Do the Hustle

I had an evening this week when I was too tired to do anything, but too wired to sleep.  So I spent 99 minutes in mindless entertainment.  The message seems to be that the mean and venal will prevail.

It was that classic martial arts movie, Kung Fu Hustle.  Stephen Chow does it again.  I enjoyed his Shaolin Soccer, so thought I'd give this movie a try.  Totally over the top.

Sing, a petty street hustler and his friend want to join the notorious Axe Gang, a large urban gang of thugs who wear tuxedos and kill with axes.  They are pretty cold blooded, which is amply demonstrated in several scenes in this movie.  When Sing and his friend try to shake down the town of Pig Sty posing as Axe members, it focuses the attention of the real gang on this impoverished town.

Coming to the town's protection are a series of Kung Fu masters.  The first doing pretty cool martial arts stunts, but as the movie goes on, they display more and more superpowers.

The plot is pretty cheesy, the acting hammy, the special effects okay, and way over the top.  In short, it's great entertainment.