Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

6/10

Starring

Stephen Chow

Danny Chan

Yuen Wah

Yuen Qiu

Directed by Stephen Chow

Kung Fu Hustle is a lot better than Shaolin Soccer (2001) for me. The pacing is better, the acting is better, and the movie makes the romance take a backseat to the action and comedy, which makes the focus much stronger. Another thing you'll enjoy about the movie is the story—it doesn't focus mainly on Stephen Chow’s character, but instead, everyone seems to get roughly equal screen time.

The movie starts with a very cool intro. We meet the Axe Gang (if that sounds familiar, it’s because that was the name of the gang that attacked Jackie Chan in the 1994 movie The Legend of Drunken Master). These guys are ruthless, and they make sure to show just how mean they can be in the first five minutes of the movie. Then, they give us a cool dance to show off that they’re now in town and won’t take no prisoners.

The movie then introduces us to Sing (Stephen Chow), who is a loser by all counts. He has the odd ambition of becoming a member of the Axe Gang. This isn’t going well for him, because with his friend—who happens not to be good at anything—they go about doing some mini stunts to rob people and get by for the day. One of their stunts is pretending to be members of the Axe Gang and using their name to rob stores.

They go to a little town, and that plan backfires because the real Axe Gang shows up. Now, Sing and his friend are outed as impostors, but the real Axe Gang gets into trouble in the town, which leaves them disgraced. They take Sing into custody to enact revenge because his antics led to their disgrace, and the leader of the gang wants to mess up the town to send a message.

How things turn for Sing and his friend, and how the good guys humble the Axe Gang, is what this movie is about.

For me, where Shaolin Soccer was lacking, Kung Fu Hustle really delivered. The movie was both a commercial and critical success. Its popularity and success surpassed that of Shaolin Soccer, and it’s worth noting that Stephen Chow co-wrote, directed, and produced both films.

In the end, one thing that stands out is the fight choreography, which is something everyone will enjoy. The movie packages itself as an action-comedy and, to play out the comedy, it adds some Looney Tunes-style effects. This is a great action movie to watch if you like seeing people get beat up. Kung Fu Hustle offers excitement, action, and doesn’t slack on the story.