Review of Kung Fu Hustle (2004) by Drannab V — 21 Mar 2012

Stephen Chow has brought together the perfect blend of cheesy comedy and martial arts action in this hilarious and fast paced action film. This film is like Looney Tunes meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. There are plenty of cheesy action scenes, yet at the same time the scenes are given a level of seriousness which adds to the solid plot and great character development. And there are plenty of references throughout to Buddhism and Eastern Religion which seem to be done in a respectful way. Which I think is brilliant considering the overall goofy nature of the film.

The basic synopsis is about a sleazy (yet seemingly kind hearted) guy Sing (Stephen Chow) and his dimwitted sidekick (Lam Tze Chung) who are living in a time when gangs rule the city and own the cops. Determined to show they have what it takes to join the toughest gang in the city, but when they try to pick a fight with a barber in a slummy neighborhood they set off a chain of events that creates a war between the Axe Gang (the cities toughest gang) and a group of honest and hard working (yet poor) tenants in a slummy part of town. Now with so many people in danger, Sing has to make a choice between being a gangster or doing the right thing.