The Legend of Drunken Master (1994)

Fresh and Exciting

A Masterpiece!

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

You don't attend a Jackie Chan movie for the plot anymore than you watch 'Duck Soup' to see if Freedonia wins the war. You watch to see a comic master at work. Like The Marx Brothers and Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd the plot of Chan's movies is more or less obligatory, it is a clothesline on which to hang some amazing comic stuntwork and Chan has never been better then in 'The Legend of Drunken Master'.Made in 1994 but released in the states in late 2000, 'The Legend of Drunken Master' is Chan's best work of the 75 films that he has made. The reason, I think, is that care has been taken to make a movie that is as absolutely entertaining as any Jackie Chan movie can be. Watch the climactic fight in this movie and you will see martial arts as good as they get without help from the technical department.I have observed many times what makes Chan's action scenes work. I think it starts with the level of violence, there is a lot of kicking and slapping but no blood, no pain (except in the outtakes) and no dead bodies. Chan's characters never fight out of toughness but rather out of reaction. Fear always seems to drive Jackie to defend himself and like Fred Estaire he always uses whatever props are at his disposal from a hat rack to a chair, a refrigerator, a ladder, a wheelbarrow, a steering wheel etc. etc.The story of 'The Legend of Drunken Master' is really beside the point involving some business about a Chinese artifact and his art of Drunken Boxing which hinges on the theory that you can fight better when you are drunk. This gets him in hot water with his father but who really cares.The surprise in this movie is Anita Mui as Jackie's stepmother who provides a very funny comic performance with skill great and timing– her best moment comes when she is clipped in the jaw and speaks for a few minutes in a broken-jaw mush-mouth with her mouth cocked to the side. The women in these movies are usually dimwitted bimbos dragged along screeching but Mui is smart has real talent.I mentioned the climactic scene. It is the pure joy of watching a master at work and this one taking place inside a steel mill with Jackie and his adversaries fighting will all manner of fire implements and hot coals is Chan's best work. And just in case we have any doubts, every one of Jackie's movies closes with a series of outtakes showing Jackie getting hit, burned, punched etc. He may not be making movies that will change the face of cinema but here is a guy, literally, hanging his neck out for his art.NOTE: I like watching these movies with the English dubbing because it always seems to add to its tone which always seems to set the movie just an inch off the ground.

This is the first movie where I saw Jackie Chan using one of his most entertaining to watch fighting style...The drunken boxing. Now this sequel isn't as funny compared to his previous Drunken Master film. But it's more entertaining, has better direction and fights, and a more better put together story and characters. Jackie Chan performed every stunt in this film and his sacrifice is totally worth it. As a matter of fact this is one of Jackie Chan's most popular trademark movie of his. I remember watching this film for the first time when I was a youngster and being so thoroughly entertained by it. I started to imitate drunken boxing and found it to be the epitome of a fun kung-fu movie. Now I don't care if others claim this movie is overrated. This film alone should give Jackie Chan the right to leave a mark in kung-fu films history in my opinion. I also liked Jackie Chan's mother in this film, she was like the Chinese Lucy from "I Love Lucy". Anyways this is a Jackie Chan's masterpiece. Anyone that like Jackie Chan films or Kung-fu movies should check this one out. Heck if you like entertaining and enjoyable films in general check this one out.9.4/10

