Plot: What’s it about?
Sing (Stephen Chow) is a small time thief who causes trouble on the streets, but he has plans to do more with his life than petty crime. He wants to become a real criminal and engage in serious crimes, work his way up the crooked ladder of criminals. One of his goals is join a gang, since there are strength in numbers and he could get more done as part of a large group. Since the gangs don’t have much of a presence in the slums, Sing moves to one and pretends to be a member of the notorious Axe Gang. Of all the gangs, none are as feared as the Axe Gang, so Sing figures he can be most effective in that respect. He soon finds himself in tangles with three powerful kung fu masters, who hide in the town’s slums. As if that doesn’t put enough pressure on Sing, a few real Axe members also arrive, only to run into the masters themselves. A full on war soon erupts and with Sing in the middle, who will he side with?
Kung Fu Hustle was a smash success, a movie that became Hong Kong’s highest grossing domestic film of all time, then stormed into America with the widest release for any foreign language picture to that point. In other words, this is one of those movies that overcomes the barriers of language and culture, a rare motion picture that speaks in a universal language. That language is slapstick and few can keep pace with Stephen Chow when it comes to that brand of humor. Kung Fu Hustle is a satire of old school martial arts cinema, one done with great love and over the top silliness. This film is so much fun, its hard to pick up all the little touches, so you’ll be going back time and again. If you have some experience with martial arts movies, you’ll get more out of the flick, but even newcomers will have a blast here. The action is well handled, the special effects look terrific, and above all else, the laughs come in huge doses. I simply cannot recommend Kung Fu Hustle enough, so if you still haven’t seen this movie, do so as soon as possible.
Video: How does it look?
Kung Fu Hustle is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The movie was made with a solid budget and it shows, as the visuals shine here. The print looks great, with no marks, nicks, or other defects, including grain, which is minimal at worst. So even in the darker scenes, which are quite infrequent, the detail level remains high and the visuals never have a soft texture. The colors look bright and vibrant when needed, while black levels are razor sharp and as well balanced as we could demand. In other words, another fantastic visual presentation from Sony, who knocked this one out of the park.
Audio: How does it sound?
The film’s original Chinese soundtrack is preserved here and thanks to the Dolby Digital 5.1 option, the movie sounds terrific. This flick is loaded with over the top audio, from martial arts madness to silly sounds, all of which is well handled here. Of course, this kind of material doesn’t yield the kind of power some folks like, but for what it is, this soundtrack is top notch. The music also has a lot of life here, which is good news, because the music here is really fun to listen to. I found dialogue to be clean and sharp too, so from top to bottom, this is just one impressive soundtrack. This disc also includes English and French language tracks, as well as subtitles in English and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Stephen Chow provides an audio commentary track and is joined by several cast members, so this is a quite talkative session. Chow doesn’t touch on much as far as inspiration or what not, this is just a light and brisk track that focuses on humorous stories and comments. Not the most informative track I’ve heard, but a fun one and fans of the film should give it a listen. Chow returns for an interview conducted by Ric Meyers, who knows his stuff and works a great interview. This is more like a conversation, as the mood is laid back and Meyers has some good question, which Chow answers in candid fashion. This disc also includes a reel of outtakes, a brief behind the scenes featurette, and a couple of deleted scenes.
