Kung Fu Hustle

There’s a movie called Kung Fu Hustle which I’ve always liked, and that’s obviously a big influence on some of the action comedy in it.

We were heavily inspired by the Hong Kong kung fu films that we grew up watching. The movies of Stephen Chow, like 'Kung Fu Hustle' and 'Shaolin Soccer,' were huge for us.

I've been quite a fan of the older Hong Kong action comedies like Jackie Chan films or Stephen Chow's films, like 'Kung Fu Hustle' and 'Shaolin Soccer'. It definitely influenced me, especially in the comedy and action.

Director Destin Daniel Cretton studied Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) for the balletic grace of wuxia fights, bodies moving through space as if gravity were optional. He also drew from Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle (2004) for how to blend martial arts mastery with comedic timing. The bamboo forest scene is pure Lee; the absurdist humor comes from Chow.