Kung Fu Hustle

Infobox Film
name = Kung Fu Hustle


caption = Hong Kong film poster.
director = Stephen Chow
producer = Stephen Chow
Chu Po-Chui
Jeffrey Lau
writer = Stephen Chow
Tsang Kan-Cheong
Xin Huo
Chan Man-Keung
narrator =
starring = Stephen Chow
Yuen Wah
Yuen Qiu
Chan Kwok Kuen
Bruce Leung
music = Raymond Wong
cinematography = Poon Hang-Sang
editing = Angie Lam
distributor = flagicon|Hong Kong Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia flagicon|USA Sony Pictures Entertainment flagicon|USA Sony Pictures Classics
released = flagicon|Canada September 14, 2004
flagicon|China December 23, 2004
flagicon|USA January 23 2005
flagicon|UK June 24 2005
runtime = 95 min.
country = China
Hong Kong
language = Cantonese
Mandarin
budget = $20 million
preceded_by =
followed_by = "Kung Fu Hustle 2" (2010)
website = http://www.kungfuhustle.com/
amg_id = 1:314244
imdb_id = 0373074

"Kung Fu Hustle" (zh-cp |c=功夫 |p=Gōngfu) 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, portrayed by Chow, a petty criminal who is trying to join the city's most powerful gang.cite web
last = Biancolli
first = Amy
title = Review of Kung Fu Hustle
work =
publisher = Houston Chronicle
url = http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ae/movies/reviews/3146725.html
date = 2005-08-08
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-11 ]

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.cite web
last = Bloom
first = Bob
title = Review of Kung Fu Hustle
work =
publisher = Journal and Courier
url = http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/click/movie-1143248/reviews.php?critic=columns&sortby=default&page=4&rid=1381327
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-11 ] cite web
title = About the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra
publisher = Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra
url = http://www.hkco.org/Eng/about_hkco_eng.asp
accessdate = 2007-05-13 ] Although the film features the return of a number of retired 1970s actors of Hong Kong action cinema, it is in stark contrast to recent martial arts films that have made an impact in the West, such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero".cite web
last = Mapes
first = Marty
title = Review of Kung Fu Hustle
work =
publisher = Movie Habit
url = http://www.moviehabit.com/reviews/kun_du05.shtml
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-13 ]

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,cite news
last =
first =
coauthors =
title = 功夫45日收6080萬 創港產片開埠票房紀錄 (Kung Fu grosses HK$60.8 million in 45 days, creating a new box office record for Hong Kong)
work =
pages =
language = Chinese
publisher = Ming Pao
date = 2005-02-07
url = http://premium.mingpao.com/cfm/Content_News.cfm?Channel=ma&Path=66967691382/maa1.cfm
accessdate = 2007-05-02 ] and the highest grossing foreign language film in the United States in 2005.cite web
last = Scheidt
first = Jason
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Do the Hustle
work =
publisher = iMedia Connection
date =
url = http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/6581.asp
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-03 ]

Production

"Kung Fu Hustle" is a co-production of the Beijing Film Studio and Hong Kong's Star Overseas.cite web
last = Szeto
first = Kin-Yan
title = The politics of historiography in Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle
work =
publisher = Jump Cut
url = http://www.ejumpcut.org/currentissue/Szeto/index.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-05 ] After the success of his 2001 film, "Shaolin Soccer", Chow was approached in 2002 by Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia, offering to collaborate with him on a project. Chow accepted the offer, and the project eventually became "Kung Fu Hustle".cite web
title = Kung Fu Hustle production notes
publisher = Sensasian
url = http://www.sensasian.com/view/catalog.cgi/EN/1030
accessdate = 2007-05-08 ] Major inspirations of the film came from the martial arts films Chow watched as a child and his childhood ambition to become a martial artist.cite video
people = Stephen Chow
title = [http://www.ifilm.com/video/2667831 Interview with Stephen Chow]
medium = Online video
publisher = iFilm
location = Hong Kong
date = 2005-07-29 ]

