Kung Fu Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
A new comedy unlike anything you have seen before
So many gangsters...so little time.
From walking disaster to kung fu master
Set in Canton, China in the 1940s, the story revolves around a hapless wannabe gangster who aspires to become a member of the notorious "Axe Gang." Other characters include an obnoxious landlady and her apparently frail husband who exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf.
| Stephen Chow | Sing |
| Kwok Kuen Chan | Brother Sum |
| Xiaogang Feng | Crocodile Gang Boss |
| Dong Zhi Hua | Donut |
| Chi Chung Lam | Bone (Sing's Sidekick) |
| Wah Yuen | Landlord |
| Qiu Yuen | Landlady |
| Kai Man Tin | Axe Gang Advisor |
| Kang Xi Jia | Harpist #1 |
| Stephen Fung | Harpist #2 |
| Sheng Yi Huang | Fong |
| Suet Lam | Axe Gang Vice General |
| Cheung-Yan Yuen | Beggar |
| Chi Ling Chiu | Tailor |
| Yu Xing | Coolie |
| Stephen Chow |
7.80 out of 10 (26638 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Fantastic
posted on 26 Aug 2009This is one of the most richly imaginative, creative, downright enjoyable movies I've ever seen. I haven't enjoyed myself this much since Pulp Fiction.It took me a while to figure out who the hero was. First I thought it was the barber guy who got himself constantly smacked about by the landlady. I suppose it's because he looked so dim, he therefore had to be a kung fu master in disguise. I've read some of the other posts, and everyone seems to think the knife scene was the funniest. I didn't expect to come to this movie for a laugh, but the knife scene almost killed me. Luckily it was just me and my friend in the movie theatre, so I could let it all out.If you go to the movies to free your imagination, then this is the movie for you. Stay away from people who say it's far-fetched and unrealistic. If they want realism, they should go to the laundromat.
AN Excellent work!
posted on 18 Aug 2009Stephen's humor is kinda Chinese small-people style, which is quite difficult to express in a work of film. From Chow's every movie, i get the info from his humor, that is average people get the biggest lives, and that's why i'm quite IN his movies.Kungfu Hustle, this latest one, is a real cool! I can relax myself and laugh in ease with the familiar Chow's style.Every characters act in the old Shanghai mood, and that's really attracting. Whole story tells in a fluent way, like a way of Kungfu.When I catch this film, i just thought it'd another Chow's old style one. But this is real overpass my imagination. I can see Chow's BOW to our Chinese Kungfu, and I can taste his sweat in it.For Chow, for Kungfu, I also take a bow.strongly recommendation. i give it 8 points.
seen better of this kind
posted on 18 Aug 2009Unlike many -seems to me- I kinda disliked this piece. Expected a lotta more since all the media has pushed for "never seen before-best ever-Buster Keaton+Bruce Lee, etc". Sorry guys, to those who want to hear some recrimination: Watch The Hero, divide it by 3, add some comics+Jap humor, you'll be susceptible to understand the first 10 minutes! The bedrock requirement is missing: no fun if I start to question ideas+scenes. No flouting -better than the Last Samurai, at least...- but I have to rebuff all wooing thoughts: this is no more than a visionary cartoon with real actors. Or a very unique style. I am for the previous...
Hilarious form Start to Finish
posted on 18 Aug 2009This is definitely one of the best Asian Comedies I've seen in a while. They have successfully surpassed Shaolin Soccer with flying colors. Stephen Chow is a very unique individual to come up with a concept like this for the traditional Kung Fu style cinema. When I seen this movie I really didn't know what to expect. Just when you think that you would figure the movie out it would just turn another direction and amaze you. The fact that the action sequences were amazing yet funny was what was so attention grasping. I can't remember a time during the movie where I didn't laugh. It's not easy to integrate humor with fighting sequences, but they pull it off perfectly. My hat is off to this movie and it's creators. My 5 bucks were well spent because I got more than what I bargained for.
Like a cartoon
posted on 14 Aug 2009Recap: The city is ruled by a gang, called the Axe gang and ordinary people live in terror while the gangster lives in luxury. Only poor people are left alone and in the alley of the Pig Sty (?) life is running it slow course. That is until failed wannabe gangsters Sing and Bone happens by, and poses as members of the Axe gang. The people in the alley won't give up that easy and soon the real Axe gang is involved. However, the people seem capable to defend themselves quite easy. This infuriates the leadership of the Axe gang, and they are not too happy about the impostors Sing and Bone either.Comment: This movie is just like a long cartoon. Not that it is animated, but a lot of the effects and characters abilities are similar to those in a cartoon. And just as many cartoons are funny and entertaining, this movie is too. Actually, it is hilarious from time to time. The movie possess both visual comic along with sharp twists and turns and dialog (altough dubbed). The directing is very good, use of special effects are excessive, but that is just fully in line with the rest of the movie, so it is fine. In short it is a good performance of all involved, both in front and behind the camera. The result is a really funny movie with a lot of laughs.8/10
Comedy, Action, Kung Fu... who could want more?
