Kung Fu Hustle (DVD)

Stephen Chow isn’t a name I’d come across before, but after this film, expect to be seeing a lot more of him in years to come. As a comedy actor, he’s been amusing Hong Kong audiences for years, but it’s his last two films, Shaolin Soccer, and this, Kung Fu Hustle, which have earned him worldwide fame. Although at 42 he’s a bit old to be called the next Jackie Chan, the resemblances are there, with his films being a mix of comedy, martial arts and action. And like Jackie Chan, as well as acting and doing all his own stunts, he also writes, produces and edits his own films! In Kung Fu Hustle, set in 1940s China, a city is being terrorised by the Axe ...  Read the complete review

It is 1930s Hong Kong. When street criminal wannabe Sing and his fat best friend find themselves on their uppers, they decide to try their luck in one of the city's many run down blocks. In Pig Sty Alley they happen upon a barber, where they try to blag free hair cuts by pretending to be members of the infamous Black Axe gang. It is a decision the pair could soon live to regret. Inadvertantly setting off a turf war between the Black Axe gang members and the inhabitants of Pig Sty Alley, the duo can only sit back and watch as, one by one, the inhabitants of Pig Sty Alley reveal their many and varied secrets…. Stephen Chow's big-budget, effects-laden Kung-fu ...  Read the complete review

Kung Fu Hustle is a 2004 action comedy directed, starring and written by Stephen Chow. In 1940s Shanghai the criminal gangs rule the streets, the most prominent being The Axe Gang, so named as it's members primarily use them as weapon of choice. Only poor areas are safe from them since they have nothing the gangs would want. Into one such area, Pigsty Alley, comes Sing (Stephen Chow) and Bone (Lam Chi Chung) who pretend to be part of the Axe Gang in order to shake down the residents. This inadvertently draws the attention of the real Axe gang, and to protect the other residents 3 kung fu masters reveal their true identities. From here on, it's an escalating ...  Read the complete review

Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle is as ridiculous a film as you are likely to find - it is essentially what happens if you transpose a cartoon into live action. Aided by some impressive CGI, Chow has made something resembling a wacky, more violent West Side Story. Various gang are vying for power in 1930s Shanghai, most notably the dangerous and seemingly unstoppable Axe Gang, led by the infamous Brother Sum holding dystopic supremacy over the town's citizens. Essentially, it's a martial arts action film that focuses just as much on ludicrous set pieces as it does on the kung fu fighting. Some of the chaos here truly is well designed - the visual effects in ...  Read the complete review

Stephen Chow, the man behind Shaolin Soccer and God of Cookery amongst others, returned to British cinema screens in 2005, or made his first appearance considering the lack of screens Shaolin soccer was showed on, with his latest comedy martial arts extravaganza. Kung Fu Hustle is set in 1930's China and is more akin to a cowboy movie with martial arts than anything else. It reminds me a lot of those old Hollywood westerns where the stranger comes to town and helps the locals fight of the evil gang of bandits. While this is a very simplified description of the film this is where you can see it going right from the very start. So you sit back in ...  Read the complete review