drunken master ii
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for fighting action, “drunken master ii” is usually near the top of most jackie chan fans’ all - time favourite lists .
jackie chan sends up some amazing and entertaining fight sequences in the legend of drunken master .
drunken master 2 (french title) (hk title) jui kuen ii (hk title) 醉拳2 (hk title) zui quan 2 (hk title) legend of the drunken master (int. title) combats de maître (french title )
having been released in the united states as the legend of drunken master, i hadn’t known that 1994’s drunken master ii was the second in the series until a few years ago. needing to revisit the that film, i can’t speak to which i prefer or which is better, but i can say that i truly appreciated where the concept began when i had the opportunity to experience 1978’s original drunken master. (editor’s note: despite its title, drunken master ii is not an in - continuity sequel, but a return and expansion to the same concept) .
old master: beggar - so is exactly the kind of wandering master one wouldn' t expect to be a master. he' s also usually drunk .
drunken master ii (chinese: 醉拳二; cantonese yale: jui kuen ii) is a 1994 hong kong kung fu action film directed by lau kar - leung and jackie chan, who stars as chinese folk hero, wong fei hung. it was chan' s first traditional style martial arts film since the young master (1980) and dragon lord (1981). the film was released in north america as the legend of drunken master in 2000 .
jackie chan’s sequel to his smash hit 1978 original kung fu comedy. “drunken master ii” sees chan as wong fei hung getting mixed up in a scam to smuggle ancient chinese treasures out of the country .
in “drunken master ii”, each fight scene has a fluid rhythm, and for the drunken boxing scenes, we are treated to a fighting style that is quite unique and different to other martial arts movies. watching jackie perform each sequence is like watching gene kelly dance at his peak. jackie hadn’t performed traditional kung fu to such an extent since 1982’s “dragon lord”, and when you first see “drunken master ii”, it doesn’t just hark back to the old school, it sets a new benchmark .
the fighting moves for the character “shun di” in sega’s arcade game “virtua fighter 2”, were based on the “drunken master” movies .
i love jackie chan and the drunken master movies. i originally saw drunken master ii a few years prior to its american re - release as legend of the drunken master (the version i saw was released by tai seng, i believe) and when i watched legend in the theater, i couldn' t understand why they cut the very end of the movie out. there was a whole scene afterward where jackie has gone cuckoo from drinking the industrial alcohol. it was pretty much jackie clowning around, but, when i finally wanted to buy the movie for my collection, all i could find was the edited, americanized legend of drunken master. this release is the original drunken master ii and this dvd, while not as high quality as the legend dvd, is still very good. a must for chan fans .
welcome back! in case you haven’t read through part i of my first 5 steps to ‘becoming the drunken master’, click here .
trope codifier: for the drunken master and hong kong martial arts movie, whose tropes film lovingly reproduces and creates the perfect product .
a good example of what i like is druken master 2 (called' legend of drunken master' in the us). sure, wires were used - but in all but a few spots ,
six years later, drunken master ii was released in 1, 345 north american theaters as the legend of drunken master by dimension films. [ 9 ] [ 10 ] this re - edited version made us $ 3, 845, 278 ($ 2, 865 per screen) in its opening weekend, on its way to a us $ 11, 555, 430 total .
hong kong superstar jackie chan reprises his role as “wong fei hung”, turning history on it’s head to play the character as the unruly master of drunken boxing .
“drunken master ii” broke box office records in hong kong, grossing hk $ 40, 971, 484. the success was somewhat surprising, considering that the popularity of kung fu films was waning. six years later, the film was released in 1, 345 north american theatres as “the legend of drunken master”, grossing us $ 3, 845, 278 in its opening weekend, on its way to a us $ 11, 555, 430 total .
an undisciplined boy must learn drunken fist kung fu in order to stop an assassin .
the plot is the bastard offspring of a menage a trois between drunken master, young master, and dragon lord. the latter two films are currently buster keatoning the shit out of each other to determine who the real sharpshooter is, and drunken master is trying to prevent its ex - spouse snake in the eagle' s shadow from obtaining visitation rights, which is gonna be tough since they' re practically the same damn movie .
these prints have “burnt - in” chinese / english subtitles. the original thakraal region 0 dvd release of “drunken master ii” is the only version which features the entire hong kong version. however, the aspect ratio is cropped to 1. 78: 1 from the original theatrical 2. 35: 1 aspect ratio .
yip man, or ip man, is a martial arts master best known for teaching the wing chun form. kung fu master and icon bruce lee was one of his students .
according to imdb, the legend of drunken master (1994) starring jackie chan has made over $ 300 million worldwide but it doesn' t appear on all time box office lists .
 the home video availability of drunken master ii is a great injustice. this film' s only region one dvd availability is a truncated, re - scored, dubbed version from dimension home video. plus it' s been retitled the legend of drunken master. thank you, mickey.  for a full report on any cuts and changes made to the us version of this film, as well as other asian films purchased by disney / miramax, visit the web alliance for the respectful treatment of asian cinema .
