Drunken Master

Drunken Master
1978 - Hong Kong
Directed By Woo-Ping Yuen



SYNOPSIS

The son (Jackie Chan) of a renown kung fu teacher neglects his studies and is sent to train with his uncle, who teaches him discipline and a rare form of fighting, drunken style.



MY THOUGHTS

One of the all time greatest Jackie Chan films.

Jackie Chan displays all of his talents in this early film of his. Amazing stunt work and a very slapsticky and quick-humored approach to the action are trademarks of his. Nearly every second of the fight scenes rely on these.
It's amazing how he can consistently take an everyday item (film after film) and use it like a master against an opponent like vegetables, benches, and even a fart. It's no wonder this was the film that made him a star. The film's use of humor must have been a big breath of fresh air in the genre at the time, which helped to propel Chan.

Director Woo-Ping Yuen is a master of the genre and famously did the fight choreography in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the Matrix films. In Drunken Master, his fights scenes are a thrill to watch (as usual) and you're amazed at all the tiny maneuvers that the fighters have to execute perfectly to avoid serious injury. Woo-Ping is to kung fu films what Busby Berkeley was to the musicals of the 1930's. Simply unbeatable choreography.
The final battle is epic.

The film does have one major weakness script-wise. As Chan's character is training, he doesn't have much motivation to keep going. He doesn't know once he's done he'll have to fight for his father's life. He just stumbles into that situation when it happens. The lack of this driving force makes those training scenes see aimless.
But then again, plot is not a major driving force in a kung fu film. It's the pesky stuff that gets in the way of the fight scenes!

My only gripe with the film is the downright horrific voices chosen for the dubbing into English. Chan's character starts out with a very noticeable English accent, which fades as the film goes on.
The other voices add some unintentional humor as well.

Those problems aside, Drunken Master is a hilarious action-packed delight.
It's sequel, Legend of Drunken Master is also great fun to watch.