Chow's first priority was to design the main location of the film, the Pig Sty Alley. He grew up in an environment similar to the Alley and the plot included many aspects of his daily life.cite web
last = Roman
first = Julian
title = Stephen Chow talks Kung Fu Hustle
work =
publisher = MovieWeb
date = 2005-04-04
url = http://www.movieweb.com/news/68/7368.php
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-14 ] A 1973 Shaw Brothers Studio film, "The House of 72 Tenants" was another inspiration for the Pig Sty Alley.cite web
last = Xu
first = Gary
title = The Gongfu of Kung Fu Hustle
work =
publisher = Synoptique
url = http://www.synoptique.ca/core/en/articles/xu_gongfu/
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-05 ] Designing of the Alley began in January 2003 and took four months to complete. Many of the props and furniture in the apartments were antiques from all over China. [cite video
people = Stephen Chow
title = [http://www.ifilm.com/video/2676634 Kung Fu Hustle Production Design]
medium = Online video
publisher = iFilm
location = Hong Kong
date = 2005-07-29 ]

Choreography

"Kung Fu Hustle" was produced with a budget of US$20 million. [cite web
title = Kung Fu Hustle general information
work =
publisher = Box Office Mojo
url = http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=kungfuhustle.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-13 ] Filming took place in Shanghai from June 2003 to November 2003.cite news
last = Zu
first = Blackcat
title = An Interview with the Production Team (Centro Digital Pictures Ltd.)
work =
pages = 1
language = Traditional Chinese
publisher =
date = 2004-12-31
url = http://www.cgvisual.com/headlines/Centro_kungFu/CGVheadlines_kungFu.htm
accessdate = 2007-05-17 ] Two-thirds of the time were spent shooting the fighting sequences. The fighting scenes of "Kung Fu Hustle" were initially choreographed by Sammo Hung. Production suffered a setback when Hung quit after two months due to illness, tough outdoor conditions, interest in another project and arguments with the production crew. [cite news
last = Zhu
first = Rongbin
title = 洪金寶走人袁和平救場 《功夫》緊急走馬換將 (Sammo Hung quits and is replaced by Yuen Woo-Ping)
work =
pages =
language = Traditional Chinese
publisher = Eastern News
date = 2003-08-20
url = http://news.eastday.com/epublish/big5/paper148/20030820/class014800007/hwz999348.htm
accessdate = 2007-05-17 ] Chow immediately contacted Yuen Woo-ping, an action choreographer with experience ranging from Hong Kong action cinema of the 1960s to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in the early 21st century to replace Hung. Yuen swiftly accepted the offer. In doing so, certain scenes in production under Hung were cancelled. Yuen managed to take seemingly outdated "wuxia" fighting styles like the Deadly Melody and Buddhist Palm and recreate them on the screen with his own imagination. [cite news
last = Zhang
first = Wenbo
title = 绝世功夫之技术篇--想像力的最高境界
pages =
language = Simplified Chinese
publisher = The Beijing News
date = 2004-12-27
url = http://ent.sina.com.cn/r/m/2004-12-27/1345611519.html
accessdate = 2007-05-17 ]

Special effects were mainly created with a combination of computer-generated imagery and wire work.cite web
last = Shieh
first = Joe
title = Kung Fu Hustle Review
work =
publisher = KFC Cinema
url = http://www.kfccinema.com/reviews/kungfu/kungfuhustle/kungfuhustle.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-08 ] Legendary martial arts mentioned in wuxia novels were depicted and exaggerated through CGI, but actual people, rather than digital effects were used to film the final fight between Chow's character and the hundreds of axe-wielding gangsters. A Hong Kong computer graphics company, Centro Digital Pictures Limited was solely responsible for the CGI of "Kung Fu Hustle". The company had experience in highly acclaimed films like "Shaolin Soccer" and "Kill Bill". Their team had performed extensive tests on various scenes that could be depicted by CGI before filming started. A group of six people followed the production crew throughout the shooting. Treatment of the preliminary shots began straight afterwards. The CGI crew removed wire effects and applied special effects under high resolution. After a final calibration of colour, data of the processed scenes were sent to the United States for the production of the final version of the film.

