El maestro borrachón

Now I saw "Legend of Drunken Master" first which is a kung-fu film that blew my mind because of it's awesomeness. And since this film didn't seem all that notorious, I shunned this one sorta. Despite it being the film with Jackie Chan showing his drunken boxing and being kind of a pioneer of that style. I just wasn't expecting this film to be so darn entertaining. Sure, it doesn't have that much resources going for it. But Jackie did just about everything physically possible. And it really did pay off. I also wasn't expecting such high comedic moments even for a Jackie Chan film and I was wrong in every way. This film has all that trademark Jackie Chan elements and it's highly entertaining and humorous. Sure it is kind of cheesy but it actually works for a film like this. And for a Kung-fu flick from the 70's it seemed to be ahead of it's time. I was either smirking or laughing most of the way through while watching this amazing kung-fu film. The plot does seem a bit random at times and more bonding parts with Jackie Chan and the Drunken Master would have been cool. This is like the way better version of "The Karate Kid", comparing because it does have slight similarities. Except this film came first. The creativity in this is also top notch, especially when it comes to the fight sequences. This film was made during the prime of Jackie Chan and it does show what Jackie is capable physically and athletically. I saw this with English Dub and despite Jackie's British accent, it wasn't bad. "Drunken Master" is one of Jackie Chan's best.

8.4/10

Directed by legendary kung fu choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping, Drunken Master is considered by many martial arts fans to be one of the best films of Jackie Chan's career, but while it certainly displays the star's kung fu and acrobatic ability to great effect, and is a thoroughly enjoyable watch, I found the plot just a little too generic (and the comedy a little too broad) to rate it any higher than an 8 (I actually give it a 7.5, but I've rounded my score up for IMDb).

There really is very little going on here in terms of storyline, and what there is most seasoned fans of old school martial arts fans will have seen countless times before: a young upstart, Wong Fei-Hung (Chan), causes trouble in his local town and is sent by his disappointed father to train with a kung fu master, Beggar Su (Siu Tin Yuen). Beggar Su's techniques are harsh but very effective, so when an assassin named Thunderfoot (Hwang Jang Lee) is hired to kill Fei-Hung's father, the young man is able to step in and save the day.

Jackie Chan's comedic style is very much in evidence here, with buffoonery, slapstick action, and fart and poo gags, plus quite a few characters with peculiar facial features (a hairy mole, a red nose, drawn on freckles and goofy teeth), and the humour will not appeal to all (I nearly always struggle with Chinese comedy). Thankfully, the excellent fighting more than makes up for the silliness, with Jackie performing some mind-bogglingly amazing feats of physical prowess, making the absolute most of his Chinese Circus training. He leaps, he flips, he tumbles, he kicks, and he punches, performing snake style, monkey style and—of course—drunken style, all with incredible energy, speed and split second timing; it's absolutely breathtaking to behold.

Naturally, Beggar Su and Thunderfoot are no slouches in the chop socky department either, the old drunken beggar pulling off some very cool moves against a baddie called The Stick King (Hsia Hsu) and Thunderfoot more than living up to his title: with his technique 30% hands and 70% legs, Hwang Jang Lee is given plenty of opportunity to show off his legendary kicking skills. Also very impressive in her small role as Wong Fei Hung's auntie is Linda Lin Ying: I don't know much about her, but the one fight scene she shares with Jackie is quite stunning—her flexibility and leg control made my jaw drop (I must check out some of the other titles in her filmography—Dance of the Drunk Mantis also stars Hwang Jang Lee, so that would seem like an obvious place to start).

Wong Fei-Hung (Jackie Chan) is a cheeky young student who knows how to fight and stand up for himself. But after a public situation gone poorly, Wong is punished by his father. Wong will now be trained and disciplined by a man named, Beggar So (Siu Tin Yuen). Beggar So is a master of "Drunken Martial Arts" and Beggar begins to train Wong in a way he believes will correct Wong's path in life.

I personally have always been a huge fan of Jackie Chan films (especially from the 90's). I recently discovered this film had been remastered (thanks to Umbrella Entertainment) and I must personally confess, this film has been on my watch list for many years.

As a plot, I enjoyed this movie as all it does is follow a simple formula. Our leading character Wong (Jackie Chan) will generally start a conversation or some sort of trouble, and shortly after the situation will result in humorous fight scenes (aka Kung Fu). The method of storytelling is A, B, A, B until the credits roll.