subverting generic convention, however, is possibly more imperative than merely demonstrating established generic norms, and chan consciously undermines the previous on - screen iterations and the legend of wong fei - hung as well as typical representations of the hegemonic masculine kung fu hero (szeto, pp. 113) through drunken master ii ’s narrative and performance .
drunken master ii marks a period in chan’s career where he is moving from the cult and slightly obscure with his early films that “became cults almost uniquely as a results of their western reception within already cultified networks” (mathijs, pp. 122) and into global and mainstream success with rush hour (1998) on the horizon. if chan’s early cult successes would have “offended guardians of taste” (bordwell, p. 54), his films following drunken master ii, (the global hits and transference to america) would lift him out of the cultist area that kung fu movies first derived from to transcend “local and regional differences” (shu, pp. 59). in conclusion
however, the fighting was so great that i' d have to buy this on dvd when it comes out. the fighting and the use of music in the fight scenes was so perfectly done that they far outweigh my disgust with the wires. i consider this movie to be second only to drunken master ii in terms of fighting .
according to imdb, the legend of drunken master (1994) starring jackie chan has made over $ 300 million worldwide but it doesn' t appear on all time box office lists. : boxoffice
( cantonese dialogue) sixteen years after the pic that trampolined him into the local big time, hong kong star jackie chan bounces back with a titular sequel that’s among the most confident in his oeuvre. though “drunken master ii” isn’t the unrestrained, daredevil actionfest of some of his ’80s movies, it’s a well - balanced slab of genre [ … ]
drunken master ii was a notable success in hong kong, grossing hk $ 40, 971, 484 during its theatrical run. [ 8 ] the success was somewhat surprising, considering reports of tension on the set between chan and lau kar leung [ citation needed ], and that the 90s vogue for kung fu films had more or less passed .
a few years ago after seeing rumble in the bronx, i was attempting to
discover
jackie chan and i go into saturday matinee and buy myself a $ 6. 99 copy of drunken master. although i can' t read the subtitles and the transfer is really poor, i am duly impressed. so i drove an hour to the trendy video store and i rented drunken master 2. oh yeah .
it is almost shameful to admit that going into this double feature, i’d be mostly familiar with the rush hour films and the drunken master sequel. associating chan with some recent blunders, i hadn’t thought to go deeper into his collection, but this release and his casting as the master in the upcoming lego ninjago film come together as just the right storm of jackie chan fun. thus, i dug into this release, beginning with snake in the eagle’s shadow, before the classic kung fu comedy mashup, drunken master .
res, or a dislocated shoulder, or a broken ankle (this could go on forever). nonetheless, drunken master (1978) is a foundational movie of an icon that we all love and respect .
master of the stick' s review: as if another 10 / 10 was really necessary here, i' m going to go out on a limb and say that this movie is awesome. the fights' the plot, the humor, drunken master ii has it all. it is the pinnacle of old school kung fu flicks - no blockbuster stunts, explosions, or chase scenes, just pure, unadulterated kung fu. in short, it' s the reason why i have become the jackie chan fanatic that i am today. master of the stick' s review: surprise !
reviewed by variety in its original cantonese version on may 9, 1994, and long available to north american homevid renters in an english - subtitled version, pic is a follow - up to “drunken master” (aka “drunken monkey in the tiger’s eyes”), the 1978 hong kong production that served as chan’s breakthrough star vehicle. produced in 1994 as “drunken master ii, ” retitled sequel stands alone as self - contained narrative, with chan perfectly cast as wong fei - hung, a real - life chinese folk hero who has been portrayed by scores of other actors in literally hundreds of other asian pics. (jet li essays the character in tsui hark’s “once upon a time in china” series. )
henry, joined by john and the rest of his henchmen, find fei hung drowning his sorrows. too drunk to defend himself, the gang beat fei hung and string him up in the town centre with a sign that reads “king of drunken boxing. ” master wong brings fei hung back into the home, and explains that the reason why he forbids drunken boxing is because it is difficult for drunken boxers to find the right balance of alcohol consumption .
in 1996, new line cinema and golden harvest jointly released rumble in the bronx, chan & apos; s fifth english - language (dubbed) release but his first hit in america. the film grossed $ 10 million in its first weekend, shooting to no. 1 at the box office, and its success prompted the american debuts of two previous chan films, crime story and drunken master ii .
six months overdue and wildly over budget, drunken master 2 finally premiered in hong kong during chinese new year of 1994. the film turned out to be a rolled gold smash hit - the highest grossing film of chan' s career. it was also a big success with asia' s film critics who deemed drunken master 2 as jackie' s finest hour (104 mins to be exact !). jackie chan was back as the undisputed king of chinese action cinema .
