Sherlock Jr. vs. Kung Fu Hustle

If you watch the works of Buster Keaton, you could see how he, as the protaganist, puts himself in a variety of traps and dangerous stunts. The purpose of these actions is to make the audience laugh but for the most part entertained. If you take that same ideas, you can ultimatley find that same quality of film in many kung-fu movies nowadays. Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle" is a type of movie that leaves you guessing what type of "genre" it falls into. This film parodies the cliches from kung fu movies dating back to Enter The Dragon by making action stars on the screen ones you wouldn't except seeing doing backflips. One thing I think that Stephen Chow and Buster Keaton share as directors is their undeniable devotion to their work. Both of them were willing to take a beating if it meant that a given scene was shot perfect. If Keaton broke his neck during Sherlock Jr., god knows what happen to Stephen Chow in 61 other jobs as an actor at a age of 42 years old. Viewers of Kung Fu Hustle should understand that this film isn't meant to be taken serious but that's the beauty of it. Here you have a film that shows you can take a traditional kung fu flick and put a comedic spin on it with slapstick humor and colorful characters. Keaton and Chow both used interesting techniques in terms of editing throughout their film (double exposure, trick camera angles, trampolines) which made there films all the more fun to watch. One thing that these directors shared was the ability for the audience to question whether the movie is a love story, a action extravaganza, or a knee-slapping comedy. For me, it doesn't matter if both of these movies had a set genre, because without all these elements of sub genres in their films, the movies wouldn't be as great. You could say that Keaton had a profound influence on Chow's films, but whatever the case, both movies blended action and comedy to it's highest point in cinema.