The Axe Gang is a fictional gang

Gang

A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...

 that has appeared in a few Hong Kong

Hong Kong action cinema

Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...

 martial arts film

Martial arts film

Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...

s, the most recent being the Korean film Marrying the Mafia II

Marrying the Mafia II

Marrying the Mafia II is a 2005 South Korean film, the sequel to 2002's hugely popular Marrying the Mafia. It was the most successful comedy film in South Korea the year of its release; its over 5 million tickets sold represented more than 10% of the population and contributed to the third straight...

. There was a real Axe Gang in Shanghai around Japanese Occupation with the head named Wang Ya Qiao. Those in the films are based loosely on this. They also had a very fierce leader they called him Young Seabass because he was just 15 at the time.

Background

The Axe Gang has control over Shanghai

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

 and uses axe

Axe

The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...

s as a weapon of choice, usually dressed in black

Black

Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...

 suits and sometimes top hat

Top hat

A top hat, beaver hat, high hat silk hat, cylinder hat, chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat is a tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat, predominantly worn from the latter part of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century...

s. Boxer From Shantung

Boxer from Shantung

The Boxer From Shantung is a 1972 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Chang Cheh, and starring David Chiang and Chen Kuan Tai.- Plot :Boxer From Shantung follows Ma Yongzhen and Xiao Jiangbei...

is perhaps the gang's earliest appearance, though they are not formally called Axe Gang within the film. The Gang also appears in Project A Part II

Project A Part II

Project A Part II is a 1987 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by and starring Jackie Chan which serves as a sequel to his massive Asian hit film Project A...

, Drunken Master II

Drunken Master II

Drunken Master II is a 1994 Hong Kong kung fu action film directed by Lau Kar-Leung and Jackie Chan, who stars as Chinese folk hero, Wong Fei Hung. It was Chan's first traditional style martial arts film since The Young Master...

, Marrying the Mafia II

Marrying the Mafia II

Marrying the Mafia II is a 2005 South Korean film, the sequel to 2002's hugely popular Marrying the Mafia. It was the most successful comedy film in South Korea the year of its release; its over 5 million tickets sold represented more than 10% of the population and contributed to the third straight...

and Shanghai Affairs.

In Kung Fu Hustle

In the comedy film Kung Fu Hustle

Kung Fu Hustle

Kung Fu Hustle is a 2004 action comedy film directed and produced by, and starring Stephen Chow. The other film producers were Chui Po-chu and Jeffrey Lau, while the screenplay was written by Huo Xin, Chan Man-keung, and Tsang Kan-cheung...

, the Axe Gang is run in a way very similar to the Italian crime mafia families or perhaps to the major Chinese Triads. The Axe Gang is led by Brother Sum. Two crossed axes forming an "X" can be seen as their recognizable logo in Kung Fu Hustle, which many if not all members have tattooed on their bodies somewhere, visible or otherwise. The gang is shown doing dance moves in Kung Fu Hustle reminiscent of 50s musicals.

Films

• Boxer From Shantung
  Boxer from Shantung
  The Boxer From Shantung is a 1972 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Chang Cheh, and starring David Chiang and Chen Kuan Tai.- Plot :Boxer From Shantung follows Ma Yongzhen and Xiao Jiangbei...
  
  (1972)
• Project A Part II
  Project A Part II
  Project A Part II is a 1987 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by and starring Jackie Chan which serves as a sequel to his massive Asian hit film Project A...
  
  (1987)
• Drunken Master II
  Drunken Master II
  Drunken Master II is a 1994 Hong Kong kung fu action film directed by Lau Kar-Leung and Jackie Chan, who stars as Chinese folk hero, Wong Fei Hung. It was Chan's first traditional style martial arts film since The Young Master...
  
  (1994)
• Fist of Fury (1995)
• Shanghai Affairs (1998)
• Kung Fu Hustle
  Kung Fu Hustle
  Kung Fu Hustle is a 2004 action comedy film directed and produced by, and starring Stephen Chow. The other film producers were Chui Po-chu and Jeffrey Lau, while the screenplay was written by Huo Xin, Chan Man-keung, and Tsang Kan-cheung...
  
  (2004)
• Marrying the Mafia II
  Marrying the Mafia II
  Marrying the Mafia II is a 2005 South Korean film, the sequel to 2002's hugely popular Marrying the Mafia. It was the most successful comedy film in South Korea the year of its release; its over 5 million tickets sold represented more than 10% of the population and contributed to the third straight...
  
  (2005)
• Ip Man (2008)