this is the final ingredient to truly transforming your physique and becoming, the ultimate drunken master. just like tracking your calories (at least roughly) is essential to losing body fat, so too is tracking your lifts to gain muscle !
set during the early republican era, “drunken master” — filmed on location in shanghai and northern china — renders fei - hung as a reluctant warrior who fights best when he’s nearly blotto. opening scenes quickly establish chan’s character as a boyishly impulsive rascal who occasionally annoys his stern but loving father, herbalist and kung - fu master wong kei - ying (ti lung) .
wong fei - hung (jackie chan) is a mischievous, yet righteous young man, but after a series of incidents, his frustrated father has him disciplined by beggar so (yuen siu - tien), a master of drunken martial arts .
isabella wong is the only female actress with a substantial role in this film. she has film credits for cameo appearances in the sequel, project a part ii and in police story 2 .
sixteen years after the pic that trampolined him into the local big time, hong kong star jackie chan bounces back with a titular sequel that’s among the most confident in his oeuvre. though “drunken master ii” isn’t the unrestrained, daredevil actionfest of some of his ’80s movies, it’s a well - balanced slab of genre cinema in which chan is more of an ensemble player than previously. fans worldwide should respond warmly, and ancillary biz looks hot .
the original kung fu comedy! won fei hung (jackie chan) stars as the mischievous young son of a martial arts school master who is constantly clowning around when he should be learning kung fu. after his comic antics injure the son of a powerful local man, his father enlists the help of his sadistic uncle to teach his son a little self - discipline. this strange man, who has a reputation for crippling his students, tries to teach fei hung a bizarre style of kung fu. at first, fei hung resists, but after losing a fight with a local assassin who has been hired to kill his father, he realizes he must master the special art of the
drunken boxer .
drunken master was the second collaboration between director yuen wo ping (fight choreographer for the matrix and crouching tiger, hidden dragon) and jackie chan. blending intricate martial arts moves with jackie chan' s trademark slapstick comedy, drunken master ushered in the new genre of kung fu comedy and established chan as its uncontested king. (original title - drunken master) © 1978, 1985 seasonal film corporation. all rights reserved .
i say one of the best action films ever made because like buster keaton, fred astaire and gene kelly, jackie chan is actually doing this stuff himself. the legend of drunken master or drunken master 2 is a non stop action movie and a comedy along the same lines as buster keaton' s classic the general. the part where jackie chan falls into a pit of hot coals, that is all real, jackie actually had that sequence filmed three times, on the third time burning his arms and still having those scars today. all that and he played this part at 40 yrs old, pulling off a role of a 20 yr old convincingly. another film i enjoyed that was influenced a great deal by drunken master 2 was kung fu hustle (widescreen edition) even naming the gang in it the
axe gang
. the legend of drunken master is a must for any fan of action movies. it made entertainment weekly' s top 25 action movies list and also is on time magazine' s top 100 movies of all time .
addiction powered: of course, seeing how his mastery is drunken. the negative consequences of this are explored in the second movie .
is “drunken master ii” jackie chan’s best film? it’s a tough question to answer, and i am sure it is at the top of many fans’ lists. the plot line is pretty thin, and much of the humour, especially to a non - chinese audience, is pretty broad. there are some of the usual jackie chan stunt team high falls and flips, but they are easily put in the shade when compared to films like “armour of god” or “police story” .
the time periods in which drunken master ii was produced and is set are of critical importance in relation to the kung fu genre. chan’s film, “made ten years after the joint declaration in 1984” (szeto, pp. 118) and three years preceding 1997, a date that signalled the end of british colonial rule over hong kong, have a great effect on the narrative and characterisation within the film. at a time of great change for hong kong during the film’s production, chan uses a story set in the early imperialist 1900s to both mirror ideas of nationhood and “chineseness” (szeto, pp. 120 - 1) and simultaneously enforce ideas of multiculturalism (shu, pp. 50). this mirrors chan’s globalised star status and his role as a tourist ambassador in providing positive representations of hong kong. drunken master ii thus revisits a british imperial setting in a dissimilar manner to that of, for example, bruce lee’s fist of fury (1972) .
lau kar leung was a martial arts master who studied hung gar under lam sai wing, a student of the real wong fei hung .
a striking portrait of drifters and seekers in post world war ii america, paul thomas anderson' s the master unfolds the journey of a naval veteran (joaquin phoenix) who arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by the cause and its charismatic leader (philip seymour hoffman). - - (c) weinstein
in the u. k. it was released on blu - ray 16th april 2012 also under the title “the legend of drunken master”. no dvd has been made available to date that preserves the original aspect ratio and the uncut version of the film with the original cantonese audio track .
henry and his gang of henchmen follow fei hung and his mother believing that ling has the emperor’s jade seal, and attempt to steal the bag, which actually contains her necklace. fei hung defeats them with his drunken boxing, but wong kei ying arrives as the fight ends. master wong believes that the family’s good reputation is being ruined by fei hung’s behaviour. master wong disowns fei hung and expels him from the family home .
