Reviews of
Kung Fu Hustle and Dead or Alive Ultimate
by Patrick Vuong

Kung Fu Hustle
Starring: Stephen Chow, Wah Yuen, Qiu Yuen
Writer/Director: Stephen Chow
Rating: R

Label it what you will—foreign film, kung fu comedy, martial arts epic—but there are two sure ways to describe Kung Fu Hustle: laugh-out-loud funny and absolutely irreverent. This spoof of the chopsocky genre is packed with cartoon violence, littered with non sequiturs and devoid of an emotional core. Oh, but you’ll laugh.

Hustle is the latest screwball comedy from Stephen Chow, who previously scored a box-office victory in Asia with Shaolin Soccer. Chow is Hong Kong’s equivalent to Ben Stiller, a multitalented hyphenate (he acts, directs, writes and produces) who packs cinemas with his unique brand of humor. In this outing, which is set in 1940s Shanghai, Chow plays a thief named Sing whose failed extortion scheme accidentally ignites a war between the Ax Gang and the poor residents of Pigsty Alley.

When the mobsters recruit an evil kung fu expert known as The Beast to lay waste to the ghetto, it’s no surprise that the savior is none other than Sing. After suffering an Itchy and Scratchy-like beating at the hands and feet of The Beast, he magically unleashes his inner Bruce Lee. In fact, in the climactic fight scene, Sing bursts out of his medical cocoon dressed like Lee’s character in Enter the Dragon. Chow even lifts a section of choreography—including spinning kicks, punches and backfists—from that 1973 movie and from The Chinese Connection.

The parodies don’t end there. Chow recalls The Matrix when his character becomes the Chosen One. He even exhibits Neo-esque powers, executing several wire-assisted kicks before flying into the sky. The effects are a nice wink to action director Yuen Woo Ping, who also choreographed the fights in The Matrix trilogy.

Here, Chow and Yuen are at their finest. They seamlessly blend heart-pounding wushu, wire work and computer-generated effects to create not just violence, but hilariously beautiful violence.

Ultimately, Kung Fu Hustle is a nonsensical parody in the vein of Scary Movie. The difference is that Chow respects the material he’s lampooning. A kung fu stylist himself, he’s an unabashed Bruce Lee fan. He also casts several supporting roles with aging stars from kung fu flicks of the ’70s. Add in his fluid camerawork, comedic timing and love of American cinema, and it’s easy to see why Kung Fu Hustle could be the funniest martial arts movie since Rush Hour 2.


Dead or Alive Ultimate
Publisher: Tecmo
Platform: Xbox
Rating: Mature
Players: 1-4

In honor of the fifth anniversary of Dead or Alive 2’s debut, Black Belt decided to check out Dead or Alive Ultimate. This two-disc collector’s edition combines DOA’s popular sequel with the original, and it will surely please fans of the tournament-fighting franchise. There are new environments, secret costumes and cool techniques, plus fresh movie sequences that reveal the characters’ back stories. Best of all, it’s Xbox Live-compatible, so you can put the hurt on friends or strangers online.

Most gamers will keep this edition’s DOA 1 for nostalgic reasons but burn up their Xboxes with DOA 2. While it lacks depth in some respects and is limited by its genre, the redesigned sequel is highly addictive. Some might say it’s a Tekken rip-off, but DOA 2 has several features that set it apart from its brethren. First, it features huge interactive arenas: You can kick your opponent 50 feet off a building to a lower rooftop, then toss him down another 50 feet through a glass ceiling. Second, the game is well-known for its, shall we say, top-heavy heroines, whose body parts bounce like bowling balls trapped inside spandex socks.

The fighting, although not as authentic as the Mortal Kombat series, does feature ninjutsu, tai chi chuan and wrestling. In addition, this title was one of the first in which you can counter your opponent’s attack, mid-combo.

Retailing for $39.99, this Xbox exclusive could be a little more challenging and have included DOA 3. Still, it satisfies my digital bloodlust—at least until DOA 4 arrives.

About the author: Patrick Vuong is a Santa Ana, California-based freelance journalist and screenwriter who trains in tai chi chuan, kung fu and kenpo. To contact him, send e-mail to bbscreenshots@yahoo.com.