A Review of “Kung Fu Hustle (2004)”

 

After rewatching the entire Ip Man series which had a grounded style of fighting, I’ve thought about a martial movie that was the opposite of that. I haven’t watched this movie in ages but I remember it for being the most ridiculous movie ever. I decided to rewatch “Kung Fu Hustle” and it is still as grand and ridiculous as ever.
When the hapless Sing (Stephen Chow) and his dim-witted pal, Bone (Feng Xiaogang), try to scam the residents of Pig Sty Alley into thinking they’re members of the dreaded Axe Gang, the real gangsters descend on this Shanghai slum to restore their fearsome reputation. What gang leader Brother Sum (Chan Kwok-Kwan) doesn’t know is that this neighbourhood doesn’t take kindly to interlopers.

Let’s start with what makes this movie stand out from other movies, the comedy. This movie has very dark humour, for example, the axe gang leader kills two people with a knife and shotgun and then the next scene goes to them all dancing to a cool score by Raymond Wong. You’re never really sure if you are meant to laugh or it is genuinely seriously but director Stephen Chow intertwine both together to create some weird humour but it just works.

Another part of the charm of the unique comedy is this movie is the surprisingly over the top slapstick, Looney tunes comedy. The director employs this by using very cartooney sound effects and having guys get hit around like toy ragdolls that result in some laugh out moments. There is a chase scene that feels like it is from Bugs Bunny. I don’t want to spoil any of the moments if you haven’t watched it but it’s as crazy as it sounds and it’s awesome.

This movie isn’t just all comedy though and has some amazing fight/action scenes.  The director uses a lot of wirework and surprisingly a lot of CGI which is quite unprecedented in a martial art or even a comedy movie but it is used very effectively. The fight scenes are well directed and edited but best of all incredibly exciting and thrilling to watch. Despite all the wirework and CGI, every fight is completely visible with no over edits or shaky cam and in 2004 that was quite rare in action movies.

The movie was undoubtedly inspired by many American movies such as The Matrix, Spiderman and even The Shining. The director incorporates these very blatant references in the movie to the point that it seems like it is copying but yet it feels unique due to how the director utilises it.

All the actors in this movie are great including the director, Stephen Chow, who plays the main lead. Every actor including supporting actors embody the ridiculous nature and manage to stand apart from each other that even in the short runtime of 98 minutes, the audience can grasp every single character’s personality and quirkiness in minutes. The set design is amazing as it represents the 1940’s Shanghai and feels vibrant and alive. The costumes are great as they feel believable and manage to capture the personality of some of the characters. The score by Raymond Wong is incredible and captures the nature of the movie with one of the stand out being the Axe Gang music which will make you want to dance with it.

If there had to be a flaw in the movie then it has to be the lack of a coherent plot. The synopsis is the basic premise for the beginning of the movie but a lot of other different plot points happen to intertwine with this about other characters and then there is this other new plot happening in the third act which makes it feel incoherent. Another flaw would be the lack or very rushed character development which is in part due to its short runtime. Characters can completely change in personality in a matter of minutes without any real build-up towards it.

Bill Murray described this movie as “the supreme achievement of the modern age in terms of comedy” and honestly that is a fair assessment. I feel like there will never be another movie like this ever. The movie blends kung fu, CGI and cartooney humour to create what I consider is one of the most hilarious movies ever made. If you haven’t watched it then I HIGHLY recommend you give this movie a watch!