the master may go down as one of paul thomas anderson' s most compelling works for two simple reasons: joaquin phoenix and philip seymour hoffman .
from a land where honor and tradition reign, comes the legend of a martial - arts hero unlike any other - - the
drunken master
- - who can turn just one drink into devastation and humiliation for his enemies. his technique is fast, furious... and powerfully funny .
the good parts: cinematography, sets, locations are very beautiful. some fights have very good parts (though nothing comes close to chan' s drunken master 2 in fight quality). story was actually decent for a martial arts movie. the beautiful asian women. zhang ziyi is a stunner .
in fact, the only connection with the 1978 “drunken master” (aka “drunk monkey in the tiger’s eyes”) is the name of chan’s character, legendary cantonese martial artist wong fei - hung, recently disinterred in a string of jet lee / tsui hark pix. original, made by ng see - yuen’s seasonal corp. , was a low - tech comedy actioner with chan playing pupil to a “drunken fist” master. present item, partly shot in mainland china, is given the whole golden harvest production values, plus a bevy of stars led by songstress anita mui and veteran m. a. star ti lung .
ahhh shit! my favorite movie of all time, undisputed! i remember reading a little kung fu newsletter back in the day called
way of the fist
... funny i never got anything else from them. . anyway! the letter had a jackie chan discography, and i remember seeing
drunken master
and
drunken master 2
on there. . i thought immediately ,
i bet that shit is dope !
it had been a long time after that, and my sister was reading the movie section of the newspaper, and said they were showing drunken master 2 at this dollar theater! i freaked out of course, never seeing it. turns out, it was some sort of a benefit, and even though it was at a dollar theater, it costed six bucks. after seeing it, i would have paid sixty bucks had i known how great this movie was (and is)! fucking amazing, on the big screen and all ...
tech credits are all fine and, as usual in chan movies, the end - title crawl includes botched takes, including some dangerous fire stunts in the smeltery finale. though vet action director lau kar - leung (aka liu chia - liang) left the pic after a dispute with chan, he still cops the main directing credit. chinese title literally means “drunken fist ii, ” referring to a style of fighting .
jackie chan’s follow up to the 1978 kung fu comedy drunken master allows for critical analysis of the genre and its place in cult and exploitation cinema. of major significance is chan’s unconventional representation of the chinese cultural legend wong fei - hung (teo: 2009, pp. 61) that correlates to other subversions of generic conventions in chan’s film, such as nationalism (szeto: 2011, pp. 120) and masculine hard bodies (shu: 2003, pp. 51). though a colonial discourse is evident within drunken master ii, the politics are less overt when compared to the films of bruce lee (szeto, pp. 51), thus reflecting chan’s ability as a transnational star to embody and combine “chinese traditions and western tastes” (bordwell: 2011, pp. 20), reaching a global audience through a kinetic genre that defies language and national boundaries. generic conventions and subversions: wong fei - hung and masculinity
here we’re treated to the story of the young troublemaker, wong (chan). after a series of fun, stupid decisions that piss a lot of people off, wong is signed up by his father to train with the most intense and rigorous master. he runs away, but is ultimately found, and the training begins. of course, before the training is through, he is forced to go back and defend his father from a deadly master. wong’s master tells him that he knows all he needs and can combine the styles his was taught to develop his own style. he uses this style, dubbed drunken miss ho, to defeat the attacker and save his family .
booze - based buff: the trick to drunken boxing is that you actually have to be drunk for it to work effectively. see worf had the flu below for more .
jackie chan was taking a bit of a risk returning to the traditional style of kung fu film that had established him as a star some sixteen years earlier. in the early nineties, the “new wave” of wuxia (martial hero) films, epitomised by the “once upon a time in china” series, were the most popular martial arts movies. his film immediately preceding this one was the tough and serious action drama “crime story”. for the action in “drunken master ii”, jackie wanted to return to traditional choreography and his trademark comedy. to that effect, he recruited the shaw brothers legend lau kar leung to direct the movie .
