Stephen Chow on Kung Fu Hustle, film that made him a household name in global movie circles

Already a successful director in Hong Kong, Chow became a man to watch in global cinema with Kung Fu Hustle, a comedy tribute to the different styles of kung fu

He had to talk veteran martial arts actors into appearing in the film, and used less slang and more action than in past films, with American audiences in mind

Reading Time:4 minutes

Stephen Chow (in white shirt) in a still from Kung Fu Hustle, the 2004 film that made him an international star. He also wrote and directed the film, a blend of cartoons, wuxia, CGI, and action.

Published: 5:00am, 21 Jun 2020Updated: 2:00pm, 21 Jun 2020

Three years in the making, the movie Kung Fu Hustle became an international hit after it opened in 2004 and transformed Stephen Chow Sing-chi, who turns 58 on June 22, from a Hong Kong icon to a household name in world cinema.

A homage to the martial arts films that Chow loved as a youth, the action comedy helped resurrect the careers of performers such as Yuen Wah and Yuen Qiu, and even brought Bruce Leung Siu-lung out of retirement.

Chow set the themes he explored throughout his career in a romanticised, 1940s Shanghai found only on the silver screen. He not only wrote and directed the film, but had an acting role, playing a bullied underdog and petty crook who resorts to theft and blackmail before redeeming himself through martial arts.

The film’s blend of cartoons, wuxia, CGI and straight-out action, choreographed by Yuen Woo-ping and Sammo Hung, captivated audiences and triumphed at the box office. The HK$61 million it took locally made it the highest-grossing Hong Kong film at that point – until its record was broken by Taiwanese teen romance You Are the Apple of My Eye in 2011.

Kung Fu Hustle premiered in the United States at the Sundance Film Festival before opening in cinemas in April, 2005. Chow talked to this writer about the making of the film at an interview that year.

What inspired you to make Kung Fu Hustle ?