Kung Fu Hustle (2004/2005) (AKA Gong
Fu)
Note: Sorry, a few spoilers.
I'm on a roll with Asian films.
Directly after seeing the subtle and sorrowful masterpiece
"Nobody Knows"
, the sweet and joyous "Travelers
and Magicians," and the innovative and amazing
"Oldboy," I watched
"Kung Fu Hustle," another fun, cool, and venturesome
Asian film. I saw all four of these films within two
days of each other and the effect was mind-blowing.
While anime bores me and some Hong Kong action films
are as lame as their Hollywood counterparts, there
certainly seems to be some fantastic film coming from
the Asia countries. The only thing that bugs me is
that maybe nobody in America will see some of these
masterful new films.
Well, hopefully that won't be the
case with "Kung Fu Hustle" as Sony Pictures Classics
is giving the film a pretty wide release, and rightly
so. This is a fun film. You simply cannot watch it
without grinning from ear to ear. Goofy and cool,
the film is worthwhile even when it steals from other
movies at times and all the while revels in its genre
cliches. Certainly while watching the film I thought
of Robert Zemeckis, Coppola, Tarantino, the Wachowski
brothers, and Jackie Chan as well as envisioning recent
"wire Fu" films like "Crouching
Tiger" and "House of Flying
Daggers." There's a nexus of odd styles, granted
mainly Asian ones, here that somehow filmmaker and
actor Steven Chow manages to bring together to an
agreeable whole. He tops it all off with a nod to
Hollywood classics and underscores it with music that
sounds like it was created for an Asian version of
"Oklahoma." But the cinematic goulash that is this
film is one that is simply delicious, each spice complimenting
the other in a culmination of artistry.
To be sure, however, the thing that
makes the film work is its amusing story and its rich
characters. This is fun stuff. There's the heroes,
the villains, the sidekicks, the surprise heroes,
and a whole slew of goofy and fun secondary characters
that add a rich chemistry to the film. There's so
much to like here, all jam packed into one flamboyant,
cool and loveable movie that we simply fall in love
with the film and the characters that inhabit it.
A couple of side notes: First, I
thought the film was going to have a lot more dancing
in it. The trailer for it makes it seem like dance
is going to be a big part of the film. In fact, there
is only a small bit of it at the beginning of the
film and then this stylistic choice seems to be abandoned
for action and an homage to "Matrix." Still, there's
just enough of it to make the film fun. It still works.
Secondly, there are some cool yet
confusing gay characters in the film. Both of them
are heroic. Still, there's a bit of hateful speech
and then the epilogue of the film seems to belie the
film's gay positive theme. The character of the "barber"
(a young hairdresser cutie who has his ass hanging
out for the entire film) is a strong and positive
character. But in the film's epilogue - when everything
is put right with the world - Chow shows him (ass
still hanging out) coming on to a female. This suggest
that he was "wrong" before the "happy ending." To
be sure, it's a minor complaint and one that may even
be dismissed by those who never see the character
as "gay." It is hinted at by another character but
the cute, immodest hairdresser boy certainly never
says or does anything to cement the idea that he is
gay. Maybe it is just my own preconceived stereotyping
that makes me think he is.
Regardless of the moralizing, "Kung
Fu Hustle" is a fun and inventive film. This is one
you simply should not miss.
Notes:
In Cantonese and Mandarin with subtitles.
The film was nominated for and won
several Hong Kong film awards.
The film debuted in Toronto in September
of 2004. It debuted in many of the Asian countries,
including its native Hong Kong, in December of that
year. The film debuted in the US at Sundance and was
given a wide release in the states in April of 2005.
Viewed in Austin in April 2005,
on the same day I saw "Oldboy."
