Kung Fu Hustle (2005) (Deluxe Edition)

Kung Fu Hustle (2005)

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Oct 18, 2006 | 3 out of 3 found this Kung Fu Hustle (2005) review helpful

Pros: All

Cons: None

The story centers on an ax-carrying gang terrorizing the lowly inhabitants of a tenement called Pig's Sty Alley. When a trio of locals with kung fu expertise fights back, the gang resorts to hiring more lethal martial arts mercenaries in an escal...ating battle that, frankly, defies all logic and sense. But as anyone in-tune with Hong Kong pop culture knows, ridiculous turns of plot is nothing new. What makes this opus so invigorating is Chow's embrace not only of traditional Shaw brothers' kung fu conventions, but the way he masterfully reworks and throws back at us all the recent Hong Kong-influenced hits. "Kung Fu Hustle" is downright postmodern in its clever spin on bits of "Kill Bill," "The Matrix" and "Spider-Man." There is romance, slapstick, horror, action, a Roadrunner-style chase and more people getting whacked on the head than an all-night festival of "Three Stooges." If we've learned anything from a pastiche retro expert like Quentin Tarantino in the past year, it's that these days anything goes, which explains a triad boss with a cowboy hat and dancing gangsters in the film's opening. Then, there's Chow's use of computer effects. While everyone else tries to make the CG look realistic, he goes bonkers with over-the-top kicks, punches and other maneuvers that are so unreal, they are downright cartoonish. The final out-of-the-world showdown makes mincemeat of the vertiginous Neo/Mr. Smith fight in "The Matrix: Revolutions." True Hong Kong film geeks will surely get a kick from various old-time stars recruited for supporting roles, including Yuen Qiu, who was a Bond girl in "The Man With a Golden Gun," and is marvelous here as a bitchy landlady with the lion's roar in her voice. If there's any fault to be found, it's that Chow actually turns too much of the movie over to Yuen Wo-ping, as well as Sammo Hung who provides additional action choreography (what did I say about over the top). As spectacular as the fights and effects appear, Chow's jokes in the film's first half are laugh-out-loud funny. By the end, it seems Stephen Chow's desire to emulate his idol Bruce Lee is stronger than his interest in crafting some more good gags. But that's splitting hairs. "Kung Fu Hustle" is set to be a new Hong Kong irreverent classic. By the way, keep an eye out for Yuen Wo-ping's cameo as a beggar at the end. Read more Less