![]() ![]() ![]() Chow pulls all these disparate bits together, in a kung fu movie about kung fu movies. The film's spoofs and homages are well wrought, stunts and physical jokes brutal, and conventions alternately tired and twisted. Their ruthless opponent, Brother Sum (Chan Kwok-kwan), employs a pair of harp players (Jia Kang Xi and Fung Hak On), whose music turns into harrowing physical forces, and then the Beast (Leung Siu Lung), who declares, "I've killed so many, just trying to find a worthy adversary." The Beast's style (Toad Style) creates a neat aesthetic tension with Sing's (Buddha Palm Kung Fu). Introduced as supporting-character stereotypes, they soon become part of Sing's emergence process. For the creators, this gave them a lot of freedom in crafting Shang-Chi, which stars Liu as a young Chinese American hotel valet and unbeknown to even his closest. The fighters in defense of Pig Sty Alley include tailor Chiu Chi Ling, "coolie" Xing Yu, and baker Dong Zhi Hua, as well as the Landlord (Yuen Wah) and his greedy wife, the Landlady (Yuen Qiu, a famous kung fu star returning to the screen after almost 30 years). Its delightful mix of action and comedy - outrageous, Jackie-Chan-ish, fantastic - makes such fight scenes little stories all their own. Set in Canton, China in the 1940s, KUNG FU HUSTLE features action that is both hectic and ferocious (the fights and wirework are choreographed by the brilliant Yuen Wo Ping and Sammo Hung). Sing's transition from boy to man, gangster-wannabe to full-on master occasions an entertaining, convoluted, and quite brilliant run through genres and conventions ranging from Bruce Lee to Looney Tunes. On another level, the film itself is a transformation, signaling a 21st-century shift in understanding and appreciation of kung fu movies. Though most of this is cartoonish (speedy, splatty, exaggerated), it might be alarming for young viewers. He stumbles into a slum ruled by eccentric landlords who turns out to be the greatest kung-fu masters in disguise. Feeling jaded? Burdened? Wonder if it's possible for one person to make a difference? Settle in with a copy of this film, and believe.This rowdy martial arts comedy contains fairly relentless violence. Kung Fu Hustle (2004) HD Trailer IMDB: 7.7 99 min Overview: Set in Canton, China in the 1940s, the story revolves in a town ruled by the Axe Gang, Sing who desperately wants to become a member. The acting is excellent and the camera work is all rock steady. There're no 'perfect' people or places, and it somehow makes the wire fighting that appears in parts seem believable. The fight choreography is stellar, and special care was taken to make sure that every character in the piece is human. The comedic bits are so well integrated into the story that it flows smoothly from one tone to another. This piece isn't simply a 'standard' kung fu movie it's a romance, a sweeping portrait of good-versus-evil, and a moral lesson on the use of power. There's always been a certain cheesiness to Hong Kong cinema, but on rare occasions a writer or director will directly tap a nerve and somehow weave that directly into the story: 'Kung Fu Hustle' is one of those films. Kung Fu Hustle 2004 1080 P X 264 1 HARDCODED MP 4 Video Item Preview remove-circle Internet Archive's in-browser video 'theater' requires JavaScript to be enabled. Five minutes later, a nuclear strike warning in my town couldn't have torn me away from the screen, and it's been watched a dozen times since. The original Kung Fu Hustle became an instant cult favorite when it came out in 2004, and many have been anxiously awaiting a follow-up. ![]() I was less than enthusiastic when I tossed it into the drive of my Athlon, but a promise is a promise, after all. who then extracted a promise from me that I'd take the time that night to sit and watch it. After nearly two decades of avoiding kung fu movies, a copy of this one was pressed into my hands by a very dear friend. ![]()
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