Kung Fu Hustle

Watched this film in my very young age in China before moving to US, it actually brings me back my childhood memory. The translation is not bad at all, but some humors can only be represented through the Cantonese, which I speak as native language. The film is well-structured and complete, with a traditional framework like many other American superheroes movies: a ordinary individual can become a legend through a series of struggles and conflicts. This is not the only reason the film is so successful in the US, but also other elements borrowed from the American classics. While Stephen Chow set his foot on the western, cowboy-like community with his partner, both under their fedoras, it instantly captures the American audience who grew up in similar culture. Moreover, the scene in which the camera moves from top story of the building to bottom, showing the mundane life of each individual as the three banished masters departs, it actually imitates the famous technique used in Rear Windows by Alfred Hitchcock. As a foreign language film, depicting a distant, exotic and mysterious land with people speaking language can only be understood through subtitles, Stephen Chows is brilliant.

This movie pays homage to many things of the classic kung fu movies of old. It's got the action and it's got the comedic value to boot. While supplementing a few comedic scenes with CG effects, the movie is crafted so that is both pleasing to us old kung fu movie fans and entertaining to new viewers of this unique flavor of martial arts action. Riding high on the immense success of Shaolin Soccer, Stephen Chow does it again to bring us a great and entertaining movie for us to watch. Don't ask nor say which one is the best. Simply view this and Shaolin Soccer and judge for yourself. They're both great in their own right.

If you're not laughing and in stiches during this movie, you're just not human. It has teary scenes too and the martial arts scenes are amazingly good. Very camp, different so don't expect your usual kung fu flick.