Brother Sum (Chan Kwok Kwan), heads the Axe Gang, an army of black-suited villains reminiscent of the "Crazy 88's" from "Kill Bill," who have a flair for "groovy" choreography and handling axes. A resurgence of some old Masters, a surprise too good to spoil, brings out the Axe Gang in full force. Soon, the fearsome gang are hobbling away from the fight and licking their wounds. It is at this point that they decide to unleash the greatest Master of them all, The Beast.

Having been committed to an insane asylum years earlier, The Beast (Leung Siu Yung), looks like an old man, but still has more power in his punch than a dozen Axe boys. Superhuman feats of Kung Fu escalate toward the ridiculous with visually stunning results. The underdog's struggle is the basic tale told here, given new life by a gifted and stylish director.

Chow is currently the biggest comedy star in Asia. This film could soon lead to worldwide acclaim for Chow and give Jackie Chan a run for his money. The Hong Kong genre he is credited with spawning, "Mo Lei Tau, " nonsense comedy, has helped to keep alive a branch of filmmaking that celebrates Eastern traditions of honor, courage and inner strength, while adding a much needed element of humor and flat out silliness.

Deceptively simple in its conception, "Kung Fu Hustle" is jam-packed with visual style, solid supporting performances, and plenty of laughs. The only thing American audiences may find off-putting is the use of subtitles. It can be a bit distracting when you are trying to take in all the action up on the screen. However, with repeated viewings, this will be less of a problem. I, for one, plan on seeing this movie again and again over the coming years. A really solid comedy is good for what ails you, no matter what country it comes from.

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