Though it wasn't Jackie Chan's first film, Drunken Master is the film that cemented his stardom. Jackie plays the rebellious son of a kung fu master. To teach Jackie the value of discipline, his father apprentices him to another master named So Hi, who has a unique "drunken" fighting style. Jackie chafes at So Hi's rigorous exercises and runs away--only to be brutally humiliated at the hands of a hired killer named Thunderleg. Chastened, Jackie becomes So Hi's devoted student. He soon discovers he will need everything he's learned when Thunderleg is hired to kill his father. In Drunken Master, Jackie is only beginning to cultivate his mixture of action and comedy; here the emphasis is on kung fu acrobatics. But the kung fu is astounding. The final fight is dizzying and amazingly choreographed by director Yuen Woo-ping (now famous as the fight choreographer for The Matrix). --Bret Fetzer
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: PERFECTION!!! Comment: THESE WERE THE DAYS WHEN JACKIE WAS THE MAN. I TOTALLY HATE WHAT HOLLYWOOD DID TO HIM OR HE DID TO HIMSELF. GREAT ACTING, GREAT STORY, FIGHT SCENES SO NICE AND CRISP YOU WONDER WHY YOU HADNT HEARD OF THIS MOVIE SOONER. BUY THIS, SNAKE IN EAGLES SHADOW AND YOUNG MASTER..EVEN IF YOUR NOT A COLLECTOR.. Customer Rating: Summary: excellent movie Comment: ALOT of martial arts action a fight like every 3 minutes it has a good story line and jackie chan will always be known as the drunken master Customer Rating: Summary: Beer & Kungfu never looked better together Comment: I won't sit here, lie and say that Drunken Master is one of my favorite fu flicks or the best ever just to please the masses. I see several that I find alot better. But it is a very entertaining watch and I encourage anyone who considers themselves fans of Jackie to check this out. Drunken Master combines a nice blend of action and comedy.
The film is blessed with some pretty good, well choreographed fights. And the writing is alot better than people give it credit for. This isn't just a mindless action fest. The fights happen for a reason and everything lead to something. Jackie gave a very good performace but what brings me back to this film is his opponent Thunderfoot. This guy works his legs like a magician. The very few fights he's in are spectacular.
The thing I like about this film the most is the final battle. Even though Jackie learned a very dangerous style. The final battle wasn't one sided at all. This could have easily ruined the whole film for me.
The biggest problem that I have with this film is that Jackie never matures. He stays the same hothead that doesn't take much seriously. A little character development never hurt anything. Still this is a pretty good fu flick that I'm glad to keep around.