Casting

"Kung Fu Hustle" pays tribute to many famous veterans of Hong Kong action cinema of the 1970s. Yuen Wah, a member of the Seven Little Fortunes, plays the Landlord of the Pig Sty Alley. He has appeared in hundreds of Hong Kong films from the 1970s and was a stunt double of Bruce Lee. Yuen Wah considered the film to be the peak of his career. He remarked that despite the comedic nature of the film, the shooting process was a serious matter. With a tight schedule, there was no time for laughs. In spite of the film's success, Yuen Wah worried that nowadays fewer people practice martial arts. [cite news
last = Zhang
first = Xiaomin
title = 从李小龙替身到影帝 元华：担忧中国功夫后继无人 (From a Bruce Lee impersonator to a movie star: Yuen Wah worries that Chinese martial arts may lack a successor)
language = Simplified Chinese
publisher = Eastern Sports Daily
url = http://www.donnieyen.net/htm/kungfustar/185410374.htm
accessdate = 2007-05-17 ]

The part of the Landlady was offered to Yuen Qiu, another student of Yu Jim Yuen, "sifu" of the Seven Little Fortunes. Yuen Qiu was a girl in "The Man with the Golden Gun" at the age of 18.cite web
title = 元秋：演007时我才十几岁 现在不担心形象 (Yuen Qiu: I was only 18 when I appeared in a Bond Film, I don't worry about my image now)
publisher = Sina
date = 2004-12-17
url = http://ent.sina.com.cn/2004-12-17/1853602893.html|accessdate=2007-05-16
language = Simplified Chinese] Having retired from the film industry after her marriage in the 1980s, "Kung Fu Hustle" was her comeback. She admitted that she never expected to star in the film. When her colleague was on stage during a tryout for "Kung Fu Hustle", she stood near her and smoked a cigarette with a sarcastic expression on her face. That pose earned her the part. To fulfill Stephen Chow's image of a "fat lady", Yuen Qiu deliberately gained weight before production by eating midnight snacks on a daily basis.

Leung Siu Lung, who plays the Beast, is Stephen Chow's childhood martial arts hero. Leung Siu Lung was a famous action film director and actor in the 1970s and 1980s, known as the "Third Dragon" after Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Having lost the Taiwanese film market in the late 1980s following a visit to China, he switched to doing business. "Kung Fu Hustle" was his return to the film industry after a 15-year hiatus. He regards Chow as a flexible director with high standards, and was particularly impressed by the first scene involving the Beast, which had to be reshot 28 times. [cite news
last = Li
first = Yijun
title =《功夫》配角都有功夫 (The supporting characters of Kung Fu Hustle know kung fu)
work =
pages =
language = Simplified Chinese
publisher = Zaobao
date = 2004-12-24
url = http://stars.zaobao.com/pages1/stephen241204.html
accessdate = 2007-05-17 ]

Besides famous martial artists, "Kung Fu Hustle" features legends of Chinese cinema. Two famous Chinese directors appear in the film: Zhang Yibai, who plays Inspector Chan at the beginning of the film and Feng Xiaogang, who plays the boss of the Crocodile Gang.cite web
last = Kin-Wah
first = Szeto
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Geopolitical imaginary: Hong Kong, the Mainland and Hollywood
work =
publisher = Jump Cut
date =
url = http://www.ejumpcut.org/currentissue/Szeto/2.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-11 ]

Huang Shengyi made her debut to the film industry and played Fong, a mute ice-cream vendor. Having been asked whether she wanted to have any dialogue in the film, she decided not to speak so as to stand out only with her body gestures. She stated that it was an honour to work with experienced actors and directors and a great learning opportunity for future roles. [cite news
title = 《功夫》明星说功夫 梁小龙演反派感觉很陌生 (Kung Fu Hustle actors comment on the film)
work =
pages =
language = Simplified Chinese
publisher = Sina
date = 2007-12-15
url = http://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2004-12-15/1150599985.html
accessdate = 2007-05-17 ]

