In Shanghai, China in the 1940s, a wannabe gangster aspires to join the notorious "Axe Gang" while residents of a housing complex exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf.
Set in Canton, China in the 1940s, the story revolves in a town ruled by the Axe Gang, Sing who desperately wants to become a member. He stumbles into a slum ruled by eccentric landlords who turns out to be the greatest kung-fu masters in disguise. Sing's actions eventually cause the Axe Gang and the slumlords to engage in an explosive kung-fu battle. Only one side will win and only one hero will emerge as the greatest kung-fu master of all.Written by
Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}
The Chinese idiom "to have a roaring lion east of the river" means to be a henpecked husband or a shrewish wife. It's no surprise the overbearing landlady's superpower then, is "The Lion's Roar". See more »
Goofs
During the first fight with the Beast, the Landlord wraps his hand around the Beast's forearm and turns it sideways. In the next shot, the Landlord makes the same move again, this time on the Beast's hand. See more »
Quotes
The Beast:
All I want is to kill you, or be killed by you.
See more »
Alternate Versions
The film was slightly cut/altered in mainland China to satisfy the local censors (these changes were carried over to the U.S. release):
After the scene where the landlady knocks the landlord out the window onto the ground, the original version shows a bit of blood flowing out from under the landlord's face after the plant smashes his head. The mainland version removes the blood.
Sing's failed attempt in intimidating a Pig Sty village farmer, who punches him square in the stomach. The original version shows Sing spitting out blood, which ends up appearing on the farmer's face after Sing asks her what she does. The mainland version digitally removes both the blood being spit out (but blood is still seen around his mouth, implying it was "coming up") as well as the blood splats on the farmer's face.
During the night scene right before the attack from the musicians there is a long take showing what most of the residents of Pig Sty are doing, including someone crouching on the ground having a "bowel movement". The original version shows a piece of paper with excrement on it implying what he was doing, while the mainland version removes the paper and its "contents", leaving the viewer confused as to why he's simply crouching down with his pants partially down.
When "The Beast" punches Sing in the chest in the casino, two extra shots appear in the original cut, with the first being a slow motion shot of blood spraying upward The Beast's face, and the second being another slow motion shot, this time of Sing's head flying back with blood spraying from his mouth.
Soon after this, Sing's face is punched into the ground by The Beast, and a slow motion shot of The Beast's bloody hand being raised from the ground is shown in the original cut. The mainland cut simply jumps from the shot of Sing's head being punched through the ground to the low angle shot of The Beast pulling his fist up.
Goodness me, what a fantastic movie. Caught the world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and the entire theater laughed until they cried. Amazingly directed, HILARIOUSLY funny, it blends a 1930s gangster stylishness into a Hong Kong kung fu movie to astonishing results. Who would've thought you could top Shaolin Soccer? Not me, until I saw this movie. Stephen Chow pulled it off. Chow's comedic timing gets better and better with every movie he makes, and while his films are depending more and more on CGI these days, and makes this movie much more a fantasy kung fu film than a traditional one, it hardly detracts from the enjoyable experience. Make it your mission to see this film - it will be one of the most entertaining you ever see. I can't remember the last film I enjoyed myself in more. My eyes still hurt from wiping away tears of laughter. Seriously.
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Goodness me, what a fantastic movie. Caught the world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and the entire theater laughed until they cried. Amazingly directed, HILARIOUSLY funny, it blends a 1930s gangster stylishness into a Hong Kong kung fu movie to astonishing results. Who would've thought you could top Shaolin Soccer? Not me, until I saw this movie. Stephen Chow pulled it off. Chow's comedic timing gets better and better with every movie he makes, and while his films are depending more and more on CGI these days, and makes this movie much more a fantasy kung fu film than a traditional one, it hardly detracts from the enjoyable experience. Make it your mission to see this film - it will be one of the most entertaining you ever see. I can't remember the last film I enjoyed myself in more. My eyes still hurt from wiping away tears of laughter. Seriously.