KUNGFU HUSTLE

Review by Yu Gu

I watched this movie on a gorgeous Tuesday morning, 10am, with sleep in my eyes, an uneven slather of mousse in my half-wet hair and an apathetic attitude. The moment I entered the theatre, however, it all changed. I definitely did not expect a pre-communism China in all its neon-gambling-whoring-corrupt beauty ruled by gangs. Nor an Axe Gang full of young toughs in black suits and top hats throwing axes, and a gang leader who loves to dance to swinging big band music.

Stephen Chow plays Sing, a smalltime lowlife who aspires to be a bad to the bone Axe Gang member, but his ultimate character flaw is that he’s a good guy. Along with his blubbery sidekick, Sing tries to take advantage of the impoverished residents of Pig Sty Alley. We are introduced to a wonderful ensemble of stereotypical yet richly detailed characters such as the “Landlady” or the “Coolie” or the “Fairy” tailor. No one is who they seem and great power can be found in shower curtain rings.

In the end, Kungfu Hustle is a story of an ordinary man fulfilling his superhuman destiny. But, it is embellished and infused with a wacky and absurd Hong Kong humour, a hedonistic cinematography and rich kungfu folklore. If you are a fan of Stephen Chow and have seen his earlier classics, you would be familiar with his use of simple special effects techniques that rely on clever camera moves and editting. One flaw was the overt use and manipulation of computer graphics to illustrate the outrageous kungfu comedy. Although I enjoyed it as a happy meeting between Hong Kong stunt choreography and Hollywood tools, I was nostalgic for the good old days. But I digress. Go watch the movie.

www.kungfuhustle.com