In the 1990s, when Jackie Chan and Jet Li were the hot international news out of Hong Kong, another actor was the colony's No. 1 box-office draw. Stephen Chow's raucous comedies tickled the locals no end, but since his humor was largely verbal (a nonsense patter known as "mo-lei-tau"), few were betting that he could become a star in the West. Chow took the bet and made two action comedies--Shaolin Soccer (2001) and Kung Fu Hustle (2004)--that were huge pan-Asian hits and proved him an expert director as well as an engaging joker. With Hustle's release on 2,000 U.S. screens this...
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