Needless to say, the biggest highlight of this film was the action by Jackie Chan. The style and humour by Jackie Chan is something I can't say I've seen in films before, even in today's films. The stunts and action here are real. This film was also completed before actor's started using wires or visual effects. I found myself at countless times during this film feeling impressed by Jackie Chan's ability as an actor, fighter and his ability to deliver funny jokes along the way. It's no wonder the film managed to return again with a sequel in 1994.

Overall, this would have to be one of my top 5 favourite Jackie Chan films. Drunken Master delivered a new style of Kung Fu which is great to see remastered on Bluray. There are many elements present here including action, humour and an easy plot, but its biggest draw card is naturally the fight scenes which are incredibly entertaining. As the credits rolled all I could say was "Wow, Jackie Chan is such a legend".

8.7/10 Walkden Entertainment

Wong Fei-hung as a young man has a reputation different from that awaiting him as an adult. With a nickname of Naughty Panther, Fei-hung is in constant trouble with people and, no matter his intentions to help out just makes things worse for himself. When his father has had enough he sends Fei-hung away to be trained by a wine-guzzling master Su who is not only famed for his 8-Drunken Genii style but also for crippling many of his students. Fei-hung tries to get away from this fate but it is not long till his drunken teacher tracks him down and teaches him, whether he likes it or not. However, when he is humbled by the mighty killer Thunderleg, he decides to train to be better no matter what it takes.

I've not given up on modern releases totally but a real death-march of uninspiring films of late has seen me using my DVD rental subscription to get in touch with older films and also genres that do not often show up on my basic TV package. Recently this has seen me getting some old-school martial arts films and of course Drunken Master had to be one of the first to be seen. When watching it, it is important that you keep your genre frame of reference because as a "film" (with no riders or expectations) it could be dismissed as having no substance to speak of - an accusation that I myself level at many blockbusters that offer me nothing to engage with. In this case though one does have to wonder if it matters because in terms of pure entertainment value there is just about sufficient story to pull a basic frame together for an amusing and exciting film.

I say this because the plot doesn't do much other than set up the many fight sequences that the film has and really these are the reason why we are all here. Without exception, these are technically and visually impressive. The physical strength and control of the actors is just as impressive as the choreography and, unlike modern films, the camera sits back so we can see and doesn't get into the close and frantic editing which reveal the actor perhaps could only do one short movement at a time and needed lots of help from the camera. Speaking of camera movement, one of the joys of the film is to see what has now become the genre-defining zooms in on faces and other such clichés.

Speaking of which, the acting also fits this mould as it is the wonderful OTT style of acting, with big hair and exaggerated performances that owe a debt to silent cinema. Chan is not at his funniest here (partly because his character necessitates a degree of arrogance that takes away a little) but he is still very comic and self-effacing in his comedy. He is well supported by Yuen, who is also very skilled and able to do comedy, while Hwang's villain is wonderfully 1970's martial arts and full of camp menace. The support cast features some familiar faces who bring stuff to the table such as the high-kicking Linda Lin and the amusing Dean Shek.

Drunken Master is very much a genre film and those who do not like the conventions of the genre should not be too shocked to find that they don't like it here. However for martial arts fans and the casual viewer, this is a great film with plenty of brilliant action blended with a genial and comic tone that allows it to be solid good fun.

This is one of the quality films from Jackie's early years made the year after Snake in Eagles Shadow with much of the same cast and crew this built on the comedic style of Kung Fu action that Jackie was to make his own. Of the two films I actually prefer the earlier Snake in.... but its this later film that is more often considered Chan's earliest masterpiece.

This is a more traditional set kung-fu film than the later stunt fests that made his name. The fighting styles on show are unique, inventive and fascinating to watch. The showdowns are impressive and with no trick photography, CG or massive effects fueled blow outs and shows just how good a martial artist Jackie is. The comedy works well and Jackies on screen master is very funny and they spark well off each other as a team.

This is a really good old style kung fu flick fans of Jackies later work such as Rush Hour etc. may not find what their looking for here this is Jackie in one of his most pure kung fu movies. But for anyone who loves martial arts you must see this!! Great entertainment 7/10