If you are a true kung fu fan, hopefully you will appreciate the vivacity that writer, director and the star of "Kung Fu Hustle," Stephen Chow, has brought to it.

In this nonsense comedy style movie, Chow merges kung fu with Looney Tunes where characters are running at full speed and all you can see is this rotating cloud of dust under them instead of their feet.

He also gives "Kung Fu Hustle" what most kung fu movies lack -- characters that have established personalities.

The movie starts off in a pre-revolutionary Chinese town where all hell has broken loose, and the police who are suppose to be taking care of the cities and towns pay gangs for just that.

The story gets rolling when Chow's trouble-causing character, Sing, and his sidekick arrive in a place called Pig Sty Alley.

Pig Sty Alley had not been corrupted by gang warlords, but seemed to have their very own in the curler-infested hair of Landlady. Although she did have a husband, Landlord, she seemed to be the one wearing the pants in the family.

Looking to take advantage of the locals, Sing and his sidekick warn the patrons of Pig Sty Alley to appease them or suffer the consequences, but the neighbors are not what they appear to be.

Pretending to be members of the Axe Gang, Sing sends a single for help. The closest sect of the gang responds, but the sect's leader's back is broken and no one has any idea how it happened.

Brother Sum, the Axe Gang leader, calls in the whole cavalry to Pig Sty Alley in order to give punishment to the person that hurt one of his own.

Three of the citizens, Doughnut, Tailor and Coolie, turn out to be kung fu masters and legends that protect Pig Sty Alley.

After the Axe Gang has met more than its match, Brother Sum hires kung fu style hit men to kill the trouble makers.

They are successful in killing Doughnut, Tailor and Coolie, but something happened that they did not expect.

Landlady and Landlord turn out to be two of the most amazing kung fu legends in China and send Brother Sum back home crying looking for another hit man.

He eventually gets a hold of, with the help of Sing, The Beast, a kung fu master who had been locked up for the better half of the century in a mental institution.

The story goes on to explain Sing's childhood and why he is the way he is and why he wanted to be a bad guy instead of good.

Finally, all three kung fu masters, Landlord, Landlady and The Beast, face off and you know the rest of the spiel.

Filled with American movie parodies and comedic turns and twists, Chow proves to get through to the American public in more ways than just using subtitles.

-- Erin Bass,

Associate Sports Editor