Raymond Chow-Golden Harvest production with plenty of action , humor , lots of stretching and fast kicking . It deals with a young martial artist named Wong Fei-Hung (Jackie Chan's role is supposed to be half the age the actor was at the time of filming) going back home with his pacifist father (Lung Ti is only eight years older than Jackie Chan who plays his son) after a expedition and he meets at a train a veteran expert fighter . After that , he is caught between respecting his dad's orders or detaining a bunch of ambitious foreigners from smuggling precious objects . Meanwhile , Wong aware a style of fighting called "Drunken Boxing" , a strange and engaging kind of struggle . Unfortunately , his daddy is opposed to it , let alone drunken boxing . Ultimately , Fei-Hong not only has to face off against the disrespectful foreigners , but he has to overcome his dad's opposition as well . Entertainment , comedy and amusement abound in this exciting story , culminating consequently with overlong and spectacular fights in the enemy headquarter of the nasty band led by a foreigner ambassador along with his evil thugs .Hong Kong action comedy full of over-the-top struggles , excitement , thrills , ingenious stunts , slapstick , lots of fights but with abundant humor and tongue-in-cheek . This bemusing movie is packed with adventure , intrigue , unstopped action , and overwhelming stunt-work , in fact , the seven-minute fight at the end of the film took nearly four months to shoot , Jackie Chan indicated that one day's filming typically produces three seconds of usable film . Jackie Chan is top notch as one army man fighting a group of heinous villains and as always he makes his own stunts like is well showed . Awesome , incredible stunts and brief comic touches , as usual ; the picture is better constructed than Chan's predecessors films . The lighting-paced storyline slows down at times , but frantic action sequences make up for it . Spotlights movie include spectacular brawls , including bounds and leaps , impressive and interminable fights , a breathtaking final struggle between Jackie Chan and enemies . Jackie Chan actually crawled over the burning hot coals two times , he felt he "didn't have the right rhythm" the first time he did it . In addition other fine action sequences in overwhelming style . This is an acceptable action movie distinguished by nicely cinematography of the spectacular sequences , and contains agreeable sense of humor such as previous entries . Jackie Chan usually forms couple to notorious actresses as Maggie Chung and Michelle Yeoh . In this outing Jackie teams up again to prestigious Chinese actress Anita Mui , who plays his stepmother , a fine action star in their own right but sadly she early died by cancer . Both of them starred together several films such as ¨ Mr Canton and Lady Rose¨ and ¨Rumble Bronx¨ .The ¨Wong Fei Hung¨ role is a Chinese historic character who has been played by several actors , as Tak Hing in numerous films , the same Jackie Chan in ¨Drunken monkey in the tiger's eyes (1978)¨ and Jet Li in ¨One upon a time a hero in China¨ series , ¨Dr Wong in America¨ and recently Sammo Hung in the recent version of ¨Around the world in 80 days¨ also starred by Chan . ¨Jui Kuen II¨ is a good action movie distinguished by fight sequences , noisy action and packs silly sense of humor as well as Jackie's subsequent entries . The picture achieved big success in China and all around the world . However , Jackie Chan's failed at Box-office in his American debut ,¨Battle creek brawl¨ . Chan is a hard-working actor and director throughout his long and varied career . Chan usually pays overt homage to two of his greatest influences as Charles Chaplin and Harold Lloyd . He went on playing ¨Cannoball¨ , ¨The protector¨ and "Rumble in the Bronx", until getting all American success with ¨Shangai Knights¨ , ¨The tuxedo¨ , ¨Around the world in 80 days¨ and ¨Rush hour¨ trilogy , and the recent ¨Karate kid¨. Of course , his biggest hits were ¨The Police story¨ series that won the Golden Horse Award, a Chinese version of the Oscar , the first was titled ¨Police story (1985)¨ directed by the same Chan , it was a perfect action film for enthusiastic of the genre ; the following was ¨Police story 2 (1988)¨ also pretty violent and with abundant humor touches . It's followed by ¨Supercop¨ or ¨Police story 3¨ and finally , ¨Police story IV : Crime story¨ . The picture is well produced by the great Asian producer Raymond Chow and Golden Harvest production and compellingly directed by Chia Liu and completed by Jackie Chan . Rating : Acceptable and passable , the picture has its sensational moments here and there , but also with abundant humor touches mostly provided by its agile star , the super Jackie stunningly accompanied by Anita Mui and Lung Ti . It's a perfect action film for enthusiasts of the genre and especially for Jackie fans .

The only real detriment to me as I watched the exhilarating Drunken Master II was the dubbed version I had to endure. Besides that and a rather mediocre story which, let's face it, is merely fodder to feed to the amazing martial arts sequences, Drunken Master II sure held my interest particularly Chan's climactic battle with Low Houi-kang(..as the corrupt Chinese business partner working with evil British Embassador attempting to steal a precious jade seal from the Great Wall, among other artifacts, raping the heritage of the people)in the Steel Mill. Also phenomenal is the tea house action sequence where Chan and Liu Chia-Liang(..as Master Fu Wen-Chi, attempting to retrieve the seal from those wishing to confiscate it)must defend themselves against the "ax army"(..this includes a terrific use of a splintered bamboo stick)where plenty of bodies are thrown through windows and tables, with stairs that are collapsed. The scene where Jackie Chan actually moves through hot coals is a hair-raiser..now this is dedication! Jackie Chan returns to the role of Wong Fei-hung, the son of a renowned martial artist, Wong Kei-ying(Lung Ti), whose fighting skills improve the drunker he gets! And, let me tell you, his unusual fighting techniques are something to behold! Anita Mui lends comic support as Mrs. Wong, Fei-hung's mother, herself a bit of a troublemaker who often motivates her step-son into action. The mistake of substituting a banzai tree root for a ginseng root is just one of several ordeals the two get themselves into..and this causes the one who uses it for tea to get deathly ill! I must admit, though, that asking us to accept her as Chan's motherly figure is a bit much, but they have wonderful scenes together on screen.Anyway, the film also shows how the steel mill is being used by those in authority to overstep their bounds, by forcing the steelworkers into overtime and lack of pay. Over the steel mill is the slimy British ambassador stirring up the problems plaguing the Chinese people. The ambassador also wants Kei-ying's Po Chin Lam school and grounds so he'll do whatever it takes to secure the property for his own financial purposes. All this is to develop those enemies we are to loathe and it doesn't take much to root for Fei-hung, drunken or otherwise. 1994 was pretty much Jackie Chan's coming out year, attracting the same western audiences as Bruce Lee had done.