As a film worker in Hongkong, it is not surprising at all that, one day, Chow summoned up spirit to make a Kungfu movie. Not to mention Chow is a big fan of Bruce Lee and Kungfu movies. He has been dreaming about fancy combat scenes since he was a kid. When he eventually gained enough power in this industry, he set out to produce a Kungfu movie to visualize all his imaginary fight sequences long haunting in his mind.

To do this, Chow needed real Kungfu experts. He fulfilled a long time wish of finding a martial monk, Yu Xing, from Shaolinsi Temple, who played Coolie and delivered the top kicks in the movie. He wanted a master of cudgel. Sammo Hung recommended Zhi Hua Dong who had been practising Beijing Opera since 10 years old and majored in martial art at college. Dong's presence of Donut in this movie secured the most exquisite fights. Chi Ling Chiu (Tailor) is disciple's disciple of Wong Fei Hung, a master of Hong Fist. These three masters delivered the most breath-taking scenes. Indeed, the first fighting sequence in the movie tops, simply because what they played is solid Kungfu. Check out the sober and elegant stances by Donut and the swift and fierce kicks by Coolie!

I like the second fight against the musicians too, especially when Coolie is killed. The leaves are cut off, the basin is beat over, the cat is sliced up ... these help to visualize the precise ambiance and illustration as Chi is applied through music to attacking. There is not much about real kungfu, but Chow made a brilliant job to put on screen what kungfu fans had only been able to imagine about scenes like masters fighting against each other using music, or howl. The cudgel performance from virtuosi Dong climaxes the act and matches perfectly the atmosphere elaborated by CGI and music. But I don't like the idea of hordes of skeletons delivered by the musician. It should be like invisible but powerful Chi flow through music which can punch on and cut into objects in distance. The lion's roar is also well executed in the fight against the musicians. I particularly like that rain drops were suspended by the Chi flow surging in air. This kind of details show how fresh and vivid Chow's imagination is.

Chow also invited Siu-Lung Leung to play the bad guy. Chow was a big fan of Leung, who once was the most successful substitute for Bruce Lee. But Leung didn't get much chance in this movie to show off his kicks, as Chow relied heavily on CGI in Leung's fighting sequences. It's a dilemma, how can you depict a master who is supposed to be much superior to the real masters as Dong, Xing and Chiu? Chow's answer is to using CGI to make the Beast's moves quick. The result is that all the moves turned out to be simple sway and punch. It is animation, not kungfu, though some may say the effect is not bad.

As a Kungfu movie, KFH is a compellent try, but Chow's fans are never satisfied if he does not provide a comedy with a quality as 'From Beijing with love', or an epic as 'The Chinese Odyssey'. In many fans' opinion, KFH lacks for many things here. After all, it's not an easy task to make a comedy to exceed the works during his hay day. A typical Chow's movie is usually an extremely self-indulgent one, wholly relying on slapstick and nothing else. But he wanted more this time. He offered other actors much time because he is wise to know that he need kungfu experts to fight in the movie, not himself. He decided to put kungfu, acting and settings in the first place and constrain his gushing waggery a bit. The jokes are not original and fierce as usual, if you have watched half of Chow's movies, though they are still effective at some points as they are well executed.

The great pity is that he left Man Tat Wu out of this movie. After being amused by the highly successful pair in most of Chow's movies, we end up with a movie, which Chow put in all his physical energy and intelligence, without Man Tat Wu. There are rumours that they have split up because of Chow's demanding attitude in work. The loss is obvious, for Chi Chung Lam as the fat sidekick is incompetent at this position which Wu used to be at. His dull facial expression and pale voice make his part totally insipid. There is no chemistry at all between Lam and Chow.

The surprising contribution is from Kwok-Kwan Chan who was as incompetent as Lam in Shaolin Soccer. But he did the job with skill and ease here. It's like his Chi flow was channelled and he became the One all of sudden. His role as the cruel and arrogant gang boss is a brilliant try. He prevented it from being a conventional bad buy by playing his voice and body language in an exaggerated way. It was very effective, for he must be a natural born dance genius. But I still confused how he could play his voice so well here, while he struggled a lot and made more than 20 NGs for the first lines in Shaolin Soccer.

I have to applaud the Art Department's work. The image of the apartment complex may be based on Chow's early life and previous movies like QiShiEr Jia FangKe. It is the most interesting place in the movie providing a wonderful stage to weave intriguing stories and hold interesting characters. The idea that some kungfu masters live anonymously in a slum is engaging itself, for it is a fancy wish for kungfu fans that some masters are actually living amongst the public, not in far mountains and remote temples.