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n. hoop·la fac·tor (h  p lä f kt r)
degree of entertainment attained irrespective of critical worth |
Kung Fu Hustle (Gong fu)
 | Year: 2004 |
| Country: China / Hong Kong | |
| Writer: Tsang Kan Cheong, Stephen Chow, Xin Huo, Chan Man Keung | |
| Director: Stephen Chow | |
| Cast: Stephen Chow, Wah Yuen, Qiu Yuen |
stuart |
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Stuart:Kung Fu Hustle doesn’t live up to its expectations. Just like Stephen Chow’s previous feature Shaolin Soccer, it’s a great slapstick action comedy full of ridiculous special effects and cool stunts. The problem is that Kung Fu Hustle unfortunately suffers from a severe lack of, um... plot. Okay so there is a ‘plot’ of sorts, but it doesn’t really make too much sense. We have the occasional hint at a story, but only as the flimsiest of devices designed to bridge the action scenes. Characters fall over, die, dance and become superheroes at fairly regular intervals and without any clear rhyme or reason. Chow’s budget has obviously been given a boost – you could probably count the shots that don’t include CGI on one hand. It is a pity that such technological freedom couldn’t be coupled with a solid story.The action, of course, is fantastic – completely ludicrous, flaunting every law of physics, but nevertheless convincing in such a cartoon-like environment. That is essentially what we have here: a live action cartoon. (The road-runner inspired chase sequence is testament to that.) In some moments we have a bit too much of a good thing: Chow seemed quite comfortable in letting action scenes simply go on and on, which, whilst entertaining, didn’t make for a well-paced narrative. I would have actually been happy to see a little less kung fu and a little more hustle. The trailer made it look like there would be a lot of dancing in this film which I thought would set it apart a little. There was about thirty seconds of dancing in the first ten minutes, which looks good but doesn’t at all match the soundtrack to the film. Qiu Yuen dominates this film, easily stealing the show from the rest of the talented cast. Her Landlady is one of the most memorable characters we’ve seen on the screen in recent years. Stephen Chow himself takes a back seat for a lot of the film, but he is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Take a look at his history on IMDb and see just how busy this man has been! Hopefully the success of his last two films will mean that some of his older ones get released here in Australia. I for one am dying to see God of Cookery (Sik san). Is this a well-rounded feature? Not in the slightest. But it is fun, and deserves credit for such a display of pure, frenetic energy. The best ‘kung fu gangster western’ I have ever seen. Rating:  Review by Stuart Wilson, 23rd August 2005 Hoopla Factor: Mark:is yet to review this film. |
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