Kung FU hustle

[L.S.D]

Kung Fu Hustle

 

A really good movie

[Ryuken]

i saw and it's ok but not as good as shaolin soccer, there's a lot of fighting in it but the story isn't that good and not much comedy for a movie with Stephen Chow in it,

[L.S.D]

i saw and it's ok but not as good as shaolin soccer, there's  a lot of fighting in it but the story isn't that good and not much comedy for a movie with Stephen Chow in it,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, I like it very much. It is like watching the really old scholld style of kung fu.

Here is a mini review taken from our local newspaper.

 

The mad tricks, real loaded

 

By MICHAEL A. FREDERICKS

 

Kung Fu Hustle

 

Rating(out of 5): * * * ½

 

(Sony Pictures International Release)

 

Starring: Stephen Chow Sing Chi, Yuen Wah, Yuen Qiu, Leung Siu Lung, Huang Sheng Yi, Chan Kwok Kwan, Lam Tze Chung, Dong Zhi Hua, Chiu Chi Ling, Xing Yu

 

In the immortal words of The Matrix's The (Wooden) One:

Whoa...!

 

There's enough stylish verve in the way Kung Fu Hustle is shot and edited (filmmaking students, take note!) in the first quarter of the movie alone, to bring new comedic meaning to any number of whoas that may come its way.

 

And to think that Hong Kong phenom Stephen Chow does it without a character who dons a trenchcoat, or black shades, or latex clothing! Quite the opposite, most of the people who inhabit this silly little comedic action movie, including our main hero (there are a number of, er, heroes, if you can call them that) look downright filthy and unkempt.

 

Which actually says something that goes along the lines of white men can't dance (next to African Americans), that is... white men can't kung fu for nuts when compared to Orientals.

 

Here’s this middle-aged Chinese bloke looking his stereotypical ah pek worst, complete with white singlet, slippers, and knee-length black pants, and he still looks better at kung fu than some occidental dude outfitted in full Matrix regalia.

 

One senses that director/producer/writer/star Chow knows of this perception (whether or not it is the right one), and uses it to glorious comic effect, all while making pointed references to the Wachowski brothers' groundbreaking 1999 cyberpunk spectacle and its sequels; a man catches a bullet between his thumb and index finger, another takes on a whole army of thugs dressed in black coats and top hats, yet another is referred to somewhat reverentially as... The One.

 

Of course, it's all done in the name of ridiculous over-the-top action-filled fun, most of which is centred on a squalid-looking crowded apartment complex in 1940s’ Canton, China, called Pig Sty Alley (henceforth, the Sty).

 

It is a place where everyone knows each other, and no one seems to pay rent on time - a simple device to ensure we take notice of the landlord and lady (Yuen Wah and Yuen Qiu respectively).

 

We are given a brief introduction to the denizens early on, in a rather clever, seamless manner (you'll have to take notice of the way the camera moves from one character to another), just enough for us to know who does what – whether he's a tailor (Chiu), or a confectioner (Dong) or a labourer (Xing) – in the community, although some are not what they appear to be.

 

Prior to that, in the opening scene, we learn of the Axe Gang, an axe-wielding group led by the ruthless Brother Sum (Chan) whose aim is to reign supreme, to control as large a territory as possible by getting rid of all resistance, including other gangs.

 

When a gangster-wannabe, a smalltime crook named Sing (Chow), tries to earn a fast buck at the Sty by posing as a member of the Axe Gang, he inadvertently triggers a chain of events that leads to a war (of sorts) between the gang and the residents; a war which may eventually bring about Sing's demise, or the blossoming of his true nature, his full potential.

 

Of course, we needn't guess at the nature of this movie; it doesn't pretend to be anything more than it is. And what is it? Well, you'll have to take the red pill to find out. Just kidding.

 

What it is, is a HK (or maybe even Japanese) kung fu comic book brought to life, but peppered with Chow's signature mou lei tou slaptick comedy; his mad tricks.

 

However, surprisingly, if you were to put it side by side with Chow's last crowd-pleasing effort Shaolin Soccer, you'll find that there's less to laugh at, less to gain storywise. There's more to gape at though, since comparatively this one delivers more as an action movie.

 

It is, I suppose, what Chow was aiming for, as is evident from his choice of cast, many of whom are martial arts exponents. His decision to bring in Yuen Wo Ping as the action choreographer to add the Matrix flourishes corroborates this as well.

 

A note on the action: it builds up gradually with the martial-arts strengths of its characters. As the story progresses, the characters who come into the picture get stronger and stronger, which leads to increasingly more elaborate, and thus increasingly silly, CGI-enhanced scenes later in the movie.

 

Consequently, if you're the sort who appreciates old-school fighting techniques (minus the CGI) then you'll find the earlier half of the movie much more enjoyable action-wise.

 

Because of the focus on action, I found the storytelling to suffer somewhat. There's very little character development, with Chow's character Sing being sidelined for major portions of the movie. Chow also throws in a romance subplot, like he did in Shaolin Soccer with Fong as the mute love interest, although here it doesn't quite go anywhere.

 

Kung Fu Hustle comes across as a parody of HK kung fu flicks, but it also makes references to Hollywood movies, the most obvious being The Matrix films.

 

It has its own Burly Brawl, and in place of the Twins of Reloaded, it offers two assassins, a pair of quietly menacing musicians who share a Chinese traditional stringed instrument (called a guqin, I think) as a deadly weapon.

 

The movie soars when it hustles its way out of the minor glitches by focusing on its strengths, which is its action sequences, and to an extent, its comedy, which is why I suppose I enjoyed the scenes involving the musician assassins the most.

 

And you know what's the best thing about Kung Fu Hustle? The fact that its audiences need not get it. No need for a character named Architect to explain things. No need for thinking. You're automatically plugged in, which is why you'll spontaneously laugh, you'll spontaneously go

 

...Whoa.

[Ryuken]

so u saw it?? what's ur favorite part?? mine is when Stephen Chow use that shaolin palm attack thingy( i forgot what's call in english) but didn't kill the guy and ;et him live, another part i like is when Stephen Chow and the fat fuy is trying to throw the knives at the landowner's wife

[L.S.D]

so u saw it?? what's ur favorite part?? mine is when Stephen Chow use that shaolin palm attack thingy( i forgot what's call in english) but didn't kill the guy and ;et him live, another part i like is when Stephen Chow and the fat fuy is trying to throw the knives at the landowner's wife

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

The knife throwing is my fav. part too

Another one is when the fat woman chase after Chow a la Road RUnner

But i must say all the kung fu are nicely done.

A real tribute to the martial arts.

[Samurai Edge]

I might want to watch it someday, but I never go to cinema myself before

[Ryuken]

I might want to watch it someday, but I never go to cinema myself before

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

who goes out to watch a movie now a days, internet is the way to go,jk u should go c it, cuz the cam version sucked, i just wish they're gonna show it over here in the US

[Samurai Edge]

I agree, I saw a cam version of Feng Yun, I almost got angry and broke the dics.

[L.S.D]

I agree, I saw a cam version of Feng Yun, I almost got angry and broke the dics.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What is cam version?

[Agozer]

I agree, I saw a cam version of Feng Yun, I almost got angry and broke the dics.

What is cam version?

A version which was recorded with a videocamera in the theater I guess.

[wacko_jacko]

Yeah, its funny when you see somebody stand up in front of the camera. Nothing they can really do about that.