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The Legend of
Drunken Master 1994 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Chia-Liang Liu
R, 105 min. (violence) |
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Starring: Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, Lung Ti, Felix Wong
Producer: Barbie Tung
Screenplay: King-Sang Tseng, Kai-Chi Yun
Distributor: Dimension Films
Released: 10/20/00 (Wide)
(Dubbed into English) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
The Legend of Drunken Master, originally released in 1994 in Hong Kong, is maybe Jackie Chan's best film. Though the plot
is barely serviceable, the action sequences are some of the best ever committed to film. Chan's popularity in the U.S. has
been growing ever since his earlier releases of Rush Hour and Rumble in the Bronx, and with this release, it seems probable
that he is here to stay. Many people told me that this film had the best fight sequence they had ever seen (at the end of the
film), and I have to say that they may be right. The precision in not only the choreography, but pure athleticism to perform
these maneuvers is impressive. The future of film is clearly in the digital domain, but I have a feeling that Jackie Chan will
do his best to keep us from entering that realm completely devoid of any true hand-to-hand combat.
Chan plays Fei-hong, the son of a martial arts master known for his "drunken boxing" techiniques, who must stop the smuggling
of China's ancient artifacts out of the country. He assembles a team, made up of former rivals, to help him win the battle.
His father, Wong (Lung Ti), forbids him from practicing "drunken boxing" because it is dangerous, but Chan is forced into
using the technique when his step-mother (Anita Mui) orders him to defend her honor when she is attacked by gangsters in the
city street. Although he wins the fight, Fei-hong is threatened with disowning from his father, as he has brought disgrace on
Wong. But Fei-hong is determined, especially after the death of one of his mentors, Master Tsan (Felix Wong). This sets up
the final battle between Fei-hong and the gangsters' henchman.
As aforementioned, the story is not important anyway - it is merely there to help connect the action sequences, which are
superb. I can't imagine how long it took to get many of those fight scenes right, but their hard work has resulted in some
breath-taking action. The dialogue is bordering on inept, but most people aren't really interested in what they
have to say anyway - they're watching for the fights. And fights they get.
The final sequence of the film, which is around 15-20 minutes in length, is unbelievable. No matter what you have seen
in the past in regard to climactic fight scenes, it probably doesn't match this one. A venerable cornucopia of fight techniques,
instruments, and hand-to-hand combat are on display in this masterpiece. The last scene is almost overwhelming - we know
that Chan will win, but how much damage (or drinking) must he endure to secure it? It's definitely worth viewing the film
to see this fight. In fact, if you are so inclined, fast-forwarding to the last few minutes is probably not a bad idea if you don't
want to endure the entire film (although there are some impressive fight scenes prior to this one too).
The Legend of Drunken Master won't go down as one of the best films of all time, but it does hold a spot among a few elite
films with the ability to amaze you with its choreographed action sequences. Personally, I prefer a film like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to this one, but only because it has an intriguing story to go along with its amazing acrobatics. But there's no
denying that this film has won its place alongside some of the best in its genre.
© 2000 Jonathan Cornwell
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| Masterpiece - Classic; Movie perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See; One of the year's best films |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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