II, the neighborhood Landlord cheerfully stops by every shop and residence for rent and services. He is, however, (seemingly) a bit of a cartoonish buffoon. His wife the Landlady is really the one who wears the pants in this relationship, overseeing the neighborhood with a (seemingly) harsh and unsympathetic fist.

Trouble quickly brews when street hustler Sing (Chow) and his chunky sidekick show up trying to swindle townspeople out of money by posing as members of the Axe Gang. Naturally, the real gang members find out and attempt to unleash havoc on Pig Sty Alley, only to uncover some kung fu masters among the residents willing to protect their neighbors. As Brother Sum plots revenge, he makes an offer to the street-smart Sing—he can become a legitimate member of the Axe Gang if he simply kills someone.

Chan Kwok Kwan plays the ruthless Brother Sum

Sing decides to take out the Landlady since she publicly humiliated him earlier. Shouldn't be a problem since he's supposedly studied kung fu—"The Buddhist Palm Kung Fu Technique" anyway, a "2 cent Kung Fu manual" sold to naïve children on the street like a comic book or a pair of X-ray specs. From there the film continues to take unexpected twists—both exciting and comedic—as the tales of vengeance and honor unfold.

Like he did in Shaolin Soccer, Chow blends CGI effects with beautifully choreographed fight scenes that employ wirework and other clever stunt techniques. The action is smooth and smartly done, featuring choreography by the great Woo-ping Yuen (The Matrix, Kill Bill). A cinematic highlight features heroes battling two musicians who can produce sonic swords and blasts from simply strumming their stringed instrument.

Kung Fu Hustle distinguishes itself as a film that combines all of this for comedic effect. One of the best scenes has Sing trying to throw knives at someone and failing miserably with humorously slapstick results. Most of the time, people take blows to the face as if they were made of rubber. You can tell early on that the film isn't all that serious when a guy falls out of a third story window, lands on his face, takes a flower pot to the head, and lives.

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