Kung Fu Hustle
Written and directed by: Stephen Chow
Starring: Stephen Chow, Wah Yuen, Qiu Yuen, Kwok Kuen Chan
Rated: R for sequences of strong stylized action and violence.
Parental Notes: This is an insanely violent film, but the violence is largely the cartoonish, light-hearted violence of Saturday morning cartoons. Some gangster violence early in the film makes it inappropriate for youngsters, but teens and mature preteens will probably love it.
“Kung Fu Hustle” is the kind of goofy, absurd martial arts flick that is made out of the pure desire to entertain and delight. It is not a “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” style melodrama. It is not trying to make you go through four hankies or realize a Universal Truth. “Kung Fu Hustle” embraces the ridiculous aspects of its genre with enthusiasm and doesn’t even try to make the martial arts sequences look realistic. It’s a Roadrunner cartoon brought to life, but with kung fu fighting instead of Acme gizmos.
The story is straightforward: in 1930s China, the Axe Gang rules the streets of Shanghai. The only people safe from their predations are those who live in slums like Pig Sty Alley, which is run by a tough landlady (Qiu Yuen) and her husband (Wah Yuen). The people of Pig Sty Alley are too poor to draw the attention of the Gang — until a couple of wannabes (Stephen Chow and Chi Chung Lam) accidentally bring the gang into the alley and some of the tenants reveal themselves as hidden kung fu masters. Now the Axe Gang, lead by Brother Sum (Kwok Kuen Chan), is at war with Pig Sty Alley and both sides are determined to win.
This is a joyously absurd film which mashes the clich