‘Kung Fu Hustle' Hong Kong Style
What the West Doesn't Know about Stephen Chow Movies
More about Stephen Chow's special brand of humor and why 'Kung Fu Hustle' is just the tip of the iceberg for the Western audience.
People in the West still talk about ‘Kung Fu Hustle’. Yes, ‘Kung Fu Hustle’ - that Stephen Chow movie released back in June 2005 which grossed US$101 million worldwide[1], making it the highest grossing film in the history of Hong Kong, and the highest grossing foreign film in the United States. It has even surpassed Stephen Chow’s first movie screened in the West – ‘Shaolin Soccer’.
Westerners still love the movie. It is undoubtedly entertaining, complete with Bruce Lee-style martial arts boasting China talent and screwball comedy elements. For highbrow film fans there is ‘spot the parody’ (many debate if the homage to ‘Reservoir Dogs’ is accidental). Quentin Tarantino himself calls Stephen Chow “the best actor working in Hong Kong”[2]. But what the West doesn’t know about ‘Kung Fu Hustle’ is that it is actually a marked departure from Stephen Chow’s best work.
1) Rising Star in Hong Kong
A quick introduction to Stephen Chow. In 1990, Stephen Chow hit the HK big screen with ‘All for the Winner’, a spoof of Chow Yun-Fat’s movie ‘God of Gamblers’ (yes, Chow Yun-Fat of ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’ fame). But not before Stephen had hosted a series of children’s programmes. What most people don’t know is that Stephen did not like children, and was earlier rejected by the acting school run by TVB (Hong Kong’s well-known TV station). In the same year he auditioned, TVB accepted soon-to-be-big Tony Leung Chiu Wai (lead actor of ‘In the Mood for Love’ and ‘Lust, Caution’). But with the help of friend ‘Waise’ Lee Chi-Hung (wisely named no doubt), Stephen managed to take night classes at this same acting school.
2) Dumbing Down for Western Audiences…
‘Mo lei tau’ humour is what Stephen Chow stands for. ‘Mo lei tau’ means nonsense in Cantonese, its exact translation being ‘for no reason’. BBC’s film critic Jonathan Ross calls it ‘Silly Talk’.
However, Chinese fans who understand the language will soon tell you it is not just empty talk. In fact the play of language is vital in ‘mo lei tau’. Wikipedia suggests that ‘sudden surprises in spoken dialogue’ is part of the farce. A beautiful Chinese poem is quoted because it contrasts with imbecile action. Toilet humor is used when the situation is most urgent. And when plot action dies down, farcical action is heightened. Even bits of English are thrown in for irreverence.
Stephen Chow is fantastic at his use of language for comic effect. Most of Stephen’s early success comes from working with two famous comedy directors in Hong Kong – Lee Lik-Chi and Wong Jing – who helped shape Stephen’s ‘mo lei tau’ acting style by giving him lots of screen time. That, and Stephen’s self-effacing qualities plus his instinctive ability to turn a situation round with absurdity have shaped the future of Hong Kong comedy.
Unfortunately while dubbing in English adds to the farce (think Jackie Chan spouting mismatched English), a lot of ‘mo lei tau’ is lost in translation. Some Cantonese puns simply cannot be translated. What the West gets in the end, is a lot of farcical humor and funny juxtapositions without the rich language to support it.
3) …and his love of Bruce Lee
What’s more, in ‘Kung Fu Hustle’, Stephen Chow chooses to elevate the status of martial arts over comedy. Stephen’s childhood love of Bruce Lee is more apparent with his latest, more Westernized fare. In both ‘Shaolin Soccer’ and ‘Kung Fu Hustle’ he is toned, taut and nothing like his earlier Hong Kong image – malleable, fun and a bit pasty. A lot of Chinese fans find that Chow’s unique humor is replaced by mere homage to Bruce Lee and a host of other Western films. Martial arts, a tried and well-worn Asian genre, is dangerous ground for Stephen Chow, whose best card is really comedy.
4) What Happened to His Co-Star?
Up till ‘Shaolin Soccer’, Ng Man Tat was Stephen Chow’s favorite movie sidekick. Right from the beginning, with ‘All for the Winner’, Ng Man Tat plays the faithful father/uncle figure to Stephen, matching Stephen’s young ambling antics with a mature, restrained style – yet just as likely to break into nonsensical farce.
Fans were surprised to find that Ng was ‘missing’ from ‘Kung Fu Hustle’. Not much has been said for Ng, which remains a mystery. It is rumored that Ng was dropped by Chow months after filming had begun and on very short notice. They have not worked together since. A pity, as Ng has much to offer in enhancing Stephen’s comedy. Next to Ng, Stephen seems more endearing, more Candide-like. No one in ‘Kung Fu Hustle’ comes close to Golden Leg Fung (Uncle Tat) in ‘Shaolin Soccer’.
So what can Stephen Chow fans look to in the future? If Stephen does not bring back his ‘mo lei tau’ humor he may alienate his hard-won Asian audience. Or if he can somehow incorporate Bruce Lee with ‘mo lei tau’, yet come up with new material, he may well continue to engage audiences from both sides of the world.
Recommended Movies to Chow On
For those who can look beyond Bruce Lee mimicry, and appreciate Stephen Chow’s true ‘mo lei tau’ style, here are some of his other films. For new Asiaphiles, sample ‘Shaolin Soccer’ and ‘God of Cookery’ to start with, then move to ‘Chinese Odyssey’. Advanced Asiaphiles will find ‘Fight Back to School’, ‘King of Beggars’, ‘God of Gamblers II and III’ and ‘All's Well, Ends Well’ more satisfying. For a taste of Chow's early work, try ‘Love on Delivery’ – Chow plays a surprisingly naïve character. Of course there is also talk of a ‘Kung Fu Hustle’ sequel. So watch this space.
[1] Kung Fu Hustle Box Office Data. The Numbers, 2007.
[2] Asian Heroes. Time Magazine, 2003.