posted on 06 Aug 2009Stephen Chow demonstrates once again that he's the master of the Kung Fu comedy flick. I haven't been this entertained in a movie theatre since the last time I sat in the back row.Not content to use any basic choreographers, Stephen receives help from the legendary Sammo Hung and Wu Ping Yuen. These two experts of the genre deliver the finest martial arts fight scenes I've seen from any movie. Stephen enhances their choreography with astounding special effects and beautiful camera angles. The wire acting is flawless and blends seamlessly with the CGI.But this isn't just a boring action flick! The script is chock full of sight gags and slapstick. Even the action comes with a side-serving of humour. The characters are over-the-top parodies of Kung Fu stereotypes - the bumbling fool, the evil villain, the mysterious assassin, the serene master - and are played to perfection by the cast. This movie is pure entertainment from beginning to end. Hollywood should start paying attention - THIS is what movies are all about.
Refreshingly enjoyable in all respects
posted on 31 Jul 2009Good acting, good special effects, non-stop story.I caught this movie by chance last night on Encore channel. At first, I was rolling my eyes thinking that it would be yet another tired, overwrought martial arts story wherein some guy doesn't want to use his abilities until his love interest is captured by the bad guys, blah, blah, blah.Happily, I was surprised with a masterpiece that parodies the ridiculously impossible fight sequences so common these days, and does so without taking itself seriously. Instead of a love interest causing conflict, it is a more realistic setting of a group of people resisting gangster strong-arm tactics, something that rings true in many places.Although not a pure comedy, you will chuckle and guffaw through much of this film. I highly recommend it!
Freaking fantastic.
posted on 19 Jul 2009Goodness me, what a fantastic movie. Caught the world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and the entire theater laughed until they cried. Amazingly directed, HILARIOUSLY funny, it blends a 1930s gangster stylishness into a Hong Kong kung fu movie to astonishing results. Who would've thought you could top Shaolin Soccer? Not me, until I saw this movie. Stephen Chow pulled it off. Chow's comedic timing gets better and better with every movie he makes, and while his films are depending more and more on CGI these days, and makes this movie much more a fantasy kung fu film than a traditional one, it hardly detracts from the enjoyable experience. Make it your mission to see this film - it will be one of the most entertaining you ever see. I can't remember the last film I enjoyed myself in more. My eyes still hurt from wiping away tears of laughter. Seriously.
Kung Fu With Mass Appeal
posted on 15 Jul 2009Upon hearing about this film I became skeptical of the idea of a comedy based around Kung Fu, and I worried that a good job would not be done and that it would be quite a struggle to enjoy with the drama mixed in. I was proved wrong -- I found that the film was magniciently sequenced from beginning to end, with very interesting and innovative fight scenes, as well as with the proper comic relief.The acting was very professional and genuine, with the characters being portrayed well. It was easy to become sucked into the story with the terrific acting of everyone involved.The story was top, with each new twist and turn making me more interested in the plot of the film as a whole. When the film ended, I was left fulfilled with the story and quite excited about the whole ordeal, hoping that more work along these lines would be done in the future. A tremendous triumph for cinema.
Hilarious
posted on 13 Jul 2009This film is absolute genius, no it won't win any Oscars, yes the acting is incredibly over the top and yes the plot and script make no senses whatsoever but if you switch off your brain and just enjoy the spectacle of it all it is wonderful. The visual effects are fittingly caricatured and the characters suitably outlandish. Stephen Chow has successfully married the comedy of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin with the digital mastery of modern day effects to create something truly unique. If you are a fan of old style physical comedy and Jackie Chan then you will love this film, it is a fantastic Saturday afternoon movie for all of the family.
Comedy at its best
posted on 11 Jul 2009This movie proves Stephen Chow is no one-hit wonder with Shaolin Soccer. In this movie, he paid tribute to old school HK kung-fu movie with its comical style and music. The movie is well pace and full of funny scenes and characters. The only reason I didn't give it a ten for the rating is due to the fact that they used outdated CG in this film, tho I don't blame them, it's not like they're Hollywood. From what I can see, Stephen Chow is just going to get better since he became director himself. He has done what few comic actors has done, by becoming the story teller and director as well as actor. This movie deserves to be shown in America.
Big Load Of Rubbish
posted on 03 Jul 2009I just saw this on DVD and now i know why i avoid Kung Fu movies.This was the biggest load of shite i have ever seen and a complete waste of my money.I knew the acting was going to be bad because it is a Chinese production , but how this lot ever got paid for doing any of this is beyond me.I tried to see some humour in it. I even laughed a couple of times. Mainly at the Character who wore the cowboy suit.Imagination was lost in this move. Some of the fighting was OK.Sorry, but this has put me off watching kung fu movies for life. Movies like this should be banned from reaching our screens.
