Kung Fu Hustle

Lately I've had an interest in watching some kung fu movies. It probably started when I saw Kung Fu Panda. The first in my queue was Kung Fu Hustle , starring Stephen Chow, who also wrote and directed the film.

I picked this movie because I thought it had a great title. I was curious what sort of plot would go with the title, because it isn't really obvious. Is it about kung fu guys that work really hard? Kung fu guys running some elaborate scam like in The Sting? Kung fu guys playing pool?

The movie is about a wannabe bad guy named Sing and his sidekick Bone. Sing and Bone want to join the Axe Gang, the baddest guys around. Unfortunately for their criminal aspirations, Sing and Bone are incompetent. A true pair of lovable losers whose biggest success comes when they steal some ice cream cones.

In the course of trying to prove their criminal moxie, Sing and Bone accidentally incite a battle between the Axe Gang and the residents of a housing development known as the Pig Sty. Unfortunately for the Axe Gang, some of the residents are secret kung fu masters who are intent on protecting their home. Violence and mayhem ensue.

One of the cool things about this movie was that it managed to include nearly all of the standard kung fu movie plot devices, including...

1. secret kung fu masters masquerading as something else
2. over the top action sequences and well choreographed fight scenes
3. secret knowledge learned from a mysterious book
4. kung fu masters whose only motivation is to find and defeat a worthy foe
5. a heavy dose of comedy, both physical and verbal
6. good vs evil
7. a chosen one who, in the course of the movie, is able to unlock massive and totally unexpected powers

All in all it was a fun movie that captured my attention and held it through the entire movie. If you like light-hearted action movies and don't mind subtitles, give it a try.