Review: Kung Fu Hustle (B+)

Kung Fu Hustle (2005)
Directed by Stephen Chow
Starring Stephen Chow, Xiaogang Feng, Wah Yuen, Zhi Hua Dong
MPAA: R
Grade: B+

Review by Sebastian Francis Kennedy

Full of cartoon wit and pacing, Kung Fu Hustle is a joy to watch. The Stephen Chow directed film is a wonderful mix of film genres. Is it a kung fu classic mixed with a Warner Brother cartoon? Is it a Hollywood gangster epic melded with a samurai fable? Or maybe it is all of the above- wrapped inside a cowboy western storyline? Kung Fu Hustle is so unqiue in it's style that it truly has to be seen to be believed.

The story is simple: a small town is terrorized by a group of mobsters. They turn to local kung fu masters for protection. Meanwhile, two unlikely gangsters try to fit in with the "bad guys" only to find that they don't have what it takes. Perhaps the simple storyline is the weak point for Kung Fu Hustle, but the movie is so amazing visually that you won't care.

Kung Fu Hustle is a feast for the mind and the eyes. Full of homages to films new and old, it has something for everyone. As of 2005, this film had the widest cinematic release in the USA of a foreign language film, according to the Internet Movie Database. For foreign film buffs, Kung Fu Hustle is a must.