Music

The majority of the film's original score was composed by Raymond Wong and performed by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. The score imitates traditional Chinese music in 1940s swordplay films. [cite web
last = Pollard
first = Mark
title = Kung Fu Hustle review
work =
publisher = Kung Fu Cinema
date =
url = http://www.kungfucinema.com/reviews/kungfuhustle_082205.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-18 ] One of Wong's works, "Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained" provides a stark contrast between the villainous Axe Gang and the peaceful neighbourhood of the Pig Sty Alley, depicted by a Chinese folk song, "Fisherman’s Song of the East China Sea". Along with Wong's compositions and various traditional Chinese songs, classical compositions are featured in the score, including excerpts from "Zigeunerweisen" by Pablo de Sarasate and "Sabre Dance" by Aram Khachaturian.Cite web
last = Sung
first = Mark
title = Kung Fu Hustle review
year = 2004
url = http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/kung_fu_hustle.htm
accessdate = 2007-05-12 ] A song is sung in the background by Huang Shengyi at the end of the film. The song, "Zhi Yao Wei Ni Huo Yi Tian" (只要為你活一天) was written by Liu Jie Cheng in the 1970s. It tells of a girl's memories of a loved one, and her desire to live for him again. [cite web
title = Kung Fu Hustle production notes
work =
publisher = Rotten Tomatoes
date =
url = http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kung_fu_hustle/about.php
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-18 ] "Kung Fu Hustle" was nominated for the Best Original Film Score in the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards. [Citation
last = Anon
first = Kozo
title = Kung Fu Hustle review
date = 2005-03-14
year = 2005
url = http://soundtracks.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_5180.php/Kung_Fu_Hustle_Soundtrack_Artwork_&_Details
accessdate = 2007-05-12 ]

Asian and American versions of the soundtrack have been released. The Asian version of the soundtrack was released on 17 December 2004 by Sony Music Entertainment and has 33 tracks. [Citation
title = Soundtrack Details of Kung Fu Hustle
date = 2004-12-17
year = 2004
url = http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/soundtrackdetail.php?movieid=70817
accessdate = 2007-05-12 ] The American version of the soundtrack was released on 29 March 2005 by Varèse Sarabande and has 19 tracks. [Citation
title = Kung Fu Hustle sountrack information
date = 2005-03-29
year = 2005
url = http://www.vh1.com/movies/movie/263855/879108/soundtrack_info.jhtml
accessdate = 2007-05-12 ]

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 promiscuous troublemaker, he likes to trick women into kissing him and spy on women while they bathe. He is a master of Tai Chi Chuan.
* 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 the Jinyong famous The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.cite web|url=http://ent.sina.com.cn/r/m/2004-12-27/1351611521.html|title=综述：绝世功夫之内容篇-一场功夫宴千秋武侠梦|publisher=SINA|date=2004-12-27|accessdate=2008-01-09|language=Simplified Chinese]
* Chan Kwok Kuen (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. 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 Wire 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.

Plot

The 1930s Shanghai is in turmoil. Various gangs vie for power, the most feared of which is the Axe Gang, aptly named after their preferred weapons. The leader of the Axe Gang is the infamous Brother Sum. With the police powerless to stem the crime wave, people can only live in peace in poor areas which do not appeal to gangsters. An example is Pig Sty Alley, a tenement home to people of various trades, run by a lecherous landlord and his domineering wife. One day, two troublemakers, Sing and Bone, come to the alley impersonating members of the Axe Gang to command respect. Sing attracts the real gang to the scene, but the gangsters are repelled thanks to the martial arts mastery of three tenants (the Coolie, Tailor and Donut the baker).

Sing and Bone muse their failure, and Sing describes his childhood. He spent his life savings to buy a manual from a beggar with the intention of "preserving world peace". He practised his skills, but was beaten and urinated on when he tried to save a mute girl from bullies trying to steal her lollipop. Sing realises that the good guys never win and decides to become a bad person. The duo then steals ice cream from a mute female vendor and escape laughing maniacally on a tram.

Angered by his gang's defeat, Brother Sum hires the Harpists, a skilled pair of assassins who fight using a magical guqin. They strike the Pig Sty Alley at night as the Coolie, Tailor and Doughnut are getting ready to depart, having been evicted for antagonising the gang. The three are quickly overwhelmed, prompting the Landlord and his wife, also martial artists, to intervene (due to the Landlady being annoyed by the Harpists' music). Although the killers and the Axe Gang are driven off, the three evicts cannot survive either. The Coolie gets decapitated, the Tailor dies from severe stab wounds, and Donut dies from a sustained injury.

