Cinematic Perfection Vol. 5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This critic has seen more than 600 films. The fact of that matter is I am a very harsh critic, and one that does not give high marks very often, especially recently. Nonetheless, there are movies in which received the highest honor from me. Yes, perfect scores coming from me do exist, and I am every so often throwing reviews of movies that I absolutely loved and adored to prove to you that yes I can enjoy movies just as much as hate them. These are in no order, they are all equally amazing movies that should be viewed by everybody---at least once
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Do The Hustle! Kung Fu Hustle is entertainment heaven for those who want pointless amusement, 6 August 2005

Author: diac228 (diac1987@netscape.net) from Orlando, Florida
Are you bored? Do you live a boring life? Do you want something different in your life? I recommend this: go to the movies. Oh, don't fret, I know that lately the movies have been nothing more than a lot of disappointments, mind numbing horror flicks, and romantic comedies starring grade A actors. Of course if you live a boring life, that means you do not have that significant other as of now. Don't fret. Watch Kung Fu Hustle. Yes, I know, it looks totally weird, different, and stupid. But there is one sure thing; this is one of the most entertaining movies in a very long time. You do not need to actually think much, but just sit there and be blown away by the visuals, laugh your butt off at the physical comedy, admire the jaw-dropping fight scenes, and also get teary-eyed at the sentimental scenes. Kung Fu Hustle is 95 minutes of fast-paced in-your-face action that leaves you with a smile on your face throughout the entire film.

From the first scene to the last, you will be seeing things that you do not see in regular films. For starters the beginning of the movie features a dance sequence involving a gang of professionally dressed axe-carrying assassins. Kung Fu Hustle is about a wannabe gangster trying to join the "Axe Gang," while the Axe Gang is having trouble with the strong citizens of a certain deserted area outside the city. Throughout the film you see the main character try whatever to join the gang, and you will see the gang go to extraordinary lengths to teach the landlady and the landlady's husband a lesson. What makes this movie so great is that the movie combines good old-school kung fu action with excellent visual and special effects, and also a few action and chase sequences that look like they were ripped off of old Warner Brothers cartoons. The plot is very simple and easy to follow, but it will be all the chaos that will lure you into the film.

Fighting. More fighting. Countless fighting. It is all there. Whether it is one man against an entire gang, a few citizens against blind assassins wielding a deadly musical instrument, an insane man against a powerful couple, a very loud lady against her husband, or an old-fashioned brawl amongst the citizens just for the sake of fighting, Kung Fu Hustle will deliver so much action, it parallels the action-packed Kill Bill (Volumes 1 AND 2). And then there are the Looney Tunes-style scenes. The visuals shine during these scenes, especially the chase between the landlady and the main character (Sing, played by the director/writer of the film, Stephen Chow). Mostly the cartoonish action is for humorous moments, but at other times the style of fighting also became serious, at one point it even resembled Dragonball Z, the infamous anime that stretched a plot to incredible lengths (20+ episodes it took just to show one fight).

With most good all-around films, you also get your sentimental moments as well. With this film, there is this sad scene with Sing and his bitter past and how it shapes up his personality. There are other moments but I'd rather not spoil them for you. The acting is not the world's greatest, but like most action-packed films, it is not necessary as long as there is enough going on to keep you on your feet. There is a lot of slapstick and physical humor that makes up for the lack of jokes involving dialogue; so if you are the kind that does not laugh at a typical businessman beating down two wanna-be assassins or a guy throwing a knife at a woman, only to have it bounce back and stab him, then you are not going to find this movie as funny as other people would.

Bottom Line: One of the best films in a very long time. Very well directed, plenty of effort was put into this, and it pays off. Plenty of action, comedy, and also with a dab of good music and drama fills the bill as the 95 minutes watching this is much better than just watching the typical two-hour movie. I had a lot of fun watching this, reminds me of the old days when I would watch cartoons that have no plot whatsoever but did not matter because they were just fun to watch over and over again. Surely this film will not get the box office success that it deserves, because it is too goofy for people, and some teenagers (and adults) will fear that their ego will be tainted if they are caught watching this. Come on everyone, watch this foreign masterpiece and do the hustle!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Afterthought: I printed this review (despite it being years old) because this was written much before I actually joined Facebook, and also because I just saw it a few moments ago. The score still stands as 10/10, as it achieves perfection in to what its trying to accomplish: shameless, fun, crazy entertainment that doesn't slow down a second (except to try to deliver tears). Unlike the other entries, fewer people will agree that this movie is really 10/10 worthy. I don't care, its a 10/10, whether you like it or not.

Afterthought (2): I mentioned that Legend of Drunken Master is the greatest martial arts movie of all-time, even though it got a lower score than another martial arts movie---which is this one. My opinion stands, but Kung Fu Hustle is much more a comedy and an ode to old-school kung fu, old-school kung fu pulp novels, and cartoons rather than being a full-blood kung fu flick.