Le Maître chinois

I am not very familiar with the true story of Wong Fei Hung. I've read about him before, and from memory, he was an exceptional martial artist (he practiced Hung-Gar) and became a folk-hero to the people of China, much like his father, Wong Kei Ying. So there is the true story, and then there is the 200 or so movies made about him. 'Drunken Master' is one of these.

I haven't seen most of those 200 movies, except for the Drunken Master movies, Jet Li's 'Once Upon a Time in China' series, and 'Iron Monkey'. The 'Once Upon a Time in China' movies and 'Iron Monkey' may be somewhat over-the-top wu xia movies, but they portray Wong Fei Hung as a serious hero. 'Drunken Master' features a very different take on the character.

Jackie Chan's Wong Fei Hung is a rebellious trouble-maker. His father, Wong Kei Ying, has given up on disciplining him, and sends him to his uncle, So Hai, the master of drunken boxing, hoping that a year of training with So Hai will sort Fei Hung out. Fei doesn't seem to learn his lesson until a chance encounter with Thunderfoot (Hwang Jang Lee)...

Story-wise, it is a bit of a standard kung-fu plot. However, in a documentary on Jackie Chan (I can't remember the name, I know that as of this review, it isn't listed on IMDb, but it was shown on SBS in 2003), 'Drunken Master' was mentioned as his breakthrough hit that nearly killed his career: Apparently Chinese viewers were insulted by Jackie's portrayal of Wong Fei Hung and nearly boycotted him when he was just gaining fame as an actor.

Onto more important matters. Like kung-fu. 'Drunken Master' is one of the kung-fu classics. Boosted by the presence of martial-arts star Hwang Jang Lee, this pretty much made or solidified the careers of Jackie Chan and Yuen Woo Ping (in his directorial debut). 'Drunken Master' features some very well choreographed fights and training scenes. 'Drunken Master' is very funny too, and is one of two movies I know where a young main-character gets beaten by an older middle-aged lady (which is always funny, more movies need a scene like this) - the other movie is Battlefield Baseball.

As a matter of interest for Jackie Chan fans: 'Drunken Master' signaled the end of Jackie Chan's work with director Wei Lo. Yay. In fact, the Columbia Tristar DVD release of 'Drunken Master' includes audio commentary by experts on Hong Kong cinema. I will check that out sometime, but it sounds like it would appeal to fans of kung-fu movies. Some more trivia - the latest release doesn't have the complete Cantonese sound track, and so the English dub is used where the Cantonese track is incomplete.

'Drunken Master' features awesome kung-fu scenes, and has some interesting historical perspectives. Ah, kung-fu movies and history, some of my favourite hobbies together at last - 10/10, a must see for any fans of Jackie Chan or kung-fu movies, 'Drunken Master' is kung-fu perfection.

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

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

This is my favourite jackie chan film. It's one of the funniest films i've ever seen. It starts with a fight and ends with one,so the action crowd won't be disappointed! Plus it contains the funniest scenes chan has ever put on film,such as the taunting of his idiotic teacher and the horror of realising the woman who he picks a fight with is his auntie!Brilliant.

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