The following day, Sing mugs the mute ice cream vendor, who is revealed to be the girl Sing attempted to save in his childhood. Upset, he berates Bone, and while despairing in the gutter he is picked up by the Axe Gang and joins their ranks. Brother Sum, having earlier witnessed Sing's ability to quickly pick locks, instructs him to sneak into a mental asylum to free the Beast, the Ultimate King of Killers (終極殺人王) to kill the Landlord and Landlady.

Brother Sum is initially skeptical of the Beast because of his flippant attitude and sloppy appearance, but is ultimately convinced when he stops a bullet between his fingertips. The Beast approaches the Landlord and Landlady in Sum's casino. Landlady explains that the good cannot coexist with the bad, moving Sing and changing him for the better. The Beast, Landlord and Landlady then engage in a fierce battle. Using a giant funeral bell as a megaphone to amplify the Landlady's Lion's Roar, the couple nearly defeats the more powerful Beast, but they are outsmarted by his desperation move, resulting in the three getting stuck in mutual joint locks. Brother Sum instructs Sing to smash the Landlady's head with a table leg, but Sing hits Brother Sum, then the Beast, who angrily pulverises him. Fortunately, he is carried off by the Landlord and his wife while the Beast's back is turned. The angry Beast casually kills Brother Sum when rebuked by breaking his neck and twisting his head around.

Back in the Alley, Sing, wrapped head-to-toe in bandages and treated with Chinese medicine, undergoes metamorphosis. He quickly recovers, and his potential as a Kung Fu genius is realised. He engages the Axe Gang and the Beast, dispatching the gangsters with ease. However, he is sent flying high into the air by the Beast's toad technique. Up in the sky, Sing realizes the Buddhist Palm, diving downwards with his body ablaze, holding out his palm. He creates a hand-shaped crater in the ground, defeating the Beast. He easily stops the Beast's desperation move and the Beast concedes defeat.

Some time later, Sing and Bone open a candy store that specialises in lollipops. When the mute ice cream vendor walks by, Sing goes out to meet her. The two see each other as their childhood selves, and run happily into the shop. Outside, the same beggar who sold Sing the Buddhist Palm manual offers a selection of martial arts manuals to a boy eating a lollipop.

Parodies and references

"Kung Fu Hustle" makes references to a wide range of films, animated cartoons and other sources, drawing on ideas from Wuxia novels. The housing arrangement of the Pig Sty Alley is similar to that of a 1973 Hong Kong film, "The House of 72 Tenants" (七十二家房客). When Sing arrives at Pig Sty Alley, he shows fancy footwork with a football, then says, "You're still playing football?". This refers to his previous movie, "Shaolin Soccer". During the altercation between Sing and the hairdresser, the hairdresser states, "Even if you kill me, there will be thousands more of me!". This is a parody of a saying by Lu Hao-tung, a Chinese revolutionary in the late Qing Dynasty.cite web
title = 從金剛腿到如來神掌—論《功夫》(From the Steel Leg to Ru Lai Shen Zhang, Kung Fu Hustle)
publisher = Department of Chinese Literature, Sun-Yat-Sen university
date = 2005-04-21
url = http://www.chinese.nsysu.edu.tw/932chp/article/f04.htm
accessdate = 2007-05-04 zh icon] The scene where Sing is chased by the Landlady as he flees from the Alley is a homage to Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, characters in Looney Tunes cartoons, down to the pursuer's (the Landlady's) ill fate. As Sing arrives at the door to the Beast's cell in the mental asylum, he hallucinates a large wave of blood rushing from the cell door, similar to a scene in "The Shining". [cite web
last = Glaze
first = Violet
title = Review: Kung Fu Hustle
work = Citypaper Film
date = 2005-04-20
url = http://citypaper.com/film/review.asp?rid=8708
accessdate = 2007-07-10 ]

