Kungfu Hustle

Axe Gang, led by the infamous Brother Sum and aptly named after its weapon of choice. In the absence of law enforcement, people can live peacefully only in poor areas which do not appeal to gangs. An example is Pig Sty Alley, a tenement home to people of various trades, run by a lecherous landlord and his domineering wife. One day, two troublemakers, Sing and Bone, come to the alley impersonating members of the Axe Gang to gain respect. Their plan fails and Sing's antics attract the real gang to the scene. In the massive brawl that ensues, more than fifty gangsters are defeated by three tenants who are actually powerful martial arts masters: Coolie, Master of the Twelve Kicks; Tailor, master of the Iron Fist; and Donut, master of the Hexagon Staff. After the fight, Sing and Bone are apprehended by Brother Sum for publicly humiliating the Axe Gang. The two narrowly escape death when Sing quickly picks the locks on the chains with which they are bound and requests Sum to let him and Bone join the gang. Impressed with his skill at lock-picking, Sum tells them that if they kill just one person, he will allow them to join the gang. The next day, the duo return to Pig Sty to murder the Landlady, but their efforts fail comically and they narrowly escape the furious Landlady. Sing is badly injured and hides in a traffic control pulpit, where his multiple injuries spontaneously heal. During this convalescence he unconsciously strikes the steel sides of the pulpit, leaving deep impressions of his hands. After he has fully recovered, he rejoins Bone, but is unable to explain his fast and mysterious healing. Sing and Bone lament their failure on the streets as the former describes his childhood: he spent his meager life savings to buy a Buddhist Palm manual from a beggar with the intention of "preserving world peace" and trained himself to be a martial artist. But when he tried to defend a mute girl from bullies trying to steal her lollipop, he was beaten and came to the conclusion that being a villain is better than being a hero. After telling his story, Sing then steals ice cream from a street vendor. Meanwhile, Sum hires the Harpists, a pair of skilled assassins who fight using a magical guqin, to assassinate the three martial artists at Pig Sty. They succeed, but are defeated by the Landlady and Landlord, who are actually retired powerful martial artists. They evacuate Pig Sty afterward and vow to deal with the Axe Gang. The following day, frustrated with lack of any progress, Sing mugs the female ice cream vendor from earlier, only to realize she is the mute girl from his childhood whom he had vainly tried to defend; she offers him the old lollipop that she tried to give him as a token of her gratitude in their childhood. Sing rebuffs her and knocks the lollipop away, shattering it against the wall and running off. After he and Bone separate, Sing is picked up by the Axe Gang. Sum orders him to break into a mental asylum to free the Beast, widely rumored to be the world's top killer. Sing frees the Beast and brings him to Sum's office. The "world's top killer" puzzles everyone there with his flippant attitude and sloppy appearance - but after stopping a bullet, the gangsters bow in respect. The Beast leaves and confronts the Landlady and Landlord at the casino, who are waiting to kill Sum and his men. The two battle the Beast, destroying the casino in the process, until all three are stuck in a joint-lock. A reformed Sing rushes in and, ignoring Sum's orders to kill the Landlady and Landlord, hits the Beast's head with a table leg. Enraged, the Beast frees himself from the lock and pummels Sing. Before he can deliver a fatal blow, the Landlady and Landlord snatch the unconscious Sing and run off. The Beast casually kills Sum in response.