A cultural disconnect?
posted on 01 Jul 2009I was very much looking forward to seeing this movie, as it did so well in the Hong Kong film awards. The idea of a comedy/action movie seemed very appealing.Unfortunately, I didn't find this film to be very funny. I think this is perhaps a difference in cultural sensibilities. I'm sure there are American comedies that leave the Chinese clueless, and I was clueless with most of the humor of Kung Fu Hustle.At the end, the focus shifts more to action, and I enjoyed it much better at that point. I'd like to say that the voters of the Hong Kong Film Awards don't know what they're talking about, but then again, I say that just about every year when the Oscars pick the so-called "best" films of the year.
kung fu-ing hilarious!
posted on 01 Jul 2009my friendly neighbourhood video store manager recommended this film to me and so i rented it, since he's never steered me wrong before. the packaging claims the film has a "Tarantino-like" quality to it. but what decided it for me was that i recognized the choreographer; the same man who choreographed CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON, Woo Ping Yuen. and to my surprise, i thoroughly enjoyed this movie. it DID have a Tarantino-like edge to it. it also had a touch of The Matrix, and a pinch of the romance in Braveheart, and the magical quality we saw in Crouching Tiger. this movie had me belly-laughing, it was so funny! a self-parody, it mixes fantasy, comedy, and great action sequences very well and has a magical quality as i said that i really appreciated. i found it unconventional, touching, and absolutely HILARIOUS. subtitled in English, these movies have come a long long way from the chop-sake films i used to take in in the seventies in Chinese theatres where the subtitling was unintentionally hilarious. Kung-Fu Hustle wasn't a one-note film. it covered a number of territories and covered them surprisingly well. if you've never seen a Chinese action film before, and are used to Jackie Chan films, you may not know what to make of this film. but i can almost guarantee that it will make you laugh out loud. great cast with uniquely drawn characters, great un-stereotyped hero, sweet heroine, flying martial arts, Shakespearean "aside" characters, fantasy, terrific comedy, and an abrupt ending. i found myself wishing for more. all in all, completely enjoyable.
SO funny i became tired .
posted on 01 Jul 2009What can i say , Kung Fu Hustle is one of those films that made me laugh so much that i felt so tired through all the laughing that i had done . The humour in it was sharp enough to cheer anyone up ! There are way too many scenes in this film that are too funny and you just basically have to watch them for your-self in-order to make up your mind . There is also a good blend of CGI related martial arts with a lot of bodies flying all about the place , and you got infamous mafia like gangsters in this film that look pretty cool . All in all an excellent film and i urge people to at least give it a try even if your not a huge fan of the martial arts or comedy genre , and well what can you say about Stephon Chow's performance - Well judging from this fine piece of work that he'll be headed for big things !!! "YOU EVER KILLED ANYONE BEFORE !!! ?"
Extremely well made
posted on 29 Jun 2009Going into the movie, I wasn't sure how it would pan out, having seen the trailer and expecting a cheap Matrix spoof. However, the movie surprised me by remaining incredibly fresh and funny.Just a warning: I watched the Chinese version of the movie, and there were quite a few jokes that I don't know would translate well to English (a few puns, a couple idiomatic sayings), so it may be a completely different experience with the subtitles.The first half of the movie kind of passes by in a sort of confused daze as you don't know what's going on whatsoever and the jokes are on the cheap side. However, towards the middle of the movie, an actual plot begins to take stride and both the action and the humor picks up. By the end of the movie, I was simply blown away at how good the special effects were and how all the loose ends of the story were neatly tied up.All in all, it was an exceptionally well put-together movie with great visual effects and decent humor, even if it takes about an hour to actually get into stride.
A rollicking good time
posted on 07 Jun 2009While the name Stephen Chow might barely elicit a hint of recognition among Western audiences, there's no denying he's a legend back in his home turf of Hong Kong. His films are often characterized by their zany characters, over-the-top action scenes and eye-popping (sometimes literally!) special effects. His earlier works, such as God of Cookery and Shaolin Soccer, were uneven escapist fluff-pieces that were weighed down by a tinge of superfluousness. With Kung Fu Hustle, however, Chow managed to find his footing, creating a film that manages to rise above its genre conventions to become a veritable piece of cinematic artistry. Part action film, part love story, part loving homage, Hustle is a pitch-perfect example of the best that Hong Kong cinema has to offer, effortlessly mixing digital wizardry with old-school martial arts stunts while never skipping a comedic beat. Starring Chow himself as a hapless wannabe gangster embroiled in a head-spinning battle between the notoriously violent Axe Gang and the high-flying residents of a slum called Pig Sty. The kung fu masters from the ramshackle village are faced with the task of thwarting the dastardly attacks of the Axe Gang, which include a band of suited axe-wielding mercenaries, a pair of string-strumming assassins and a prison-abducted supervillain known as The Beast, fast enough to catch a speeding bullet. All this climaxes into an go-for-broke showdown between the newly enlightened Chow and the malevolent Beast. And if that's not reason enough for you to rush to your nearest video store, Chow peppers the film with nods to everything from Looney Tunes slapstick to Kubrickian surrealism, as well as an inspired reimagining of the 'Burly Brawl' sequence from The Matrix Reloaded. A true gem!