( 1994) is an iconic if not quite typical jackie chan vehicle from his middle period, between the early days when he was unwisely fashioned as a successor to bruce lee' s throne and prior to his homogenized, generally disappointing hollywood career. originally released as 醉拳 ii (
this is probably jackie' s best film ever. everyone says that. i' m going to tell you why: fighting, fighting, fighting, beer, fighting, wine, fighting, swords, fighting, coals, fighting, mass destruction caused by simply bare hands, fighting, fighting, and more fighting. if you' ve seen some old kung - fu movies (like drunken master i), you' ll know that they usually have loads of fighting in them. but cinematogrophy was not what is was today, and they don' t look quite as real as they should have. consequently, movies like rumble, supercop, and etc. seem to have incredible fighting action. drunken master ii, though, takes fighting to a new level. filmed at the end of the 90' s kung - fu craze started by jet li, and directedt by shaw rothers kung - fu veteran lau kar leung, drunken master contains fighting beyond worth of any kung - fu flick, and with cinematogrophy to match it. jackie continues his modern tradition of crazy stunts. i really don' t know how he can do all the crap he does, but hey, he' s jackie chan. anyway, just to add to all the coolness, this film features drunken boxing as the martial art of choice. it does a poor job of introducing the art, so hopefully you' ve seen dmi. but if not, youl' ll still have lots to enjoy. god bless you and your wonderful films, jackie chan .
in most of these films, chan plays reluctant students who excel at kung fu in spite of themselves. with the exception of dragon lord, they all feature scenes that display chan' s physical prowess in training as well as combat. the chan character is repeatedly tortured by eccentric masters (exemplified by the
drunken master
played by simon yuen in drunken master and snake in the eagle' s shadow), who casually drink or smoke while chan sweats blood and plots to escape from kung - fu practice. set in the past, all these films make use of traditional costumes and weaponry as well as such chinese arts as lion dancing and calligraphy, and allude to (indeed mildly satirize) established chinese customs and institutions. in drunken master, for example, chan portrays a young, impudent and impulsive huang fei - hong, in sharp contrast to jet li' s more sober portrayal of the same folk hero in the once upon a time in china series. scenes with expressly chinese content, however, might explain the cool reception chan has been given outside the asian community in the west .
credited with being the film that broke chan into true stardom, drunken master almost tripled the box office of snake in the eagle’s shadow. it’s routinely included in top 5 and top 10 lists for kung fu and martial arts films. it’s also credited with being the first film where chan’s comedic kung fu style was fully developed. the film has been often imitated, as well .
it is evident that drunken master ii both employs and subverts many of the conventions of the kung - fu genre. with the addition of comedy, chan breaks the mould concerning representations of wong fei - hung, of masculinity and of colonial discourse while keeping with the stylised techniques of kung - fu filmmaking. though the narrative and character of the film is displaced, it manages to remain recognisably kung - fu in genre with its identifiable cinematographic techniques (bordwell, pp. 80) and its carnival excess (farquhar, pp. 142), among a sizeable host of other predominantly kung - fu movie routines. the 1994 film and star appeals to a variety of audiences through its many subversions and displacements of generic norms, making for a vivacious piece of entertainment that offers “an exit out of suffocating cultural routines” (mathijs & sexton, pp. 130) via what chan terms an international body language (szeto, pp. 123). finally, it is indisputable that drunken master ii ’s place within the kung - fu genre is an important one, in that chan (as a filmmaker and kung - fu action star) and his film (as a sub - genre of kung - fu movies) clearly and consciously features an inner dialogue between related films of the genre itself, playing with and embracing what it means to be a kung - fu movie .
in the 1980s, chan chose vague, generic film titles such as project a and police story so as not to give the plots of the films away prior to their release. it was felt that the titles of previous chan films such as snake in the eagle' s shadow and drunken master gave too much away about the kung fu style they featured - snake style and drunken fist respectively. project a was originally going to be titled pirate patrol but it was feared that once announced, other hong kong film producers would rush to copy and release films featuring pirates. [ 1 ]
moreover, in regards to transnationalism, though it could be argued that western audiences may find many hong kong comedy difficult to fully understand and appreciate (kwok, pp. 24), it is clear drunken master ii achieves global comic understanding. throughout the film, chan exaggerates drunkenness for comical effect alongside hyperbolic facial expressions. the scene in which he must distract his father in order to replace a customer’s ginseng with the root of a bonsai tree is easily understood as a comic mishap across cultures, and an earlier scene in which his friend, tso, is hit in the face by a ball embodies elements of slapstick comedy that has been likened to the silent era of hollywood comedy on numerous occasions .
where there will be blood transmuted sullen earth into flame and launched it violently skyward, the master is, as its opening shot advertises, a more fluid undertaking, a story of ebb and flow .
though hardly likely to score a staggering b. o. upset, “the legend of drunken master” could attract a wider aud than previous “americanized” versions of jackie chan’s hong kong - produced hits. unlike “operation condor, ” “twin dragons” and other recent english - dubbed imports top - lining the acrobatic and charismatic superstar, pic is a lavishly produced period piece that emphasizes hand - to - hand [ … ]
though hardly likely to score a staggering b. o. upset, “the legend of drunken master” could attract a wider aud than previous “americanized” versions of jackie chan’s hong kong - produced hits. unlike “operation condor, ” “twin dragons” and other recent english - dubbed imports top - lining the acrobatic and charismatic superstar, pic is a lavishly produced period piece that emphasizes hand - to - hand combat more than death - defying stunt work. the extended fight scenes — justly hailed by aficionados as classics of the genre — have earned an r rating for the dimension films release, limiting access for chan’s younger fans. even so, with nothing else remotely like it in the current megaplex marketplace, “drunken master” is well positioned to slake the thirst of action fans for world - class, slam - bang rough stuff .
