An Under-Appreciated Martial Arts Masterpiece Is on Its Way to Hulu

\With a new month upon us, there are a lot of new movies and television shows coming to streaming platforms and giving subscribers fresh things to watch. While there are a lot of big, popular items arriving, there’s also some smaller, underrated gems as well and that’s particularly true for the martial arts genre. February is shaping up to be a great month for martial arts fans and streaming, especially Hulu subscribers. Not only is Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon coming to the streamer, but an under-appreciated masterpiece is coming as well.

2004’s Kung Fu Hustle may not be as well-known as some martial arts films, such as Enter the Dragon or Ip Man or several Jackie Chan movies, but that doesn’t diminish how great it really is. Starring, directed by, produced by, and co-written by Stephen Chow, Kung Fu Hustle is a Chinese film that blends martial arts with comedy for a high octane and truly brilliant gangster story unlike anything else and it’s coming to Hulu February 1st.

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Kung Fu Hustle Perfectly Mixes Action, Comedy, and a Great Story

Set in 1940s Shanghai, the story follows two would-be gangsters Sing (Chow) and Bone who, after impersonating the dangerous Axe Gang and trying to extort residents of a slum are captured by the real gangsters and given a chance to prove themselves — a challenge they hilariously fail at. However, they soon make a larger discovery ends up changing everything and sending Sing on a journey where he learns what community really means, true leadership, and who the actual villains are. It’s a fairly straightforward story — small time crook wants to make it big time, but discovers that being the good guy is better after discovering just how bad the bad guys actually are — but it’s well-executed which makes it a great watch even before you get to the action.

However, the action in the film is also absolutely top tier, even when played up for laughs. There are moments in Kung Fu Hustle that feel downright cartoonish, but in the best way possible. There’s a point where Sing is both stabbed twice and bitten by venomous snakes and then chased off by the Landlady. But even for the campiness of it, there’s also something very earnest as well. Sing learning new skills and abilities, the surprise master abilities of the Landlady and her husband who turn out to be much more than meets the eye, it all works together to make what could be a goofy, campy martial arts crime movie into something much more. Critics and audiences agreed — the film has an impressive 90 percent Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and the audience score is right behind it at 89. Despite all these perfect beats and critical praise, it’s a movie that has flown under the radar for years, but now that it’s on Hulu, it’s time for that to change.

Kung Fu Hustle arrives on Hulu February 1st.

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