Must see movie

It's finally opening. If you're looking for the best action movie of the year, don't think about anything having to do with George Lucas. Chinese film star Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle" is probably as good as it's going to get.

Chow is the star and director of the movie, but he doesn't hog the screen all for himself. Instead, he recruits kung fu stars and stuntmen (and women) from the 70s to come out of retirement and show off their skills. It's more than gimmick when the older, softer senior citizens start to fight; they are as compelling action stars as the Rock and Uma Thurman. Only at the end does Chow take over and it's clear even then that he and his character owe a great debt to those that came before him. (The Bruce Lee imagery is a little overwhelming.)

The film is more serious than previous Chow films. He's cut down on a lot of the goofy slapstick (of course, if you've never seen a Chow film, it will seem filled with goofy slapstick. Trust me, he's cut it down a lot.) Chow wanted his film to reach beyond Asia, where they adore clownish schtick and verbal jokes that don't play as well in the West. He also wanted to expand the image of himself from a comedy star to a director with a vision. And he does it. Unlike a lot of martial arts movies, "Kung Fu Hustle" isn't just a bunch of cool fight scenes strung together. There's an engaging plot. Chow throws in some Bollywood-esque dance sequences. There's a G-rated romance that feels like a Chaplin tribute. And lots of, albeit cartoonish, R-rated violence that manages to have a feeling of light-heartedness about it.

How is a person being chopped to bits by invisible blades light-hearted? I have no idea how Chow manages to capture that tone. It's not the ironic, nasty feel of a lot of American horror films that make a joke out of impaling a co-ed. But nor is it a great tragedy watching guys you like get killed. Chow finds a magic realm of comedy and action. You have to see it.

There must be a trick to it. Only very rarely can I find the point of view that makes violence fun. I remember enjoying the rape scene (involving scissors and statuary) in Clockwork Orange. I can't explain or justify that other than that it may have been the tone as you describe here.
I imagine that those who shrink from violence and terror (as I generally do) are as disagreeably inexplicable as those who like it are to us.
What makes violent films fun, I wonder. Really.