kwok wah lau, j. (1998). besides fists and blood: hong kong comedy and its master of the eighties. cinema journal. 37 (2), pp. 18 - 34 .
as a sequel, drunken master 2 couldn' t have been more different from the original. it was produced on a huge budget and filmed in mainland locations. it was also co - directed (with chan) by legendary shaw bros. figure lau kar - leung (eight diagram pole fighter, tiger on the beat). drunken master 2 was the most eagerly awaited chinese film of the 1990s. what began as a dream production soon devolved into a nightmare film shoot. jackie and lau kar - leung had a stormy relationship from day one; lau kar - leung eventually leaving the film and describing his time with chan as being like :
two tigers on one mountain
. there were even fears that the movie' s financial backer, the great golden harvest company, was becoming destabilised by this ongoing, blighted film production .
a wondrous comedic kung fu film with modern efforts to make one of the greatest kung fu movies ever. jackie chan once again as wong fei huang a famous chinese folk hero, who uses his drunken boxing to fight off greedy british imperialists. the best choreographed film iõve seen jackie do (or at least one of them), a crazy restaurant scene with the
ax gang
and jackie getting a little tipsy with the industrial alcohol. ken lo as the villain was great, his kickboxing was incredible, and there is plenty drunken boxing for all those who enjoy that. the soundtrack was really good too i enjoyed the song at the end that jackie sang. there were i noticed great similarity in this film and young master, there are certain moves he used during the end that jackie used on the other leg fighter in young master. the is one scene when jackie has ken lo on his back, and then drops him into a crate. this was also done in young master (except not into a crate .). one of jackies best .
the star’s blend of boyish charm, comic timing and acrobatic skills are undiminished, and chan is now confident enough to keep his action guns in their holster until a “drunken fist” set - piece some 30 minutes in .
this film was introduced to my household when it was recommended to my daughter brittany by a member of her soccer team (whom the court has ordered me not to name). as i understand it, many (sick) people feel that
drunken master 2
deserves an honorable place in the pages of cinematic history, but after watching the aforementioned display of gratuitous fisticuffs and substance abuse, i decided that the only place it had in my childrens' lives was in the garbage can. i' m writing a letter to the inividuals in this
honk kong
who are responsible for trashy films like
drunken master 2
, and i have asked all my colleagues in the pta to do the same. furthermore, i positively encourage all responsible parents whose hard - earned familial harmony has been violated by these filthy
honk kong
films to strictly forbid -
though hardly likely to score a staggering b. o. upset ,
the legend of drunken master
could attract a wider aud than previous
americanized
versions of jackie chan' s hong kong - produced hits. unlike
operation condor ,
twin dragons
and other recent english - dubbed imports top - lining the acrobatic and charismatic superstar, pic is a lavishly produced period piece that emphasizes hand - to - hand combat more than death - defying stunt work. the extended fight scenes - - justly hailed by aficionados as classics of the genre - - have earned an r rating for the dimension films release, limiting access for chan' s younger fans. even so, with nothing else remotely like it in the current megaplex marketplace ,
drunken master
is well positioned to slake the thirst of action fans for world - class, slam - bang rough stuff .
in the early 1990s, chan broadened his cinematic range, turning in a rare dramatic performance in the melodramatic crime story (1993). he also made several sequels to his hits police story and drunken master. chan was still mostly unknown in the united states by this point, but his profile experienced a meteoric rise during the mid - 1990s, when a series of events combined to bring him to the attention of a wider american audience .
nitpickers might complain that chan, who was 40 when “drunken master” was filmed, is at least 10 or 15 years too old to be completely believable as the ingenuously rambunctious fei - hung. (it doesn’t help much that co - star ti lung appears only slightly older than his “son. ”) but never mind: chan is so exuberantly appealing — and, more important, so physically formidable — that he transcends any calendar - related quibbles .
the two films are tonally similar, mixing phenomenal martial arts choreography with unique comic stylings. 1977’s snake in the eagle’s shadow ushered in an era in which a specific type of kung fu film was born. while it seems, based on my research and the films i have seen, that drunken master really solidified this tone, there is certainly a turn away from the repetitive tone of what the kung fu genre had become by the mid to late 70s. in the film, chan plays the part of a foolish and dim young man who becomes the village idiot, of sorts. he has all types of god - given martial arts talent but is picked on routinely without standing up for himself, until one kindly old master in town takes him under his wing. he begins to learn the “snake fist” fighting style from his master, but soon must feud with several “bad guys” who practice the “eagle claw” fighting style .