A major element of the plot is based on the 1982 martial arts film "Ru Lai Shen Zhang" (如來神掌). Sing studied the same Buddhist Palm Kung Fu style from a young age and realised it at the end of the film. In reality, it does not leave palm-shaped craters and holes on impact. Instead, the user delivers powerful punches using his palm. The Chinese name of the Beast, the Evil God of the Fiery Cloud (火雲邪神) and the fight with the Landlady and her husband are also references to the film, where a mortally wounded master strikes the patterns of his art's final techniques into a bell so that his apprentice can learn from it. [cite web
title = Plot summary of Ru Lai Shen Zhang
publisher = Pearlcity
url = http://www.pearlcity.com.hk/f4.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-17 zh icon] There are direct references to some characters from Jin Yong's "wuxia" novels. For example, the landlord and landlady referred to themselves as Yang Guo (楊過) and Xiao Long Nü (小龍女) from Jinyong's "The Return of the Condor Heroes" when they met the Beast. [cite web
title = 神鵰俠侶‧人物介紹 (Character introduction of The Return of the Condor Heroes)
publisher = TVB
url = http://tvcity.tvb.com/drama/the_saviour_of_the_soul/cast/index.html
accessdate = 2007-05-04 zh icon]

References to gangster films are also present. The boss of the Axe Gang, Brother Sum (琛哥) is named after Sam Han (韓琛), the triad boss in "Infernal Affairs". [cite web
title = Infernal Affairs Summary
publisher = Star Boulevard
url = http://movie.starblvd.net/cgi-bin/movie/euccns?/film/2002/InfernalAffairs/InfernalAffairs.html
accessdate = 2007-05-14 zh icon] The Harpists imitate "The Blues Brothers", wearing similar hats and sunglasses at all times. When they are flattered by the Axe Gang advisor, one of them answers "Strictly speaking we're just musicians", similar to a line by Elwood Blues. [cite video
people = Dan Aykroyd
title = The Blues Brothers
medium = DVD
publisher = Universal Pictures
location = Chicago
year = 1980 ] When Donut dies, he says "in great power lies great responsibility", a clear reference to "Spider-Man", said by Uncle Ben before his death. Afterwards, with his dying breath, he gets up, grabs the Landlord by the shirt and utters in English, "What are you prepared to do?", a nod to Sean Connery's character Jim Malone in Brian De Palma's 1987 film "The Untouchables." [cite video
people = Sean Connery
title = The Untouchables
medium = DVD
publisher = Paramount Pictures
location = Chicago
year = 1987 ] The final fight between Sing and the hundreds of gangsters imitates the fight between Neo and hundreds of Agent Smiths in "The Matrix Reloaded"..

The last scene, in which the beggar tries to sell martial arts manuals, refers directly to the greatest skills in Jin Yong's Condor Trilogy (Nine Yang Manual and Divine Finger Skill) and Smiling, Proud, Wanderer (Thousand Palm Skill and Nine Swords of Dugu).

Releases

"Kung Fu Hustle" had its world premiere at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival. It was then released in China, Hong Kong and other countries in Asia with significant overseas Chinese populations in December 2004. The film was first shown in the United States at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2005, and then opened in a general release on 22 April 2005 after being shown in Los Angeles and New York for two weeks. The film was released to most of Europe in June 2005.cite web
title = Release information of Kung Fu Hustle
publisher = Internet Movie Database
url = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373074/releaseinfo
accessdate = 2007-05-05 ] Kung Fu Hustle is rated IIB (not suitable for children and young persons) in Hong Kong, R in the United States for sequences of strong stylised action and violence and is rated to be viewed by people with a minimum age ranging from 13 to 18 in other countries. [cite web
title = General information of Kung Fu Hustle
publisher = Internet Movie Database
url = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373074/
accessdate = 2007-05-05 ]

The North American DVD release was on 8 August 2005. A Blu-Ray version of the DVD was released on 12 December 2006 by Sony Pictures.

