Overall Rating
  Awesome: 60%
Worth A Look: 34.29%
Just Average: 2.86%
Pretty Crappy: 2.29%
Sucks: 0.57%
14 reviews, 91 user ratings
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| Kung Fu Hustle |
by Jay Seaver
"The 'CGI is a poor substitute for good moviemaking' crowd won't like this."
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On the one hand, to say that Kung Fu Hustle shows that Shaolin Soccer was no fluke is to be rather parochial; even though those are the first Stephen Chow movies to get anything like widespread distribution in America, he's been directing movies for a decade and has been one of Hong Kong's biggest box office draws for about that long. On the other hand, though, it is something of a validation of its predecessor's success, and not just because it is very, very funny. It shows that the effects-heavy, cartoonish style Chow is creating is not just a one-time gimmick, but a bona fide style that Chow can ride for a while and will likely spawn imitators.The "CGI is a tool of soulless hacks trying to destroy film as a medium" crowd aren't going to get any more ammunition here. The movie includes many digital effects shots, many of them on the showy side, but they are used well. Chow's background in martial arts action and physical comedy serves him well. He's got experience with how actors interact with their environments physically, and that comes in handy even when what they're interacting with isn't actually present or is being digitally augmented. It also doesn't hurt that he's got some high-end help in the fight scenes where much of the effects work occurs: The action is choreographed and directed by Yuen Woo-ping and Sammo Hung.
It's not just the great comedic action that sells the movie, though. A lot of action-movie parodies make their action scenes into strings of sight gags and mockings of the conventions - how many lame bullet-time spoofs have there been where there's no actual joke there, just the same scene staged with a different character - but as funny as the action scenes in Kung Fu Hustle are, there's also something at stake in them. Indeed, there's a scene in the middle of the film as a pair of assassins quietly go about their business that mostly eschews laughs for suspense, and is eerily effective. Similarly, the final big battle is big and exciting, and feels like a real fight despite the larger-than-life action, but it's filled with little notes which make the audience laugh, hard, even as they might creep forward in their seats.
The story is pretty straightforward - the Axe Gang has taken over the entire town except Pig Sty Alley, which isn't exactly worth the effort. But when scoundrel Sing (Chow) goes to that slum tries to pass himself and a friend off as Axe Gang leaders, that brings the real Axe Gang in - not realizing that three kung fu masters make Pig Sty Alley their home. Humiliated, the gang's leader (Kwok Kuen Chan) calls in a series of assassins, culminating in the disheveled-but-indestructible Beast (Siu Lung Leung).
There is an element of parody in this movie, although if Chow is lampooning specific movies, I'm not sure which ones they are. Many characters aren't given names, simply described by their function ("sidekick") or position ("landlady"); heck, "Sing" is Chow's given name. The locations look like movie sets as opposed to real places - they're laid out to give fighters room rather than as useful public spaces. Similarly, the inside of the Axe Gang's casinos are rather clean and modern-looking for the 1920s time period. But that's OK; the audience is familiar with these tropes, and it's easier to laugh at general ideas than specific references.
The character-based comedy works well, too. Sing is a scoundrel, but a rather cowardly and not very effective one. We wants to join the Axe Gang because he figures good guys don't get the girls or the money. But he's not too bright, either, and sort of blunders through the plot, finally getting a chance with the Axe Gang because he's deemed expendable. He banters well with his sidekick, but isn't nearly as funny when he's revealed to be "the one" late in the movie. Chosen ones just aren't funny when they act like chosen ones. However, he does surround himself with memorable and hilarious supporting characters, from Kwok's theatrical Brother Sum (he has his gang dancing!) to Qiu Yuen's tightwad Landlady (who seems to be at least part roadrunner). The Beast is simply Not Cool, a dirty-looking old man, which is a funny contrast to his fighting ability.
Kung Fu Hustle is just a blast, and I think it's in part because it wasn't made for American audiences. That, in itself, is a great technological accomplishment; it wasn't too long ago that a production this elaborate would have been too expensive for Hong Kong to support. It's got more effects than Shaolin Soccer by an order of magnitude, but doesn't have to be compromised in order to achieve a PG-13 rating in the US. As a result, it can be gleefully off-color, or mix blood in with its cartoon violence. It's not just that Columbia Tri-Star would get uncomfortable with that on this side of the Pacific; it's that Chow can make his movie without worrying what some other group of people finds funny or offensive, while still creating whatever pops into his mind.Of course, the next FX-oriented comedy out of Hong Kong (aside from the just-announced sequel) will probably wind up being awful, because someone less talented than Chow is in charge. But until then, this movie is fun and funny, and it's not in spite of being filled with special effects.
link directly to this review at http://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com/review.php?movie=10619&reviewer=371
originally posted: 05/22/05 18:20:54
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OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2004 Toronto Film Festival. For more in the 2004 Toronto Film Festival series, click here.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2005 Sundance Film Festival. For more in the 2005 Sundance Film Festival series, click here.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2005 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. For more in the 2005 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival series, click here.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2005 SXSW Film Festival. For more in the 2005 South By Southwest Film Festival series, click here.
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USA
08-Apr-2005 (R)
DVD: 09-Aug-2005
UK
N/A
Australia
11-Aug-2005
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