Parents' Guide to Kung Fu Hustle

This rowdy martial arts comedy has a fair amount of violence, but most of it's cartoonish. Even among its more brutal moments, the tone of Kung Fu Hustle stays playful, referential, and consistent with other kung fu films. For many fans, it's a classic and one of Chow's (Shaolin Soccer) best. In many ways, this film is a transformation, signaling a 21st century shift in understanding and appreciation of kung fu movies. Sing's redemption arc, going from gangster wannabe to an "enlightened" master, is grounded in Chow's earnest and often hilarious performance. Genre devotees will get even more mileage, as it references and pays homage to many movies and stories from Hong Kong cinema and Chinese narrative history.

Set in the 1940s, this film features action and fight choreography by the legendary Yuen Woo-Ping. Woo-Ping has directed many martial arts classics and many martial arts stars, like Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, and Donnie Yen. Woo-Ping also has an incredible resume of work as fight choreographer, creating the action in films like Drunken Master, The Matrix, the Kill Bill films, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and The Grandmaster. Woo-Ping's choreography mixed with Chow's comedic sensibilities produce a delightful combo of action and comedy. The "masters" fighting for justice include the "Landlord" (Yuen Wah) and his wife, the "Landlady" (Yuen Qiu), both well known stars returning to the screen after almost 30 years. The final "boss" villain, "the Beast" (Leung Siu Lung), is also a famous Hong Kong star who used to be known as "Bruce Leung," playing off of Bruce Lee. Paying respect to the genre and its illustrious history, Chow hilariously pulls together these elements to make a kung fu classic.