The Legend of Drunken Master (1994)

The Legend of Drunken Master (1994)

10/10

Starring

Jackie Chan

Anita Mui

Ti Lung

Directed by Lau Kar-Leung

After I finished watching this film, I started it again and watched it one more time. This is the best martial arts film out there—there’s none like it. The fluidity in the moves by none other than the Drunken Master himself, Jackie Chan, is something you have to see to understand why it’s considered great. The story and the wonderful acting of the late Anita Mui (as Ling, Wong Fei Hung’s stepmother) were also enough to keep you glued to the screen. Although I have to say, the pacing, can feel a bit off at times, especially when the story slows down between the action scenes.

This is the second collaboration between Jackie Chan and Anita Mui, the first being Miracles (1989). Their last collaboration was Rumble in the Bronx (1995).

The movie isn’t a continuation of Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master (1978). This was Chan’s first traditional-style martial arts film since Dragon Lord (1981), and it was done to near perfection. Every fight scene leaves you wondering, “How the hell did he do that?” Americans have adopted martial arts into their movies, but I haven’t seen any that can overthrow what Jackie Chan delivered in this film. Whether you call it Drunken Master II or The Legend of Drunken Master, this is a movie that practically everyone who’s seen it has loved. And if you haven’t seen it, where have you been all these years?

The movie is set in the early 20th century and follows the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung (Jackie Chan), who is on his way home with his father by train. He hides (when his father’s back is turned) some of their wares in the luggage of first-class passengers. When he goes to retrieve it, he runs into a man who’s also retrieving an item from the same luggage. They get into a fight, and each ends up with the other’s item.

This leads the owner of the luggage—a British Consulate official stealing Chinese artifacts—to track down Wong Fei Hung and try to retrieve the artifact. Meanwhile, the man from the train also tracks him down with the same agenda. Now, Fei Hung is caught in the middle of a battle between the man from the train, who’s trying to protect Chinese heritage from being stolen by the British, and the British Consulate.

The movie features some of the finest martial arts ever put on screen, and it’s widely regarded as one of the best martial arts films ever made, and I can't say enough how much The Legend of Drunken Master shines with its incredible martial arts sequences and Jackie Chan’s charismatic performance. But there are a few other things that hold it back from being perfect. The plot, is a little thin and leans more on the action than on developing the characters. And some of the supporting characters, although entertaining, aren’t given much depth, which makes them feel more like tools to move the plot along. And the humor, is at times slapstick, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

There’s no reason every home shouldn’t own a copy of this movie. It’s one of the best action-comedies you’ll ever see, and the final fight in the steel mill is worth watching twice.