Kung Fu Hustle

Set in a Chinese city under the grip of the Axe Gang, the film follows Sing, a petty crook who dreams of joining the ruthless outfit that dominates the streets. With his bumbling sidekick in tow, Sing tries to throw his weight around in a poor neighbourhood known as Pig Sty Alley, posing as a gang member to extort the residents. The stunt backfires and draws the real Axe Gang into the alley, where the unassuming locals turn out to be far more than they appear. What begins as a bid for status becomes a confrontation between the gang and a community of hidden martial arts masters.

Stephen Chow directs and stars, sharing writing duties with Xin Huo and Tsang Kan-cheong. The film arrived in 2004, after Shaolin Soccer and the earlier comedies he had directed, and it was followed later by CJ7 and other features. The cast includes Yuen Qiu as the landlady, Yuen Wah as the landlord, Lam Tze-chung as Sing's sidekick, Siu-Lung Leung as a formidable fighter, and Huang Shengyi as Fong. It was made for about 20 million dollars and took roughly 102 million worldwide.

On IMDb the film holds 7.7 from about 163,000 votes, and on TMDB it stands at 7.5 from a much smaller base of 3,337. A critics' rating of 7.9 from 188 reviews puts it marginally above both audience scores, indicating broad approval across professional and general viewers alike.