Let's Chow on some cerebral cornflakes
posted on 07 Jun 2009Stephen Chow has problems. He's one of Asia's biggest stars but he has subject matters that seem too flimsy for his versatile personality. So what's the solution? Make them edgy, or garnish his ideas with deep and troubled characters, which can sometimes be negative. What he does, is add zang and plenty of people getting seven shades of Asia beaten out of them in his latest offering - Kung Fu Hustle.The man who brought you Shaolin Soccer, the kung fu versus premiership rumble, is back with a film that blends immiscible themes akin to an oil/water/fire combo. But there is talent here, something reminiscent of the Coen brothers in their complexity and setting up camp in leftfield.The multi-talented Chow directs and he does that well. He writes and he does that well. As the lead, Sing, he does that very well as he morphs into a comedian that can and will split your sides (and I'm not just talking about laughter)… Set in pre-revolution China, Kung Fu Hustle is a brutal take on gang warfare within a seemingly peaceful community. Despite Matrix-esquire choreography and special effects, the film remains serene in a child-like way. Chow clearly had fun writing and performing in what is essentially a comedy.We witness a turf war erupt between the Axe Gang and the residents of Pig Sty Alley, neither of which are clever names, as the Axe Gang begin by chopping and scalping and the residents rise from their squalor and use their combat aptitudes to complete the David and Goliath analogy. Sing and his overweight bumbling sidekick are caught in the middle as he pretends to be a member of the Axe Gang and helps the feud escalate.In all Kung Fu Hustle succeeds because it does what it says on the tin. It is a well envisaged roller coaster of a movie that has naïve comedic value and almost lends the film innocence. This is blended surprisingly well without glitches as comedy turns to brutal violence in some amazing set pieces that see people hacked, kicked, slapped and musically destroyed in one of the closing scenes (you'll see what I mean).The characters are well thought out and lend their own comedy and fighting skills to the setup. Note the chain smoking landlady and the song and dance routines that on the surface seem ludicrous but add bonus comedy value as you know someone is about to have their teeth cut out or met with the 'Hand of God'- a brilliant scene that ends the film.Another worthy attempt by Mr Chow, creating 95 minutes of well thought (and fought) out, thoughtless action! Phew…
Forget everything you know about Kung fu films because Stephen Chow has rewritten the rules and made it 100 times better
posted on 05 Jun 2009If you see this movie without knowing anything about it, you may be thinking..."what was this guy on when he wrote it?" however, even if you know the whole story around it before seeing it, you will be probably asking the same question. the fact is, he wasn't on anything, he thought out of the box and rewrote the cliché rules of the kung fu genre. you really shouldn't think of this as a comedy, it is full out kung fu action film with it's tongue firmly in it's cheek. it is utterly hilarious and yet so breathtaking that it's almost an art film. the plot is simple, a young man who wants to be evil starts a feud inadvertently between the reknown and dangerous Axe gang and the poor district of pig sty ally. however, without really knowing it, the Axe gang has their hands full with the residents because they are more skilled than they are... this movie is beautifully shot and the music hits the right notes, it leaves you feeling accomplished at the end, a feeling no movie has given me lately. many critics have been saying this is looney tunes meet Quentin Tarantno...you can't do that because this surpasses all of their work by 100 %.
Probably Chow's most brilliant to day
posted on 28 Aug 2009I saw it on VCD ( 2 discs) I bought in Chinatown on Chinese New Year day. It is a very enjoyable movie. The story is simple and boy does he know how to tell a good old story. A good nobody turned bad and finally redeemed himself at the end - a very common theme that's almost always in Chow's movies. Some super duper wuxia heroes retired in some remote settings tried to live a normal life only being forced to fight one more final battle - a very common theme in wuxia novels. The movie makes some very good references to old Cantonese wuxia movies as well as works by Jing Yong, the Godfather of wuxia novels. All the Gong Fu or Kung Fu fight scenes are outrageous, and they are outrageously funny and good. I am glad I find them enjoyable. In my mind, Gong Fu Hustle and Crouching Tiger Hidden Tiger are probably the only 2 movies that do justices to the wuxia genre.