KUNG FU HUSTLE
Directed by Stephen Chow
Certificate 15

IF you loved Shaolin Soccer, you’ll go mad for Kung Fu Hustle and even if you didn’t see Shaolin Soccer, you cannot miss Kung Fu Hustle, especially if you like crazy, pointless, challenging, dumb comedy that is so original it will peel off your socks.
Stephen Chow, the Ben Stiller/Woody Allen of the East, started as a children’s TV presenter and is now, arguably, the biggest star of Hong Kong.
Having created an empire of filmmaking not without its detractors Chow has acted in more than 60 films while writing, directing and producing others.
His company, The Star Overseas, does hint at the way he thinks of himself. He always casts himself as the hapless hero, a Charlie Chaplin without compassion. Obsessed with kung fu, Chow puts the martial art into places it wouldn’t normally be. Here, we find Chow in rural Shanghai in the 1940s, a typically weak-willed, cowardly hero with a fat sidekick who both want to be tough gangsters with the infamous and unstoppable Axe Gang.
When the gang terrorise a village, the villagers wonder who will save them – until, from within their midst, heroes unexpectedly appear.
That’s only the beginning. The fight scenes are exemplary, directed by Woo-Ping Yuen, the fight choreographer of Crouching Tiger and The Matrix Trilogy, joined by Sammo Hung-Kam Bo in his capacity as an action director (although as an actor he also appeared with Bruce Lee and is a collaborator of Jackie Chan). Add to this fantastic cinematography by Hang-Sang Poon, and you’ve got a visually stunning film which isn’t afraid to take huge comedy risks.
Visually amazing with more action than most action films and more laughs than most comedies, Kung Fu Hustle will dazzle you.
The most dazzling and original comedy this year.