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Kung Fu Hustle is a 2004 Hong Kong martial arts film co-written, co-produced and directed by Stephen Chow, who also stars in the film. 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.
The use of visual effects have 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 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.
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.
The film was well-received by critics, earning the high score of 90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes based on a total of 166 reviews. Film critic Roger Ebert described the film "like Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton meet Quentin Tarantino and Bugs Bunny" at the Sundance Film Festival. The comment was printed on the promotion posters for Kung Fu Hustle in the United States. Other critics described it as a comedic version of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. 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. Criticisms are also directed at the film's cartoonish and childish humour.
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). 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. 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.Wikipedia |
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