The Portuguese title of the movie is "Kungfusão", which sounds like kung fu and "Confusão" (confusion). [cite web
title = Filme - Kung-fusão (Kung Fu Hustle)
publisher = CinePop
url = http://www.cinepop.com.br/filmes/kungfusao.htm
accessdate = 2007-05-06 pt icon] In the same way, the Italian and Spanish titles were "Kung-fusion" and "Kung-fusión", puns of "confusion". [cite web
title = Official site of Kung-fusion
publisher = Sony Pictures Releasing International
url = http://www.kung-fusion.it/
accessdate = 2007-05-06 it icon] [cite web
title = Spanish review of Kung-fusión
publisher = Fotograma
url = http://fotograma.com/notas/reviews/3724.shtml
accessdate = 2007-05-06 es icon] In France, the film is known as "Crazy Kung Fu", and the Hungarian title is "A Pofonok Földje", meaning "The Land of Punches". [cite web
title = Crazy kung-fu
work =
publisher = Allocine
date = 2005-06-08
url = http://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=57959.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-14 fr icon] [cite web
last = Viktor
first = Szekeres
title = A pofonok földje - Stephen Chow megmutatja
work =
publisher = SG.hu
date = 2005-07-09
url = http://www.sg.hu/cikkek/38013/a_pofonok_foldje_stephen_chow_megmutatja
accessdate = 2007-05-14 hu icon]

Reception

The film was well-received by critics, earning the high score of 90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes based on a total of 166 reviews.cite web | title = Kung Fu Hustle | publisher = Rotten Tomatoes | url = http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kung_fu_hustle/ | accessdate = 2007-05-17 ] Film critic Roger Ebert described the film "like Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton meet Quentin Tarantino and Bugs Bunny" at the Sundance Film Festival. [cite web
last = Ebert
first = Roger
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Kung Fu Hustle Review
work =
publisher = Roger Ebert
date = 2005-04-21
url = http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050422/REVIEWS/50411001/1023
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-13 ] The comment was printed on the promotion posters for "Kung Fu Hustle" in the United States. [cite web
title = Kung Fu Hustle promotional poster in the United States
work =
date = 2005-04-22
url = http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050422/REVIEWS/50411001/1023
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-13 ] [cite web
title = Kung Fu Hustle
work =
publisher = MovieWeb
date =
url = http://www.movieweb.com/movies/film/78/2678/poster1.php
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-13 ] Other critics described it as a comedic version of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". [cite web
last = Douglas
first = Michael
title = Kung Fu Hustle Review
publisher = Comingsoon.net
work =
date =
url = http://www.comingsoon.net/news/reviewsnews.php?id=9049
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-28 ] Positive reviews generally give credit to the elements of mo lei tau comedy present in the film. A number of reviewers viewed it as a computer-enhanced Looney Tunes punch-up. Much of the criticism for the film is directed at its lack of character development and a coherent plot. "Las Vegas Weekly", for instance criticised the film for the lack of a central protagonist and character depth. [cite web
last = Bell
first = Josh
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Screen: Kung Fu Hustle
work =
publisher = Las Vegas Weekly
date = 2005-04-21
url = http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/2005/04/21/screen2.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-04 ] Criticisms are also directed at the film's cartoonish and childish humour. [cite web
last =
first = Scott
authorlink =
coauthors = Patrick
title = Kung Fu Hustle movie review
work =
publisher = Threemoviebuffs
date = 2005-04-24
url = http://www.threemoviebuffs.com/review.php?movieID=kungfuhustle
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-04 ] Richard Roeper gave it a negative review, saying he “never been a fan of that over the top slapstick stuff”, [cite web
last = Holtreman
first = Vic
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Ebert and *cough* Roeper: Anyone Still Watch This Show?
work =
publisher = Screen Rant
date = 2005-04-19
url = http://screenrant.com/ebert-and-cough-roeper-anyone-still-watch-this-show-vic-322/
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-08-08 ] even though he gave a positive review to "Kung Fu Panda" much later. Bolstering this, "Kung Fu Hustle" reportedly inspired the 2008 animated martial arts film "Kung Fu Panda," [Gaul, Lou. (November 4, 2005) Bucks County Courier Times. " [http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=%22Kung+Fu+Panda.%22+The+computer-animated+picture+was+reportedly+inspired+by+Stephen+Chow%27s+action+comedy%2C+%22Kung+Fu+Hustle.%22&btnG=Search+Archives&hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8 1104 Film Clips.] " Section: ToDo; Page 2E.] which includes Jackie Chan as the character, Master Monkey.

