Kung Fu Hustle

views updated

Kung Fu Hustle ★★ Gong fu 2004 (R)

Writer/director Chow casts himself as the lead in this goofy kung-fu comedy. Sing (Chow), a good-natured con man, desperately wants to join the evil Axe Gang. Posing as a gangster, Sing tries to shake down the poor residents of Pig Sty Alley, but a number of hapless martial arts masters have retired to the slum. Sing's scam starts an all-out war between the Axe Gang and Pig Sty Alley, resulting in a series of larger-than-life, CGI-enhanced battles that more closely resemble Looney Tunes than Bruce Lee. While the unrelenting action might cross cultural borders, Chow's sense of humor doesn't seem to. In Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles. 99m/C DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD . Stephen (Chiau) Chow, Yuen Wah, Kwok-Kwan Chan, Feng Xiao Gang, Lam Suet, Leung Siu Lung, Dong Zhi Hua, Chiu Chi Ling, Yuen Qui, Xing Yu, Huang Sheng Yi, Lam Tze Chung; D: Stephen (Chiau) Chow; W: Stephen (Chiau) Chow, Kan-Cheung (Sammy) Tsang, Chan Man-keung, Lola Huo; C: Hang-Seng Poon; M: Raymond Wong.