| Traumatized by childhood violence, Sing (Stephen Chow) grows up desiring nothing except to commit mischief and join the dreaded Axe Gang. Together with his sidekick (Lam Chi Chung), he pretends to be a member of the gang and extorts money from the locals of Pigsty Alley; but they are unfazed by his threats. As he throws away dynamite, it explodes on the head of a passerby who turns out to be an Axe member. The gang aids their wounded comrade but is defeated by three locals who display excellent Kung Fu skills. The annoyed gang leader (Hsia Liang) retaliates by employing Kung Fu masters to annihilate them. Nearly succeeding, the land lady (Yuen Qui) and her husband rescue their neighbors and thwart the gang's plan; they too are Kung Fu masters. Heated with rage, the gang leader orders Sing to help a ruthless Kung Fu criminal escape from prison before accepting him as an Axe member. Sing's dream finally comes true, except that the criminal kills mercilessly and goes after him also.
Stephen Chow's multi-faceted roles as producer, director, actor, and writer contribute a lot to the success of Kung Fu Hustle. The film's main plus are its excellent cinematography, special effects and computer graphics, lights, sounds, and music, effectively carrying out the art of digital filmmaking. However, there are also flaws in the script and plot development. The usual metamorphosis of the main character Sing has taken longer than usual. You don't see him struggle harder to be a Martial Arts pro rather than being a criminal-in-process. Also, his transformation seemingly is not related in any way with three fourths of the film where he is perceived as a clown and a prankster. Taken as a whole, the film has a huge entertainment value.
The very essence of Kung Fu is deeply rooted in religious, cultural, and philosophical realities. Of virtues and discipline. In Kung Fu Hustle, except for a few references like it being used to bring world peace too much emphasis is placed on special effects of violence and gore. The result is a hyperbolic and more often fictionalized martial arts, of bodies thrown everywhere and all around faces punched and rotated more than 360 degrees, and yelling that destroys buildings and structures. Moreover, the audience should constantly be warned against desensitizing and glamorizing acts of violence; for the real violence is not glamorous at all, nor it is "pain-free". By focusing on the entertainment aspect, Kung Fu Hustle may be destructuralizing any myth and convention about film, and thus, some of its aspects should not be taken too seriously. The audience is further advised to focus more on what is real, not the pictures of violence, but what the film wants to offer - charity to neighbors, defending life and a "lollipop" or a "flower" that connotes love and forgiveness.
(Date
Reviewed: January 7, 2005)
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