The Heroes of Pig Sty Alley
From Stephen Chow’s 功夫
(Kung Fu Hustle)
I won’t lie, I still get goosebumps/choked up. Possibly the best fight scene of all time.
These aren’t attractive young loner dudes with stubble murdering people because they’re rebels and bad-asses. A coolie (we don’t ever learn his name), a gay middle-aged tailor, and a balding guy who makes noodles for a living write their own death sentence by defending their neighbors against a vicious gang, not for glory, or romance, or wealth, but because it’s the community that they live and work in.
Most westerners only know “Kung Fu” films, and don’t realize there are many genres of Kung Fu films. Kung Fu Hustle is a Wuxia 武侠 or “martial heroes” film.
In Wuxia, heroes are often mask their true strength (I.E. the terms “crouching tiger” or “hidden dragon”) and live as common people until oppression forces them to stand up. It’s like a whole genre of Robin Hood stories, where heroes use martial power in order to defend the poor and powerless against the oppression of Warlords, Tyrants, Gangsters, Police, and the Nobility.
Wuxia is inherently radical and anarchistic because its heroes are almost always facing an enemy in the government, police, or ruling class. The heroes are almost always either Daoists or Buddhists, often women, and often live at the total fringes of society.
Unfortunately, Marxist and Nationalist values are often forced into the films because Chinese film censors love that shit. Nevertheless—next time you watch one of these films—look for the radical.