While the name Stephen Chow might barely elicit a hint of recognition among Western audiences, there's no denying he's a legend back in his home turf of Hong Kong. His films are often characterized by their zany characters, over-the-top action scenes and eye-popping (sometimes literally!) special effects. His earlier works, such as God of Cookery and Shaolin Soccer, were uneven escapist fluff-pieces that were weighed down by a tinge of superfluousness. With Kung Fu Hustle, however, Chow managed to find his footing, creating a film that manages to rise above its genre conventions to become a veritable piece of cinematic artistry. Part action film, part love story, part loving homage, Hustle is a pitch-perfect example of the best that Hong Kong cinema has to offer, effortlessly mixing digital wizardry with old-school martial arts stunts while never skipping a comedic beat. Starring Chow himself as a hapless wannabe gangster embroiled in a head-spinning battle between the notoriously violent Axe Gang and the high-flying residents of a slum called Pig Sty. The kung fu masters from the ramshackle village are faced with the task of thwarting the dastardly attacks of the Axe Gang, which include a band of suited axe-wielding mercenaries, a pair of string-strumming assassins and a prison-abducted supervillain known as The Beast, fast enough to catch a speeding bullet. All this climaxes into an go-for-broke showdown between the newly enlightened Chow and the malevolent Beast. And if that's not reason enough for you to rush to your nearest video store, Chow peppers the film with nods to everything from Looney Tunes slapstick to Kubrickian surrealism, as well as an inspired reimagining of the 'Burly Brawl' sequence from The Matrix Reloaded. A true gem!