Kung fu (2004) aka Kung Fu Szal
Also Known As:
Gong fu (Hong Kong: Mandarin title) 
Kung Fu Hustle (International: English title) 


Genre: Action / Comedy / Crime / Fantasy


Tagline: A new comedy unlike anything you have seen before 
Plot Outline: In Shanghai, China in the 1940s, a wannabe gangster aspires to join the notorious "Axe Gang" while residents of a housing complex exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf. 

User Comments: Visually Stunning & Just Plain Funny!



Cast overview, first billed only:  

 Stephen Chow ....  Sing 
 Xiaogang Feng ....  Crocodile Gang Boss (as Feng Xiao Gang) 
 Wah Yuen ....  Landlord 
 Zhi Hua Dong ....  Donut 
 Kwok-Kwan Chan ....  Brother Sum (as Danny Chan) 
 Chi Chung Lam ....  Bone (Sing's Sidekick) (as Lam Tze Chung) 
 Siu-Lung Leung ....  The Beast 
 Qiu Yuen ....  Landlady 
 Kai Man Tin ....  Axe Gang Advisor 
 Kang Xi Jia ....  Harpist #1 
 Hak On Fung ....  Harpist #2 
 Shengyi Huang ....  Fong 
 Suet Lam ....  Axe Gang Vice General 
 Cheung-Yan Yuen ....  Beggar (as Cheng Yan Yuen) 
 Chi Ling Chiu ....  Tailor 


Kung Fu Hustle was one of the most visually imaginative and unique movies I have seen in quite some time. Upon first viewing the trailer, I thought we would have another Kung Pow: Enter The Fist on our hands but, boy, was I wrong. Unlike Kung Pow, the jokes did not grow tired on me and the special effects were definitely top notch. The scene with the two assassins playing that stringed instrument (don't know the name of it) in such a way that it kills was incredible.

Although there was not much to the story, it was not non-existent, either. There was a simple story happening which made sense for what we were watching. Even the jokes with the subtitles came across as funny, and from my experience, humor does not translate as easily as this movie would have you believe. It borrowed or spoofed a bit from Spider-Man and The Matrix as well, which was a bit unexpected for this film, initially. At least for me.

To be honest, I could enjoy this movie without sound or subtitles, too. It was that appealing to the eye. It would be a good background movie for a party or poker game which could catch your eye at any moment and still hold your attention. It could also be great if you feel like a good comedy. I was entertained throughout and even though I was dead tired when I saw it in the theater, it held my interest all the way to the end. 9/10 


avi info:

display preferences:
w:640pix
h:256pix

audio preferences:
lengh: 1:39:25
bit rate: 129kb/s
encoder: MPEG Layer-3

video preferences:
23cps
transfer rate: 120kb/s
sample rate: 12 bit
video coder: Xvid codec