this is the original, uncut version which first played in melbourne' s capitol theatre in february' 94. it' s nearly impossible to find this version on dvd or vcd - with english subtitles. two years' ago, dm # 2 was released theatrically in america in an edited and dubbed form under the title: the legend of the drunken master. in this particular case, i have no hesitation in saying the original dm # 2 is the best !
awesome movie! totally awesome fights! ken lo owned the * * * * out of this movie. his final fight against jackie is awesome. jackie plays wfh (the often portrayed wong fei hung), a martial artist of great skill and also a drunken boxer. his father, also a master, dislikes drunken boxing. the plot of this movie isn' t all that bad, but you watch it for the action anyways and there' s plenty to go around and it' s simply astounding! it' s a classical jackie movie, with some silly moments and prop using during the fights, wicked stunts (some of which are (naturally) really dangerous) and brilliantly choreographed combat !
ass kicks you: fei - hung' s interpretation of
drunken miss ho
involves hip - checks to unbalance the opponent; he even tries an ass - drop attack on yan ti san, but yan manages to dodge it .
chan takes established generic conventions used in previous kung fu pictures, and uses them to both reinforce and subvert the genre. exemplified in the reinforcement of generic kung fu convention is what bordwell terms the “pause / burst / pause” structure (bordwell, pp. 142), which is used for comic effect during the large scale fight with the axe gang; following a highly energetic fight, all diegetic sound and action stops when chan becomes stuck inside a table. the short pause inserts humor into an otherwise stylized and fairly violent fight sequence. chan’s film also utilizes slow motion (bordwell, pp. 8) as a cinematographic staple of the genre in many instances, notably when drunken fighting is first introduced accompanied by its leitmotif. on the surface, it is evident that the film stylistically embodies virtues of the kung fu genre, and as bordwell notes, “conventions are enabling, ” familiar and novel (bordwell, pp. 93). audiences recognise drunken master ii ’s genre immediately, not just for its cultural ties and national settings, but for its revelling in tried and tested cinematic conventions .
stylistically, the kung fu genre is characterized as “outrageous” and “crowd pleasing” (bordwell, pp. 2), and as a “quintessential entertainment cinema” focusing on spectacle over narrative (pang: 2007, pp. 212) with a “tendency towards artifice” (teo, pp. 90). such cinematic language was often met with negativity from critics (walsh: 2007, pp. 169), so chan’s film therefore opposes high taste culture, earning its place as a cult cinema through “video, screenings at campuses, and tastemakers” (bordwell, pp. 52). the generic style and tones touched upon are fulfilled by drunken master ii, as chan heroically and comically fights his way through hordes of attackers with comical and exaggerated grace, using the most mundane of props, over - the - top drunkenness and flamboyant twists, twirls, jumps and stunts to keep his audience entertained .
the title of master is best reserved for anderson himself, who builds, as if from water and sand, a story that is messy in the very best sense, crumbling before the viewer' s eyes before it can be easily grasped or penetrated .
[ the master ] is interested in consciousness more than conscience, which is why anderson' s camera roams so thrillingly. the man we' re following experiences the world as a carelessly dropped string that had been wrapped about him and then whipped loose .
too fake. when used sparingly (or at least unobtrusively), as in drunken master 2, and other good martial arts movies, wires can be a good thing, by making fights more dramatic, and more exciting. when used with wild abandon, and no regard for believabiluty, as they are here, they simply destroy all suspension of disbelief, and add nothing to the excitement (making me laugh, instead). not enough ass - kicking, overall. story predictable in too many ways .
jackie chan' s
the legend of drunken master
is quite simply amazing. it involves some of the most intricate, difficult and joyfully executed action sequences i have ever seen. if you have any interest in seeing a jackie chan martial arts film, then this is the one to see. filmed in 1994 but not given a wide north american release until now, it is considered by those who have seen most of chan' s 70 - plus films to be one of his two or three best .
throughout the first half of the film, while chan’s character is learning to fight and gaining the courage to defend himself, the film is a standard kung fu film of the sort that preceded it. however, once chan’s character begins to light up, so does the film. his brilliantly choreographed fighting scenes that pepper in great comic gags turn what began as a decent but forgettable martial arts flick into something pretty great. but what’s more is that this film is the perfect precursor to what comes next, drunken master .
on this amazing movie you can see chan' s first traditional style martial arts film since the young master (1980). a young martial artist is caught between respecting his pacifist father' s wishes or stopping a group of disrespectful foreigners from stealing precious artifacts .
ti lung as fei hung’s father, wong kei ying, only gets one chance to display his skills in a short sequence with lau kar leung’s master fu. it’s a shame that two veterans from the old school don’t get a chance for a more extended scene .
by the early 90s, the worldwide success of the hong kong film industry saw beijing - born martial arts actor jet li become the first real threat to jackie' s number one star status. in 1993, jackie chan announced he was to film a sequel to his breakthrough 1978 kung fu movie, drunken master. this allowed him to legitimately use the wong fei - hong character of that film - thus taking some shine away from jet li' s more recent, successful reworking of this canto folk hero in the once upon a time in china series .
