Zhui ma lao

Although this gets some heat for being sort of bland at times, it is still great to see Lar Kar Leung show us even as he ages he can still move around like he did 20 years ago.

Although the comedy will sometimes fall flat on its face, the action alone makes the film worth seeing. Wu Jing should be getting more roles after last years Sha Po Lang, and his skills do not disappoint here either. It's great to see Kuan Chun Chi as the villain. I remember him from Eagles Claw (Tai Seng released this and is also a fun kung fu film), and even thirty years later the man is still ripped!

It isn't 8 Diagram Pole Fighter, but Drunken Monkey is an entertaining film, but not up to the standards of Lau Kar's earlier Shaw Bros works.

Chia-Liang Liu is still under appreciated unfortunately. This movie has great action, great humor, great plot and a great cast. What's wrong with this picture then(pun intended)? Many don't appreciate the old style Kung Fu movie meld of comedy and serious action. The most sterling example of this is Chia-Liang Liu's own Mad Monkey Kung Fu a tear jerker with comedy and action that makes it a classic. Here in Drunken Monkey he offers up not a sequel but a movie in the same vein if not as much a tear jerker. The cast including Jacky Wu's acting is good and at no moment in this movie are you left with time to wonder different as it's paced well. I think many have issues with the comedy aspect, maybe if you are not of fan of classic Kung Fu movies I can see. But that means the likes of Fu Sheng, Gordon Liu , Sammo and many others are not for you. As many of their best movies have strong comedic elements and let's face if life was serious all the time everyone would be depressed. Even the sets and backgrounds were excellent and I found it to be a worthy last movie for one of the best Martial Arts directors and action choreographers in the industry. Farewell Chia-Liang Liu you will be missed!

As a big fan of Lau Kar-Leung, Gordon Liu, and Wu Jing I absolutely loved this movie. Wu Jing will be a face to watch out for in future action movies and it's good to see the old timers still going at it.

The story is a standard Kung Fu tale with signature dumb Asian comedy thrown in. In all actuality I could go without the silliness but it doesn't degrade the movie at all. The title may lead some to believe that this film will have many drunken fights in it but this movie focuses more on the monkey style without so much drunkenness thrown in. Drunken Monkey really feels like the old Kung-Fu films of the 70's and 80's and that's a welcome surprise. The last action scene of the movie (that last like 30 minutes) is simply amazing and this movie is worth seeing for it alone, although the movie as a whole is great too.

Overall this is a very enjoyable Kung Fu film with some old and new faces throughout. I'm glad they're still making old-style martial arts films.

Set in the 1930's, the movie is about the head of a delivery guard service who faces the challenges of survival in more "modern" times in Canton, China. Man Bill (Man Biao?), a master at Monkeyfist kung fu, confronts Man Pao, a relative about his lifestyle and different vision for the company.

A young heir and his great uncle, a family betrayal, a government agent, drugs and foreign influence are all interwoven into the plot filled with old fashioned kung fu action and humor.

I wanted to watch this movie because of the director, Lar Kar Leung a.k.a. Liu Chia Liang, whose film credits include: "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin", Chen Kuan Tai's "Executioners from Shaolin" Jet Li's "Martial Arts of Shaolin" and Jackie Chan's "Legend of the Drunken Master". I enjoyed the movie.

It's great to see Liu Chia Liang still making movies. He has real integrity to his kung fu choreography. This film moves at a good pace, has a few great scenes and ends without us feeling cheated. The cast is energetic and It comes off in spirit like one of Liu's lesser Shaw films. Like his lesser Shaw films, the plot is lumpy and the tone veers from goofy comedy to seriousness abruptly. And like many of his lesser films, the legendary Liu Chia Hui shows up in a supporting role. It would be great to have Liu Chia Liang direct Liu Chia Hui in a starring role again.

What is clear is, however Liu makes his films these days, the Shaw style is gone. The camera work is very competent but doesn't compliment the fight scenes. There is an overuse of extreme wide angles. The actors are very well trained but only Liu Chia Liang has the physical snap that you saw nearly everyone have in the heyday of the Shaw studio. The fight scenes rely too much on editing, probably to cover for the fact that the actors don't have the time to train like at the Shaw studios. Too much Hidden Dragon style wire work.

Enough complaints, we don't get enough of this style of kung-fu film anymore. Watch it, have fun.