Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD EAN: 9780767887717 Format: Closed-captioned ISBN: 0767887719 Label: Sony Pictures Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Sony Pictures Region Code: 99 Release Date: 2002-04-02 Running Time: 110 Studio: Sony Pictures Theatrical Release Date: 1978
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: go but it is rated pg 13 Comment: this is one of the best movies but its rated pg 13 not r i own this movie and
it says pg 13 Customer Rating: Summary: One of the Best Comment: Drunken Master 1978
Cast: Jackie Chan, Simon Yuen Siu Tin, Hwang Jang Lee, Dean Shek Tien
Director: Yuen Woo Ping
Writer: Hsiao Lung
This picture directed by the famed fighting choreographer Yuen Woo Ping is one of the best kung fu comedy today. It includes Jackie Chan and one of my personal hero's in the old school martial arts Simon Yuen Siu Tin. He Is the original master in these movies for example Blind fist of Bruce. One of my favorite movies by the Bruce lee clones. This is one of Yuen first directing jobs before he was commissioned bye American fat heads to try to liven up there garbage with his flawless fight choreography skills.
This Jackie' take on the Canton born Chinese hero Wong Fei Hong. Movies before this about legendary Wong Fei Hong who was a master in the Hung Gar Boxing were very traditional in terms of keeping the already legendary persona of traditional film. Cantonese entertainment depicted him sense the turn of the century. Jet Li did wonder rendition of Wong in film produce by Tsui Hark called Ounce Upon a time in China. After seeing the success of this film Jackie decided to make Drunken Master 2 to show he was the best at there depiction of Wong. This is the original and you can almost feel it. However there is only and difference he plays it for laughs. This is probable the first films which depicted Wong Fei Hong like a misfit who doesn't fit in. Beware this version is cut however as stated in the commentary this is a version brought straight from Hong Kong? (Or it could be that the tryed to Americanize it)Bastards. So to see the films in its whole entirety you will have to go else were. To next reason why you should by this is the commentary, which by itself stands alone. There's Ric Meyers, the author Great Martial Arts Movies from Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan, and Jeff Yang the co-author of I am Jackie Chan My Life in Action. I'm actually a big fan Ric Meyers and value his opinions and views.
Customer Rating: Summary: inventive yes. entertaining... not really Comment: This flick does have some things going for it that no others, at the time, did. They include a unique approach and creative training/fight choreography with a new and fictitious chapter in the life of the very real and legendary Wong Fei Hung. Unfortunately, they also include unwatchably agonizing humor and snail-paced fight scenes... even the final one. Hwang Jang Lee is pretty good as the main villain, and the last fight is the best of the movie, but is still very ssssllllowwww.
Some of my criticisms may be unwarrantable. I've seen a lot of old kung fu movies that swiped a lot of things from this one. Simon Yuen's portrayal of the crabby old master has been re-used ad nauseam, often by him. This is certainly a stepping-stone in the evolution of kung fu cinema, and for that alone it's worth a viewing. Otherwise I would avoid it. Jackie himself used this formula, sans alcohol, for most of his films that followed this, like "Fearless Hyaena", which for some reason, I liked a lot more.
The picture has been remastered and is very good. The dubbing feature is poor and will switch to Cantonese every once in a while, but it really makes no difference. If you want really cool drunken kung fu, check out the 1994 sequel. Customer Rating: Summary: Right Video, Wrong Audio Comment: I've watched this movie dozens of times. It's Jackie Chan's best and one of the best kung fu films ever. However, I used to watch this on vhs, so when this remastered dvd came out I got really excited to see it and add it to my collection but was dissapointed not long after it started.
You see, on the vhs version, the english dubbed voices and dialog are different. I am so used to that version that it's actually quite difficult to enjoy this movie the same on dvd. The same thing happened from the original Iron Monkey vhs to the Quentin Tarantino presents version. It really throws me off. It may not sound like a big deal but what if someone suddenly re-released Star Wars with different voices and some changed dialog. No, this is not Star Wars but you get the idea. This one even has profanity that was completely absent in the older version. Most people probably won't notice it or realize it as this'll be the first version they've seen but I write this for me and for those who had the same reaction I did. I'm gonna try to hunt down an older dvd with original dubbing cause it's just so different. Other than that, the transfer is good and you'll see some of the best kung fu you'll see anywhere. Its a 5 star film for sure.
The sign of truly quality kung fu is how long the camera stays on the action without switching angles. In these switches, the actors usually stop, then restart a new series of moves, only memorizing a few moves at a time. In almost all of Jackie Chan's older movies, you'll see the camera stay on for a long, stringed together series of movements and you'll only then really appreciate the talent it takes to put those in succession over a long length of time. It'll change the way you look at action and fighting sequences in movies. You'll see some cheap films where the actors throw 2 or 3 punches then stop, 2 or 3 more moves, then stop and repeat. But Jackie puches, kicks, jumps, rolls, ducks, and repeats and repeats in one camera shot!!! He's truly amazing and is the greatest movie martial artist I've ever seen. For you football fans out there, he's the Barry Sanders of kung fu. Nobody moves like Jackie. Many people are quick to point out Bruce Lee as the greatest martial artist ever and in the real world, maybe he was, but when it comes to kung fu movies, he's not even close to Jackie Chan.
For other great Jackie Chan films, check out Snake and Crane:Arts of Shaolin, Dragon Fist, Snake in the Eagles Shadow, and Young Master. Customer Rating: Summary: Acton Packed Comment: This movie was bought for my husband as a gift and I was very surprised with how much action it had in it. It was enjoyable. It is older than some of Jackie's others but was still good.