hoooollleeeeee crap! !! over - rated! !! ! heh... well, only a little bit. 2. 7 shitloads of people seem to think that this movie is the greatest thing since toilet paper, and folks: in my most humble of opinions, that just ain' t so. it is undoubtedly superior to the first drunken master as well as a top tier jc film, but i definitely wouldn' t place it above # 3 (i rank police story and project a as # s 1 and 2, respectively) .
with: wong fei - hong... jackie chan madam wong... anita mui wong kei - ying... ti lung master tsan... felix wong fu min - chi... lau kar - leung general' s son... andy lau
with: wong fei - hong... jackie chan madam wong... anita mui wong kei - ying... ti lung master tsan... felix wong fu min - chi... lau kar - leung general' s son... andy lau
a year after the release of his first bona fide hit, snake in the eagle’s shadow (1978), chan took the hong kong film world by storm with his first so - called
kung fu comedy ,
the now - classic drunken master (1978). subsequent hits such as the fearless hyena (1979), half a loaf of kung fu (1980) and the young master (1980) confirmed chan & apos; s star status; the latter film marked his first with golden harvest, lee & apos; s old production company and the leading film studio in hong kong. before long, chan had become the highest - paid actor in hong kong and a huge international star throughout asia. he exerted total control over most of his films, often taking charge of duties ranging from producing to directing to performing the theme songs .
fatal flaw: fei - hung is not nearly as clever as he thinks himself to be, and he is constantly slacking off from training. this goes beyond being merely brilliant, but lazy however, as he never bothers to learn the eighth form of drunken boxing (
drunken miss ho
which he feels is too feminine to work in a fight) and he has to make up his own eighth form in the final fight to keep from getting killed. he gets over this hangup by the second film, where he uses the form to psych opponents out .
when i first saw the film, the only other jackie film that i saw at the time was rumble in the bronx, and when i saw this film, i thought the fights were the most original things that i have seen. but as i began to indulge into jackie' s career, watching all of his films and memorizing key moves, camera angles and moments, i realized that they weren' t all that original. a lot of key moves, camera angles, and moments were lifted in the final fight of drunken master 2 from young master. if you need more' splainin, consult jeff. but the other fights were original too, the spear fight between jackie and lau kar leung, the drunken boxing bout in the town square, and the tea house brawl with an axe gang ruled. but the moments in between are sooooo slow. the purpose of them seems to be just to pass time and make critics believe that there is a plot. there are hardly any of the funny, comedic scenes that we all know and love and there is none of the spirit and spunk that was contained in the original.
drunken master ii ( chinese : 醉拳二 ; cantonese yale : jui kuen ii ) is a 1994 hong kong kung fu film directed by lau kar-leung and jackie chan , who stars as chinese folk hero , wong fei-hung . it was chan 's first traditional style martial arts film since the young master ( 1980 ) and dragon lord ( 1982 ) . the film was released in north america as the legend of drunken master in 2000 . the film is a follow-up to chan 's 1978 film drunken master , directed by yuen woo-ping , but is technically a reboot and not a direct storyline sequel . another film , drunken master iii ( 1994 , directed by lau kar-leung ) features little in common with either this or its predecessor , and is not considered a sequel . in 2005 , drunken master ii was named one of the top 100 best films of all time by time magazine . 
drunken master ii (chinese: 醉拳二; cantonese yale: jui kuen ii) is a 1994 hong kong kung fu film directed by lau kar-leung and jackie chan, who stars as chinese folk hero, wong fei-hung. it was chan's first traditional style martial arts film since the young master (1980) and dragon lord (1982). the film was released in north america as the legend of drunken master in 2000. the film is a follow-up to chan's 1978 film drunken master, directed by yuen woo-ping, but is technically a reboot and not a direct storyline sequel. another film, drunken master iii (1994, directed by lau kar-leung) features little in common with either this or its predecessor, and is not considered a sequel. in 2005, drunken master ii was named one of the top 100 best films of all time by time magazine.
drunken master ii (chinese: 醉拳二; cantonese yale: jui kuen ii) is a 1994 hong kong kung fu film directed by lau kar-leung and jackie chan, who stars as chinese folk hero, wong fei-hung. it was chan's first traditional style martial arts film since the young master (1980) and dragon lord (1982). the film was released in north america as the legend of drunken master in 2000. the film is a follow-up to chan's 1978 film drunken master, directed by yuen woo-ping, but is technically a reboot and not a direct storyline sequel. another film, drunken master iii (1994, directed by lau kar-leung) features little in common with either this or its predecessor, and is not considered a sequel. in 2005, drunken master ii was named one of the top 100 best films of all time by time magazine.