The Legend of Drunken Master (1994)

A Masterpiece!

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

This movie is seen as one of the best martial arts movies, and for a very good reason. This movie is everything you expect from a Jackie Chan martial arts movie.Let me start with the fighting, the martial arts and stunts in this movie are great. I was really impressed by all the things Jackie Chan is able to do over his 40. Jackie Chan has a very distinctive style of martial arts in which he combines slapstick with fighting as he uses his environment as means to defeat his enemies.The comedy in this movie was great. I was laughing out loud through many parts of the movie, specially when he uses the now famous Drunk Boxing, which is hilarious to see. Jackie Chan's acting really sells all the crazy things that are happening. And the rest of the characters are equally entertaining.One thing I was not expecting was this movie to have serious moments. But surprisingly, it did. When Jackie Chan was not drunk or fighting, there were some very interesting scenes with his father.The only downside I can think of with this movie is the story. The story, in my opinion, is not really that interesting and it is hard to be hooked in it. It is the most generic story and I believe the first one has a much more interesting story.

Drunken Master was a rather mediocre movie with some of the most amazing martial arts fights of all time. The Legend of Drunken Master is a somewhat better movie, overall, yet honestly, I didn't enjoy it quite as much. I liked the fight scenes, but somehow I felt less moments where I was blown away. Surprisingly, my favorite thing about the movie is not Chan's fighting but rather a wonderful comic performance by Anita Mui as Chan's stepmom. I never really understood why she was always so intent to help Chan at the expense of her husband, but she was wildly entertaining.The story is mainly coherent and moves well, and Chan does offer up some terrific fights, but I would not be as inclined as some here to declare this Chan's best movie. (caveat, I had a terrible cold when I watched this movie, which honestly could have affected my perception somewhat.)

You don't attend a Jackie Chan movie for the plot anymore than you watch 'Duck Soup' to see if Freedonia wins the war. You watch to see a comic master at work. Like The Marx Brothers and Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd the plot of Chan's movies is more or less obligatory, it is a clothesline on which to hang some amazing comic stuntwork and Chan has never been better then in 'The Legend of Drunken Master'.Made in 1994 but released in the states in late 2000, 'The Legend of Drunken Master' is Chan's best work of the 75 films that he has made. The reason, I think, is that care has been taken to make a movie that is as absolutely entertaining as any Jackie Chan movie can be. Watch the climactic fight in this movie and you will see martial arts as good as they get without help from the technical department.I have observed many times what makes Chan's action scenes work. I think it starts with the level of violence, there is a lot of kicking and slapping but no blood, no pain (except in the outtakes) and no dead bodies. Chan's characters never fight out of toughness but rather out of reaction. Fear always seems to drive Jackie to defend himself and like Fred Estaire he always uses whatever props are at his disposal from a hat rack to a chair, a refrigerator, a ladder, a wheelbarrow, a steering wheel etc. etc.The story of 'The Legend of Drunken Master' is really beside the point involving some business about a Chinese artifact and his art of Drunken Boxing which hinges on the theory that you can fight better when you are drunk. This gets him in hot water with his father but who really cares.The surprise in this movie is Anita Mui as Jackie's stepmother who provides a very funny comic performance with skill great and timing– her best moment comes when she is clipped in the jaw and speaks for a few minutes in a broken-jaw mush-mouth with her mouth cocked to the side. The women in these movies are usually dimwitted bimbos dragged along screeching but Mui is smart has real talent.I mentioned the climactic scene. It is the pure joy of watching a master at work and this one taking place inside a steel mill with Jackie and his adversaries fighting will all manner of fire implements and hot coals is Chan's best work. And just in case we have any doubts, every one of Jackie's movies closes with a series of outtakes showing Jackie getting hit, burned, punched etc. He may not be making movies that will change the face of cinema but here is a guy, literally, hanging his neck out for his art.NOTE: I like watching these movies with the English dubbing because it always seems to add to its tone which always seems to set the movie just an inch off the ground.

