The Hong Kong movie biz is famous for sprouting international movie stars like Jackie Chan, Chow Yun-Fat, and Leslie Cheung. And, while these stars have little more in common than place of origin, they all share a wealth of talent. Stephen Chow is no stranger to the “T” word, either.
He knows this, and so will everyone who sees his latest slapstick masterpiece, “Kung Fu Hustle,” a rowdy, high-spirited tale of gangs, ghettos and the axes involved.
Small-time thief Sing (Stephen Chow) wants nothing more than to be a member of the bloodthirsty, top-hat-accessorizing Axe Gang. Unfortunately, his lack of finesse and timing keep him from doing so…until he makes the perfect mistake of extorting money from a villager from tenement slum Pig Sty Alley, while posing as an Axe.
Then, the real Axe Gang shows up. Unfortunately, again, there are kung fu masters in the village, which ultimately unleashes a visually spectacular street war between the factions.
Though “Hustle” is being marketed as a “kung fu” action movie, it is much, much more than that. Through the use of working-class humor and special effects that almost turn people into cartoons, this is screwball comedy at its finest. And although the use of subtitles has the potential to scare off the masses, “Hustle” stands proud, laden with more sight gags than one could throw a bladeless knife handle at.
In one particularly side-splitting scene, a desperate Sing and his hapless sidekick Rob, an ice cream vendor, use a passing streetcar to make a quick escape. Sing then proceeds to mock the vendor from the back of the car. As he laughs maniacally, ice cream dripping from his gaping maw, Chow is either doing his best to channel his inner jackass, or Harpo Marx.
“Hustle” is chock-full of talent, in terms of both acting and directing. Yuen Qiu is wonderfully unrestrained as the loud-mouthed, short-tempered landlady of Pig Sty Alley. Even though the last time she acted on screen was 28 years ago, she possesses the quality of a seasoned veteran, even gaining 40 pounds for her role via a sumo wrestler’s diet. Yuen Wah, Qiu’s real-life and on-screen husband, proves a perfectly lecherous complement as the landlord to Qiu’s brash landlady.
The true genius of the film, however, lies in Stephen Chow and his untapped potential. Pulling off another successful feature, and, in the process, securing his status in world cinema as a true auteur, Chow seems poised to make a breakthrough into the mainstream American market. And while Jackie Chan’s charm and Chow Yun-Fat’s spicy-handedness have unfortunately been tamed down, Chow’s oddball humor seems perfectly suited to whatever venture he has in mind. After all, getting bit in the lips by two cobras at once is the international sign for “laugh here.”
Being able to write, direct and star in a movie that draws from so many different ideas is no easy feat. Making it successful is nothing short of a godsend. It is no surprise, then, that “Hustle” topped Chow’s previous movie, “Shaolin Soccer,” as the highest-grossing film made in Hong Kong.
This film is all that it is being hyped as (“A comedy unlike anything you have seen before”) and more. It is Wile E. Coyote vs. the Road Runner, minus the dynamite. And instead of an anvil dropping from the sky, it’s a flowerpot squashing the head of the landlord (lipstick on the cheek again). Like any good movie, there is something here for everyone.
