Sorry for the late post, dead/finals week and Phil Ginley do not go well at all. But regardless, let's talk about Kung Fu Hustle, a film that, to put lightly, truly kicks butt.
This film has plenty of post-modernism in it to boot constantly referencing not just kung fu films but Looney Tunes styled action/violence, religion and spirituality as well. Additionally, aesthetic movie references from The Matrix and Gangs of New York pop throughout the film as well.
What I found truly interesting about this film narratively is how it plays with the idea of a kung-fu master and how the most unorthodox of characters portray them. One never would've expected that an overweight, ill-tempered landlady and her somewhat eccentric and flamboyant husband would wind up being the two highly trained kung fu masters that would save the day. But what is even more surprising is the evolution of the film's protagonist, who starts out as a complete loser, to a wannabe villain. His character eventually progresses into the hero and (oddly enough) becomes "the One". The film does a great job portraying odd characters only to reveal them as heroic and powerful kung-fu warriors. It truly helps fortify how these types of films play with former genres and cinematic cliches in very interesting ways.
If only all parody films were as fantastic as this...
Nice review. Bit sketchy on the analysis, but perfectly nice review.
ReplyDeleteI think it's pretty interesting the path the protagonist travels throughout this movie too. Although, I did have a feeling he might become the master once they showed the flashback to his childhood. I think that you're spot on with your idea about how films like this hide the warriors powers behind strange personas, only to bring them to the forefront when necessary. I liked that aspect of the film as well.
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