Stephen Chow not only directed Kung Fu Hustle, but he starred in it and had a hand in the script. And what he delivers is a wild action-comedy seasoned with some pop culture references as well as seeming to exist in a Warner Brothers cartoon.

Set in 1940s China, the story follows a troubled man, Sing (Stephen Chow) in his desire to become a part of the murderous Axe Gang. When he inadvertently stirs up trouble in a ghetto known as Pig Sty, the Axe Gang, led by Brother Sum (Danny Kwok-Kwan Chan) encounters a series of retired, aging grandmasters who soundly kick their butt.

Intent on vengeance, the Axe Gang brings in masters of their own, and eventually Sing will have to choose sides as his own past comes back to remind him of his potential, and an encounter with the brutal Beast (Siu-Lung Leung) sets him on the right path.

Filled with brilliant comedic moments that steal liberally from the cartoons of yesteryear, the film’s visual effects look dated now but work within the context of the cartoon-like material. In fact, this one ends up just being a hoot as characters reveal stunning abilities that belie their appearance.

Leaning into its comedy and cartoon-like aspects the film still delivers some great fight and stunt sequences, the initial battle with the Axe Gang is wonderfully laid out, choreographed and acted and the reveals of each master make for a lot of fun.

Sure there are some things that don’t play out very well, one of the masters is gay, and the things they call him because of that, and the way he behaves, aren’t exactly very LGBTQ+ friendly. Still, there’s a lot of spirit and fun to the film, and Chow tells a wonderfully entertaining tale with lots of characters, lots of great moments, and even has a bit of a romantic heart at its core.

Throw in the fact that Chow comes across as very likeable on screen and knows what he wants to convey on screen and Kung Fu Hustle is bound to entertain and is arguably fun for most of the family as long as they like cartoons and king fu!

I hadn’t seen this one since it came out, and was delighted to find that it still entertained me, now I need to see if I can track down a copy of Shaolin Soccer to enjoy!