Kung Fu Hustle – My Favorite Movie Scenes

From time to time, I like to look back at some of my favorite scenes from the movies. This week, we’re going to be getting our martial arts fix, as I’ve selected a scene from Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle. If you’ve already seen the film, then you know to expect plenty of cartoonish hijinx and grown men flying around on wires. If you haven’t seen it, then I recommend you head over to Netflix and move it to the top of your queue. Yes, it’s just that good, and there’s even a little romance thrown in for good measure.

After the success of his film, Shaolin Soccer, Chow was approached by the Asian branch of Columbia Pictures and given a budget of $20 million to make a movie. He chose to do a project that paid tribute to the martial arts films he watched as a child, and the results are nothing short of breathtaking. Kung Fu Hustle deftly melds together comedy, action, and drama to create a work of art not normally glimpsed by Western audiences.

Hardcore fans of the Hong Kong genre will be pleased with all the roles filled by legends of the past. For example:

Yuen Wah as The Landlord – A former stunt double of Bruce Lee (Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon), he’s appeared in over 160 films and 20 TV series.

Yuen Qiu as The Landlady – Had a role in The Man with the Golden Gun, and she studied under the same master as Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan.

Leung Siu Lung as The Beast – Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, he was a well-known actor and director of action films. The childhood hero of Stephen Chow.

Zhang Yibai as Inspector Chan – Director of films such as Lost Indulgence and Spring Subway.

Feng Xiaogang as Crocodile Gang Boss – Director of (among others) Big Shot’s Funeral and Assembly.

There are also tons of tributes and parodies to be found throughout the film. As you watch Kung Fu Hustle (assuming you take my advice), try to spot the following references:

• The Blues Brothers
• The Shining
• Top Hat
• Spider-Man
• The Matrix Reloaded
• The Untouchables
• Way of the Dragon
• The House of 72 Tenants
• Looney Toones (specifically anything with the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote)

Sammo Hung was originally the fight choreographer for the film, but he left during production and was replaced by Yuen Woo-ping (The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). I’m unsure how much (if any) of Hung’s work remains, but the finished product is a masterpiece of motion. Aided by CGI and wire work, the fighters fly through the air, rain down from the sky, and even use moves capable of blowing out the side of a building. This is kung-fu on a grand scale, and anyone new to the genre should be hooked.

Audiences around the globe agreed, as Kung Fu Hustle went on to become the highest-grossing film in the history of Hong Kong cinema. It’s the 10th highest grossing foreign language film ever released in the U.S. and it holds an impressive 90% freshness rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

But enough background on the film. Let’s talk about the scene I’ve selected:

A rundown tenement building known as Pig Sty Alley has been having trouble with the notorious underworld organization known as The Axe Gang. But as it turns out, the building happens to house three kung-fu heroes in the form of Coolie, Master of the 12 Kicks; Tailor, Master of the Iron Fist; and Donut, Master of the Hexagon Staff. After they repel an attack by the Axe Gang, the grouchy, chain-smoking Landlady tells them to hit the road. But as the three heroes prepare to part ways, they’re unaware that the Axe Gang has brought in professional help in the Harpists, a pair of assassins who play a very lethal, very magical guqin (those Chinese stringed instruments frequently seen in kung-fu movies set in the past). Let the battle begin…

Pretty badass, huh? And what’s really amazing is that this scene from Kung Fu Hustle doesn’t even feature the film’s protagonist.

If you do decide to become a Netflix subscriber by following our link, I’m bound by law to inform you that we do receive a small commission. This doesn’t add to your cost, of course, and anything we make goes right back into the site.

If you’d like to check out more of my favorite movie scenes, be sure and click on the links below:

• Glengarry Glen Ross
• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

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