The Legend of Drunken Master

Note: I saw the US dubbed version.

Though 16 years apart, Drunken Master II follows on from Drunken Master, one of Chan's early successes, where he almost single-handedly changed Hong Kong martial arts cinema from Bruce Lee's overly serious, God-like Kung Fu to a more comedic, pitter-patter style with more flamboyance. Set in the early 1900s, Chan plays Wong Fei-Hung, who gets caught up in a dispute between the local workers and their British consul employers. There is something to do with stealing Chinese artifacts and something else to do with Fei-Hung's father's school being sold under blackmail, but none of the plot is very important here. It's the evil British versus the heroic Chinese. That's all you need to know, though you rarely see any white man fighting.

Chan's choreography is great. The final 15-20 minutes is a non-stop conveyor belt of stunts, kicks, punches, and set pieces, within a steel mill. It is impressive, and very entertaining. The [particularly US] press hold it in quite a high regard, and while it is worthy of praise, I have trouble understanding why this finale out of all the Chan films is so well regarded. But nevertheless, it is remarkable. Chan is always able to conjure up such kineticism in his fights, and also including props and architecture into each scene (the tea shop scene perfectly displays this), which makes it more of an opera than a Kung Fu film.

What I love about this film (and indeed most of Chan's period films) is that it does not get bogged down with the period like most other Chinese period films. It zips along with most of the run time filled with action set pieces, and only short breaks for dialogue in order to build some sense of plot. It makes a period Chinese film - a history that I've grown tired of - not just bearable, but very entertaining.

Chan, the actor, is also brilliant here. Back in the days when he was the lovable Jackie Chan. His trademark smile, his humour, his intricately designed circumstances, and his passion, all brimming with confidence. But Drunken Master II contains another equally brilliant performance, and it's by the late Anita Mui, who I also love in Rumble in the Bronx. Her ability to mix the comedy with the serious, grumpy housewife - just the fact that she can do the funny stuff at all is notable - is very appealing, and something that you wouldn't find in today's Chinese actresses, who are just pinups looking for fame and do not care one iota about anything such as a craft. Andy Lau also makes a brief and odd appearance in the first quarter, seemingly a pivotal character but then never seen again.

B+

I remember seeing this in 2000, when Miramax released it as The Legend of Drunken Master to capitalize on the success of Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon. My 10-year-old self enjoyed it a lot and was riveted by Chan, though I wonder how much the Weinsteins reshaped it from the original version. I should revisit it.

It's not a different movie, but there are apparently differences, such as the end song in the original is sang by Chan, but in the US version it is just some music. There are other differences too. But I saw the same version as yours, and it is very good. Glad you liked Chan as a youngster, as I did.

Anyway, this was the only modern Chan (90s or later) that always passed me by, and I am glad to have now seen it.

What can I add to the film legend that is The Legend of Drunken Master? (aka Drunken Master II) It's everything it's reputation heralded. The use of practical stunt choreography and minimal fight editing are all the more noticeable in this age of artifice. I'm also a big fan of the use of intentional humor in the martial arts genre, and Jackie Chan is the master (though Anita Mui, who played the master's wife was also hilarious). Yep, it's a classic. *A+*

Wow, very high praise indeed. I mean, I loved the film, but it certainly isn't firing on all cylinders. It is a masterful lesson in choreography and stunt work, but it fails on story, character development, cinematography, music, and it's also not great in terms of comedy either. While a film doesn't necessarily need to be perfect in all areas to get a high score, I feel an "A+" needs to at least be higher in some of these areas to warrant the grade. At least for me.

But I am over the moon that you love it.

Though I'm usually a stickler on all of these, especially story, a genre picture like this can be great without wasting time on frills. In fact, they can detract from the main event. I don't watch a Three Stooges short for the "story, character development, cinematography, music". Drunken Master focuses on what it does best.

Disagree

If my opinion on movies wasn't perpetually ridiculed on this site, that might mean something.

And as I previous said, I agree with that sentiment. But "A+" is such a high score that for me it would need to impress me on at least some of those other areas to get such a grade, hence my still respectable, still very enjoyable ... "B+". Or perhaps it's because I only saw it within the last few weeks and therefore doesn't hold any nostalgia for me like, say, Police Story III: Supercop.



I don't know how well-viewed you are of Chan's work. But the comedy in this film is nothing original for him. It may wow you if you've only seen one or two of his films, though. It is fine, just not great.


Well, I am over the moon that anybody else loves it, to be honest. Not just you. I am just glad it's got (and is getting more) reviews in this thread.