eric262003 Next to Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan stands out as one of my favourite action movie stars in cinematic history. "The Legend of Drunken Master" truly showcases just how flexible and high-flying Chan is in one of his best martial arts action films out there (even better than the "Rush Hour" series). You have to see this with your own eyes if you want to catch my drift. This movie has one enjoyable scene after another. The simplistic display of storytelling will keep you intrigued along with the heart-pumping action, wonderful comical moments and a very tantalizing plot. The characters are very rich and vibrant like the comical performance from Anita Mui as Wong's (Chan) step-mom Ling to the insanely antagonistic bad guy Ken Lo as Jon/John. The casting decisions were well put together that adds dimension to the story and the characters. The story is about an iconic folk hero named Wong Fei Hung, a well- meaning, but naive student in the art of Drunken Boxing also known as Zui Quan. Even though he tries not to get involved when trouble is on the horizon, he becomes a witness to British thieves who are robbing rare priceless Chinese artifacts out of the country. Wong feels it his destiny to use his unorthodox fighting skills to prevent this happening.I know the concept of Drunken Boxing sounds utterly ridiculous, but it's anything but. When it comes to surreal fighting fight scenes, Jackie Chan is a master in this parameter. He makes these fight look real and very easy. And with all his movies, street-fighting appears all the time. But here, Chan's fighting is more aerial and flamboyant than compared to his other films and it's equally believable as the stuff he's done before in the past and present. The final showdown at the factory has lots of wonderful action, it's enough to make any action junkie's mouth water. Jackie Chan is not alone in this movie. The supporting cast turn in some very enthralling performances as well. Wong's parents Ling (Anita Mui) and Wong Kei Ying (Ti Lung) are exciting to watch because they are very contrary to one another. Ti Lung is loving and caring father who wants best for Wong, but still believes he must inflict tough love on him. Meanwhile Ling is the more spontaneous step-mother who has good sense of humour, while still protects her son from getting into trouble with his father. The polar opposites between each other balance the movie quite substantially. The fight scenes are some of the most intense I have scene in martial arts action films in cinematic history. One of the most memorable fighting scenes in this movie is when Wong and an associate take down every member of a large gang of hoodlums known as "The Ax Gang". I could elaborate further with this scene, but it's the exciting climax at the factory that really cranks up the heat as Wong takes down an army of bad guys before taking down the main kingpin. Jon/John is played by Ken Lo. This guy is equally talented of a fighter as Chan and was great formidable opponent for Wong. His kicking ability is enough to put his own arms out of commission. Most of the fight Lo is kicking Chan's can all over the place. At one point his kicks lands Chan into some flaming coals and like every time Chan succeeds in keeping it real.That scene along will likely make your jaw drop. Then like when Popeye eat spinach, Jackie consumes some industrial beverage and regains his composure and manages to finish off his evil adversary which makes you wonder if fighting dunk has a better advantage than when you are sober. The final scenes are just truly amazing and exciting. I guess the drunken fighting is to take your opponent off his mark but are at par with the drinker. Chan pulls this stunt off without a hitch. The fight scenes were beautifully crisp and well choreographed so much that you only wished those scenes lasted for days. If you like martial arts action movies and you have never seen this one, what the hell are you waiting for? This is a high-ranking action film up there with other action movies of this calibre like "Enter the Dragon" and "Iron Monkey". Lots of well orchestrated stunts and fight sequences, this movie will keep you entertained the whole way through.

The_Film_Cricket 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.

david-sarkies This is a Jackie Chan movie made by his Hong Kong producers. Jackie Chan directed this movie himself (as he seems to do a lot) so all the bizarre stunts that he does, he does because he chooses to do them. This movie is not a movie sponsored by American money, as was Rumble in the Bronx, and thus has all of the typical quirks of Hong Kong Cinema.Jackie Chan, his brother, and his father go into China to get hold of some ginseng. As they come to the border post they realise they must declare the goods so they smuggle it on board through a British ambassador. They then must get it back so they sneak into first class and take the package. Unfortunately there are two similar packages and they take the wrong one. They also confront another martial artist who wants the other package. Through this they uncover a plot by the British to overthrow the Chinese Emperor (or so it seems).As with typical movies of this sort, there is little in the way of deep, in-depth thought. Jackie Chan is about stuns and martial arts, and you get plenty of that here. The interesting thing in this movie is the portrayal of the British. They have their guns while the Chinese have their martial arts. Even with their skill, they are under the yoke of the gun. But when the Chinese get the guns, they discard them in favour of the martial arts.The specific martial art that Jackie Chan uses here is what is called Drunken Boxing. He is reasonable, but very beatable sober, but when he gets drunk he becomes invincible. Thus, when he finds that he is fighting a fight that he probably will not win, he seeks as much alcohol as possible and becomes blind drunk.This is a reasonably good movie, and as typical for Jackie Chan, quite funny as well. When you watch it though, make sure that the version you have has reasonable subtitles, because it is really annoying watching a movie when you don't know what is going on because you cannot understand the dialogue.

alienworlds Great action sequences-and Jackie Chan pushed his stunts perhaps beyond the point of where he should in this-all in the name of making a good flick. Dialogue choppy dubbed in English, probably better to watch in Chinese with sub-titles. There is a tendency to be overly goofy in this movie, which mars it a here and there but fundamentally it is an excellent martial arts movie. I think some western audiences will think JC a fool for is over acting, but I think that is a form of cinema that is supposed to look that way, like a Chinese version of slapstick complete with slapping, kicking and throws. It is sometimes ridiculous, but then again, so is life at times. I only gave it a six because I think it was in fact perhaps a bit too goofy, despite the deliberateness of it all.