Kung Fu Hustle

Rating for Extras: 2 out of 5

Synopsis: After the success of Shaolin Soccer, acclaimed Chinese director Stephen Chow returns with a highly stylized, very creative ode to 1930s gangster flicks and old Kung Fu movies. As exciting as this over-the-top fight fest is to watch again and again, there is little worth checking out in the special-features section.

Featurettes: The DVD features a behind-the-scenes documentary that clocks in at about 30 minutes. It features an in-depth look at the film’s characters, actors, special effects and score, among other things. The behind-the-scenes is hosted by two of the film’s stars, Kwok Kuen Chan, who plays Brother Sum, and Chi Chung Lam, who plays Sing’s Sidekick.

Commentary: The option to watch the film with commentary is available. The only commentary available, however, is with the film’s director, writer and star Stephen Chow, along with Chan, Tin Kai Man and Lam Tze Chung. Unfortunately, the commentary isn’t in English, so it can get really messy trying to decipher who said what just by reading the subtitles.

Deleted Scenes: There are only two deleted scenes on the disc and neither of them are interesting. To supplement, however, there is an outtake and blooper reel that make up for them.

Others: In addition, there is also 15 TV spots that were used to advertise the film, a gallery of all the film’s posters worldwide and an interview with author Ric Meyer discussing the film with director Chow.

Bottom Line: This is all pretty standard stuff – there is nothing too interesting to be found. Almost all of the special features are subtitled, as would be expected, but that could deter some from checking it out. Kung Fu Hustle is one of those movies that speaks for itself, so even though the features are mediocre at best, there is still plenty of reasons to pick this one up.

– Dante Sacomani

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