Box office

"Kung Fu Hustle" opened in Hong Kong on 23 December 2004, and earned HK$4,990,000 on its opening day. It stayed at the top of the box office for the rest of 2004 and for much of early 2005, eventually grossing HK$60 million. Its box office tally made it the highest grossing film in Hong Kong history, surpassing the previous record holder, Chow's "Shaolin Soccer".

The film began a limited two-week theatrical run in New York City and Los Angeles on 8 April 2005 before being widely released across North America on 22 April. In its first week of limited release in seven cinemas, it grossed US$269,225 (US$38,461 per screen). [cite web
last = Strowbridge
first = C.S.
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Hustle and Bustle
work =
publisher = The Numbers
date = 2005-04-12
url = http://www.the-numbers.com/interactive/newsStory.php?newsID=1203
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-03 ] When it was expanded to a wide release in 2,503 cinemas, the largest number of cinemas ever for a foreign language film, it made a modest US$6,749,572 (US$2,696 per screen), eventually grossing a total of US$17,108,591 in 129 days. In total, "Kung Fu Hustle" had a worldwide gross of US$101,104,669. [cite web
title = Kung Fu Hustle Box Office Data
publisher = The Numbers
url = http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2005/KFHUS.php
accessdate = 2007-05-03 ] While not a blockbuster, "Kung Fu Hustle" managed to be the highest-grossing foreign language film in North America in 2005, and it went on to find a cult following on DVD.

Awards

"Kung Fu Hustle" received a large number of award nominations in the Hong Kong Film Awards and Golden Horse Awards of 2005. It was nominated for 16 Hong Kong Film Awards and won 6: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Yuen Wah), Best Sound Effects, Best Visual Effects, Best Choreography and Best Film Editing. In the Golden Horse Awards, "Kung Fu Hustle" received 10 nominations and won 5: Best Picture, Best Director (Stephen Chow), Best Supporting Actress (Yuen Qiu), Best Visual Effects and Best make-up and costume design. [cite web
title = 周星驰横扫金马奖全靠“功夫” 舒淇喜极而泣 (Thanks to Kung Fu Hustle, Stephen Chow makes a clean sweep of the Golden Horse Awards. Shu qi cries in joy)
publisher = Sohu
date = 2005-11-14
url = http://yule.sohu.com/20051114/n227487601.shtml
accessdate = 2007-05-02 zh icon] Furthermore, the movie was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, as well as a BAFTA award for Best Film not in the English language. [cite web
title = Stephen Chow in Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
publisher = Mooviees!
url = http://www.mooviees.com/26607-Stephen-Chow/celebrity_25400
accessdate = 2007-05-14 ]

Sequel

In 2005, Chow asserted that there will be a sequel to "Kung Fu Hustle", though stated that he hadn't settled on a female lead."There will be a lot of new characters in the movie. We'll need a lot of new actors. It's possible that we'll look for people abroad besides casting locals."cite web
title = Stephen Chow Talks "Kung Fu Hustle" Sequel
work =
publisher = Rotten Tomatoes
url = http://www.rottentomatoes.com/news/comments/?entryid=236002
date = 2005-08-31
accessdate = 2007-06-27] Production of "Kung Fu Hustle 2" was delayed whilst Chow filmed "CJ7" (formerly known as "A Hope"), a sci-fi adventure. As a result, "Kung Fu Hustle 2" is slated for a 2010 release.cite web
title = Stephen Chow offers 'A Hope'
work =
publisher = Time Out
url = http://www.timeout.com/film/news/1284.html
date = 2006-07-18
accessdate = 2007-06-27 ]

ee also

*Cinema of Hong Kong
*Cinema of China

References

External links

*
*
* [http://www.kungfuhustle.com/ Official site]
*
* [http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/kung_fu_hustle.htm "Kung Fu Hustle"] at LoveHKFilm.com
*
*
* " [http://www.mrqe.com/lookup?Kung+Fu+Hustle Kung Fu Hustle] " at the Movie Review Query Engine
* [http://us.yesasia.com/en/mc/-/Y38642mmf5/featureArticle.aspx/section-videos/code-c/version-all/articleId-21/ The Six Degrees of Stephen Chow and "Kung Fu Hustle"]