Raymond Chow-Golden Harvest production with plenty of action , humor , lots of stretching and fast kicking . It deals with a young martial artist named Wong Fei-Hung (Jackie Chan's role is supposed to be half the age the actor was at the time of filming) going back home with his pacifist father (Lung Ti is only eight years older than Jackie Chan who plays his son) after a expedition and he meets at a train a veteran expert fighter . After that , he is caught between respecting his dad's orders or detaining a bunch of ambitious foreigners from smuggling precious objects . Meanwhile , Wong aware a style of fighting called "Drunken Boxing" , a strange and engaging kind of struggle . Unfortunately , his daddy is opposed to it , let alone drunken boxing . Ultimately , Fei-Hong not only has to face off against the disrespectful foreigners , but he has to overcome his dad's opposition as well . Entertainment , comedy and amusement abound in this exciting story , culminating consequently with overlong and spectacular fights in the enemy headquarter of the nasty band led by a foreigner ambassador along with his evil thugs .Hong Kong action comedy full of over-the-top struggles , excitement , thrills , ingenious stunts , slapstick , lots of fights but with abundant humor and tongue-in-cheek . This bemusing movie is packed with adventure , intrigue , unstopped action , and overwhelming stunt-work , in fact , the seven-minute fight at the end of the film took nearly four months to shoot , Jackie Chan indicated that one day's filming typically produces three seconds of usable film . Jackie Chan is top notch as one army man fighting a group of heinous villains and as always he makes his own stunts like is well showed . Awesome , incredible stunts and brief comic touches , as usual ; the picture is better constructed than Chan's predecessors films . The lighting-paced storyline slows down at times , but frantic action sequences make up for it . Spotlights movie include spectacular brawls , including bounds and leaps , impressive and interminable fights , a breathtaking final struggle between Jackie Chan and enemies . Jackie Chan actually crawled over the burning hot coals two times , he felt he "didn't have the right rhythm" the first time he did it . In addition other fine action sequences in overwhelming style . This is an acceptable action movie distinguished by nicely cinematography of the spectacular sequences , and contains agreeable sense of humor such as previous entries . Jackie Chan usually forms couple to notorious actresses as Maggie Chung and Michelle Yeoh . In this outing Jackie teams up again to prestigious Chinese actress Anita Mui , who plays his stepmother , a fine action star in their own right but sadly she early died by cancer . Both of them starred together several films such as ¨ Mr Canton and Lady Rose¨ and ¨Rumble Bronx¨ .The ¨Wong Fei Hung¨ role is a Chinese historic character who has been played by several actors , as Tak Hing in numerous films , the same Jackie Chan in ¨Drunken monkey in the tiger's eyes (1978)¨ and Jet Li in ¨One upon a time a hero in China¨ series , ¨Dr Wong in America¨ and recently Sammo Hung in the recent version of ¨Around the world in 80 days¨ also starred by Chan . ¨Jui Kuen II¨ is a good action movie distinguished by fight sequences , noisy action and packs silly sense of humor as well as Jackie's subsequent entries . The picture achieved big success in China and all around the world . However , Jackie Chan's failed at Box-office in his American debut ,¨Battle creek brawl¨ . Chan is a hard-working actor and director throughout his long and varied career . Chan usually pays overt homage to two of his greatest influences as Charles Chaplin and Harold Lloyd . He went on playing ¨Cannoball¨ , ¨The protector¨ and "Rumble in the Bronx", until getting all American success with ¨Shangai Knights¨ , ¨The tuxedo¨ , ¨Around the world in 80 days¨ and ¨Rush hour¨ trilogy , and the recent ¨Karate kid¨. Of course , his biggest hits were ¨The Police story¨ series that won the Golden Horse Award, a Chinese version of the Oscar , the first was titled ¨Police story (1985)¨ directed by the same Chan , it was a perfect action film for enthusiastic of the genre ; the following was ¨Police story 2 (1988)¨ also pretty violent and with abundant humor touches . It's followed by ¨Supercop¨ or ¨Police story 3¨ and finally , ¨Police story IV : Crime story¨ . The picture is well produced by the great Asian producer Raymond Chow and Golden Harvest production and compellingly directed by Chia Liu and completed by Jackie Chan . Rating : Acceptable and passable , the picture has its sensational moments here and there , but also with abundant humor touches mostly provided by its agile star , the super Jackie stunningly accompanied by Anita Mui and Lung Ti . It's a perfect action film for enthusiasts of the genre and especially for Jackie fans .