In 1940's China, gangs rule the city and the most feared gang of them all are the Axe Gang lead by Brother Sum. The only safe area is a slum called Pig Sty Alley and is only safe from the gangs because that it's poor. But when Sing and his pal Bone pretends to be Axe gangsters in order to extort money from a barber in the Pig Sty Alley, they manage to draw the real Axe Gang to come there as well. Fortunately for the people in the slum they have a few kung fu masters living among them who manages to fight the gangsters off. But the gang won't give up that easily and finds their own kung fu masters to take on the masters in the slum, and Sing gets trapped between it all, something that brings out his real identity.
Stephen Chow's a funny guy with a load of great movies under his belt, and here he has managed to create something that never really has been done before. Kung Fu Hustle is definitely an exciting ride, mixing comedy and martial arts into a cartoon-like movie filled with cartoonish special effects that looks visually stunning. There has been tons of movies made that mixes martial arts and comedy, but this had a totally new edge to it, adding in effects that makes it feel like you're watching a cartoon with real human beings in it. It's an awesome idea that works so well and it's hard to believe just how well made some of the special effects really are, a word that comes to mind is jaw-dropping.
While being most appealing to the eye, Kung Fu Hustle also has a lot of other great features, the 1940's China scenery adds a lot to the whole feel and it also has a story that is quite simple but works like a wonder. Sing, played by Stephen Chow and his friend Bone are two wannabe gangsters who pretends to part of the infamous Axe Gang in order to blackmail a barber for some cash. The real gang shows up, but the slum that they're in have a few kung fu masters that easily takes the gang down. Now since this is a respectable gang, or a gang that at least wants to be respected, they of course has to get back at the people in the slum for making them look like fools.
 
So since Sing wants to be one of the Axe Gang and he's good at picking locks, they decide to give him a test to see if he's worthy of becoming a member of the gang. The test is to free the worlds top killer, a kung fu master that spends his time in a mental asylum. Once freed, the gang explains what they want the man to do, and since he's always looking for a challenge he accepts. Things look dark for the nice people in the slum, but fortunately for them, Sing has more to him than what it first seems.
Don't wanna reveal to much of the plot and what happens during the movie but like I said before, it's a fun ride that'll definitely keep you entertained throughout the whole thing. There are tons of fights and they are all interesting, visually stunning and fun as hell to watch. The movie's fast-paced to say the least and it never slows down, not even for a minute. Chow has a great sense of humour that works really well. Some HK movies has a tendency to be way over-the-top, and while that might work well on many occasions, sometimes it ends up feeling a bit too much or too dragged out. Kung Fu Hustle manages to balance the action and the comedy really well without it ever feeling like too much, one way or the other.
Sometimes it feels like watching Road Runner, sometimes like watching a greatly choreograped kung fu flick and sometimes just like a very funny flick. All the elements are extremely well done and it's so visually stunning it has to be seen to be believed. The use of digital effects are numerous and even though you often can spot the CGI, it never looks cheap and gives it a very cartoonish feel that works amazingly well. This is a pretty awesome movie that can't really be compared to anything else. A definite must see.
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ALTERNATIVE TITLE: Gong fu
MOVIE YEAR: 2004
DIRECTOR: Stephen Chow
WRITING CREDITS: Tsang Kan Cheong , Stephen Chow
GENRE: Action, Comedy, Crime, Fantasy, Martial Arts
CAST: Stephen Chow, Xiaogang Feng, Wah Yuen
COUNTRY: China, Hong Kong
RUNTIME: 99 min
RATING: 9/10
Kung Fu Hustle Website/IMDB Click here
Kung Fu Hustle Trailer Click here
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