Special to The Chief
Stephen Chow first hit American theatres with his brilliant CGI-Fu comedy Shaolin Soccer. Unfortunately, a truly awful American version left only a hint of the original's potency.
Not this time, however, as fresh from his limitless imagination comes Kung Fu Hustle, continuing Stephen's fantastic ability to take Kung-Fu movies to places they've never screen.
Brutal violence, cut to brilliant dancing, then people running around like the Road Runner. Nutty stuff. Yet, for as many brilliant places this film goes in the end it's lack of focus leaves one wondering "What the heck was that?".
The plot revolves around a time when cities are run by gangs. To get away one must go to little towns like Pig Sty Alley. There you find mild mannered people who, like all wise kung-fu, men have given up their skills because fighting is wrong. Similarly, these people also end up kicking ass. The characters are truly top notch. What separates a good kung fu fantasy from a bad one are the super powers, The Landlady, Number One Killers, The Axe Gang, all fantastic in their own way.
We live in an age where there are many types of evil - not the least of which is when CGI graphics are used for giving life to insipid plots. It's refreshing to know there are people like Stephen Chow fighting for good, making an effort to keep it going in new and sometimes flabbergasting directions.
