Kung Fu Hustle – Part 1 of 11
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Details
Kung Fu Hustle (Chinese: 功夫; pinyin: Gongfu) is a 2004 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film co-written, co-produced, directed by and starring Stephen Chow. The film is a humorous parody and a homage to the wuxia genre, and contains most of the characteristics of a typical wuxia movie with exaggerations, serious situations and comic plots. Set in 1930s Shanghai, it is a tale of redemption for the central character, a petty criminal portrayed by Chow, who is trying to join the city’s most powerful gang.
The use of visual effects has been widely acclaimed and the cartoon style of the movie accompanied by traditional Chinese music is its most striking feature. Although the film features the return of a number of retired actors from 1970s Hong Kong action cinema, it is in stark contrast to other martial arts films around the same time that have made the biggest impact in the West, such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero.
The film was released on 23 December 2004 after two years of production and received positive reviews from critics. It went on to become the highest-grossing film in the history of Hong Kong, and the highest-grossing foreign language film in the United States in 2005.
Synopsis
A hapless wanna be gangster, Sing, must overcome his inability to wield a knife and demonstrate his mettle in order to become a member of the notorious Axe Gang. The Axe Gang, meanwhile, want to reign supreme by occupying the most coveted territory, which is a sacred street protected by an unlikely cast of characters, many of whom are highly skilled kung fu masters disguised as ordinary people. After several encounters with thugs and a fearsome adversary known as the Beast, Sing overcomes his inadequacy and realizes he is the greatest kung fu master of them all, destined to protect the sacred street.
Cast
- Stephen Chow (周星馳) as Sing, a loser in life whose ambition is to join the Axe Gang. He has attempted many misdeeds, but all of them have failed or backfired.
- Yuen Wah (元華) as the Landlord of the Pig Sty Alley. A lecher and a troublemaker. He is a master of Tai Qi Quan.
- Yuen Qiu (元秋) as the Landlady of the Pig Sty Alley. Selfish and domineering, she is a chain smoker with a loud voice, a side effect of her mastery of a Kung Fu technique known as the Lion’s Roar. A skill extract from Jin Yong famous The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.
- Danny Chan Kwok Kwan (陳國坤) as Brother Sum, the shady leader of the Axe Gang. The Axe Gang is the most feared gang in Shanghai controlling many casinos, night clubs and restaurants. The gang is notorious for its axe-wielding gangmen.
- Leung Siu Lung (梁小龍) as the Beast, officially the world’s top killer, a fact belied by his unkempt appearance. He has killed many in his quest to find a worthy opponent all to no avail. Therefore, he had himself committed to a mental asylum, until Sing freed him to deal with the Landlord and his wife. His final skill he used on Sing; The Toad Stance was another skill extract from Jinyong classic martial arts novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Return of the Condor Heroes.
- Chiu Chi Ling (趙志淩) as the gay Tailor of Pig Sty Alley. This retired Kung Fu master specialises in the art of Hung Gar Iron Fist kung fu (洪家鐵線拳), and fights with iron rings around his arms.
- Dong Zhi Hua (董志華) as Donut, a baker in Pig Sty Alley who is a retired Kung Fu master. He specialises in the Eight Trigram Staff (五郎八卦棍).
- Xing Yu (行宇) as the Coolie, a Kung Fu master specialising in Twelve Kicks of the Tam School (十二路潭腿).
- Lam Chi Chung (林子聰) as Bone, Sing’s sidekick.
- Huang Sheng Yi as Fong, Sing’s mute love interest. Back in her childhood, she was saved by Sing from a gang of bullies. Ever since then, she has viewed him as her hero. In the present day, she works as an ice-cream vendor.
- Tin Kai Man (田啟文) as the advisor of Brother Sum, the leader of the Axe Gang.
- Gar Hong Hay (賈康熙) and Fung Hak On (馮克安) as the Harpists, two killers hired by the Axe Gang to wipe out the Coolie, Tailor and Donut. Their instrument is the guzheng, or “Chinese harp”.
- Lam Suet (林雪) and Liang Hsiao as high ranking members of the Axe Gang.
- Yuen Cheung Yan (袁祥仁) as the Beggar who sold Sing the Buddhist Palm manual.
