Director: Stephen Chow
Writer: Stephen Chow, Tsang Kan-cheong, Lola Huo, Chan Man-keung
Action Choreographer: Yuen Wo-ping
Cast: Stephen Chow, Yuen Wah, Yuen Qiu, Leung Siu-lung, Huang Sheng-yi, Chan Kwok-kwan, Lam Tse-chung, Feng Xiao-gang

Some say that Kung Fu Hustle is indeed “anti-kung fu” because the three characters who are good at traditional kung fu are killed.  Also, Stephen Chow and “The Beast” are using Dragon Ball- or Matrix-like hyperphysical kung fu instead in the most-highlighted fighting scene.

A Film adored by the World

Making a film adored by the world is exactly the intention of Chow to produce Kung Fu Hustle.  As his debut product in Hollywood, this film consists of the essential and important elements of both Hong Kong and Hollywood action movies: the reminiscent locale of early 20th century Shanghai, the lower class living in an old Hong Kong style apartment complex, martial art moves and hi-tech special effects.
This formula is a stereotypical one, and the clue is the degree of amusement of the final product.  With the consideration of the current level of computer technology, the special effects are not a notch above the others.

As the development of story depends on the continuous show up of characters, the storyline appeared to be somehow too linear to some online critics.  The storyline is actually transformed from the prototype of Game of Death (1978).  The problem is that the action design of Game of Death was cutting edge at that time, and the whole cheese is Bruce Lee.  This film is therefore a comparison to not only Game of Death, but also to the martial arts movies of 30-ish years ago.  And of course, the responses of audiences are unpredictable.

The King

The role of Chow is a talent in martial arts.  It is the Hong Kong version of Matrix’s “Neo” – you don't need trainings.  All you need to do is waiting for the peripeteia and get your disconnected nerves linked back up.  This is more preferred by the teenagers who grow up in the era of electric games who want instancy in entertainments, personal relationships, achievements in career and individual abilities.

Chow in Kung Fu Hustle doesn’t want this instancy.  He tries hard to be a “bad guy”.  The reason is probably that Chow doesn’t belong to the mentioned era.  But his effortless buckshee of stunt coincidently becomes a temporisation for young people of that era.

By Wong Chi Fai