2
(nothing direct)
6
(violence, strong language, drunkenness)
8
(among the very best of its genre)
What happens when you combine liquor and fighting? In America you get a bar brawl, in China you get a whole new style of fighting. "Drunken Master" was a very large part of making Jackie Chan the superstar he is today. I see it as a marker in his career. Before this he did mostly serious movies like "New Fist of Fury" and "To Kill With Intrigue" – mostly flops that still get overlooked even by many Chan fans. "Drunken Master" started his precedent of comedic movies and was such a success that he earned the opportunity to take more control of the movies he made. That’s when he started churning out hits.
This masterwork is unorthodox especially considering its context. It takes a Chinese legend, Wong Fei Hung, and turns him into a troublesome youth. To put him in a comedy was, from everything I’ve heard, unthinkable, but to turn him into a problem child on top of that was ludicrous. So ludicrous that it worked thanks largely to the genius of Chan.
Despite Wong being a trouble-maker he is good-hearted. It seems to me that he’s so far advanced in his Kung Fu skills that he’s bored. Even his teacher is no match for him. When he flirts with a girl that turns out to be his cousin his dad flips out and is ready to kill him especially when he learns that Wong also beat a powerful man’s son senseless (despite the fact that the twerp had it coming). Instead, in a move something like sending a teen to military school only more exclusive, Wong’s dad sends him to be trained by the mysterious Su Hua Chi (or Sam Seed depending on the version you're watching).
Wong is deathly afraid of Sam and runs away, but Sam is determined to discipline the boy whether he likes it or not. Sam has a highly unorthodox style of Kung Fu. He uses the appearance of drunkenness to confuse opponents and perform moves that would be clumsy from the rigidity of normal posture. Wong resists the discipline required at first, but gradually comes to respect and admire the old man. He comes to the point of wanting to do whatever it takes to become a true master… almost.
Meanwhile a feared assassin named Thunderleg has been hired to kill Wong’s dad. Wong and Thunderleg meet early on and the master greatly humiliates the boy. After more training Wong is determined to win his dad’s respect again by stopping the hitherto undefeated killer.
I love the character of Wong and the story that goes along with him. That in and of itself might have made a decent movie, but there are other elements here that make this a GREAT movie. The comedy is not of the kind that sit-com fans would like. This is more slapstick in the vein of old comedians like Buster Keaton (an influence for Chan) only with Kung Fu. It’s almost all physical like Sam maneuvering Wong into awkward positions while they fight, but there are some situational moments like Wong cheating during his training only to have it backfire.
When I first saw the movie it was with Wong's teacher named Sam Seed in an English dub. While it's possible my young mind formed fond memories related to that which I might reconsider these days Sam's English voice actor stands out in my mind as the best comedic performance I've ever heard in a dubbed film. In fact, I remember the entire dub being exceptional. Even if you prefer the original audio tracks for your foreign films, if you happen to stumble across the Sam Seed dub give it a listen.
Everything I’ve mentioned sets "Drunken Master" apart from other Kung Fu movies, but if I were to watch it strictly for the Martial Arts without much caring for any other element, I would not be disappointed. The fight choreography so exceeds every Jackie Chan movie before it that many others suddenly seem boring. The moves here are fast, fluid, and clever. The first time I watched it I was literally so amazed by the fighting that I had to see it a second time for the story to make any sense. Granted you may very well not have THAT strong a reaction, but if you like great Martial Arts you should be well pleased.
Morality
There is some strong language. It’s not too bad, but it’s worse than a TV show.
This is a fighting movie so of course there’s violence and not the kind where nobody gets hurt like some Jackie Chan movies. People die, but it’s not particularly gruesome.
There’s nothing sexual in the movie at all though Wong does heavily come on to a girl who turns out to be related to him.
Drinking plays a large part. It's not called "DRUNKEN Master" for nothing! It's played up for comedic effect but still treats drunkenness as something positive.
Spirituality
There is a great theme of honor and respect woven throughout the story. Wong matures into a noble hero by the end. While his excommunication by his father is considerably different from American culture, many of us can relate to disappointing someone we love and wanting to prove ourselves to them. Wong disappoints his father and his master, but rather than give up or lash out, he admits his shortcomings and works hard to become a better person. That is something that many Western could stand to learn.
Final Thoughts
This is absolutely a must-see for every Jackie Chan or Kung Fu movie fan. For that matter, if you like action comedies and don't mind an older, foreign film this is probably worth a glance. Jackie has made many noteworthy films, but this one still remains among his absolute best.
Buying Guide
Rumor promised a 2 disc "Drunken Master" release for a long time. It doesn't look like that's ever going to happen. Considering this is one of Jackie's most beloved and influential movies I'm surprised at how few DVD options there are.
You do have some options, though, including Sony and a few of fly-by-night companies. This is one of the few classic JC movies I can't find in a multi-movie pack and there has yet to have an HD release.
Bonzai Media Group offers a DVD that appears to be an import from the cover art, but as it offers English only I rather doubt that's the case. The runtime is shorter than the Sony release so count on it being cut in some way. It says it's been remastered, so it might look and sound decent, but no details are given. There is no mention of extras. The one item of note here is that the description lists Jackie's teacher as being Sam Seed. Does that mean this version has that fantastic old dub I mentioned? Unfortunately, details are too scarce to say for sure, and reviews for this particular release are either buried or nonexistent.
Shadowplay offers a DVD as part of a “Jackie Chan Collection.” This appears to be virtually the same release as the Sony one (same cover art with some minor modifications, same ratio, same runtime). The primary difference is there are no extras listed.
Lastly is a DVD from Front Row Features. I can't find too many details, but the front cover says it's letterboxed (which means widescreen though quite likely non-anamorphic).
Final Recommendation:
Despite it's flaws the Sony DVD (described below) is your best bet for quality and extras as far as what's currently available. Maybe someone will come along and give it a treatment that takes it to the next level, but you may be holding your breath for years before that happens. If the Bonzai DVD weren't so pricey I might buy it on the chance that it offers the Sam Seed dub. It's probably not worth the cost if you're not a die-hard collector. I wouldn't bother with the Front Row DVD since there's no telling what you'll actually get.
The Sony/Columbia Tristar DVD is a single disc release.
Video
2.35 widescreen:
The image is decent for an old Kung Fu flick. It's still quite imperfect though with some trash and a soft focus.
Audio
2.0 Dolby:
The original Cantonese language track is offered, but for some reason it swaps over to English here and there. That makes no sense and is annoying for those of us who want to hear the original performances. For some reviewers this point alone has been enough for them to advise prospective buyers to avoid the release. I think that's an overreaction though it is something you need to know about. There is, of course, an English dub that's right decent especially compared to the dubs for a lot of other old Kung Fu flicks. As I'm sure you've already guessed from my previous comments this is not the Sam Seed dub.
Packaging
The case is standard plastic.
The interface is a simple static image.
An insert features the cover art and a chapters list.
There is some debate over whether or not this is truly the uncut version it claims to be. It is possibly uncut from the Hong Kong version used in the transfer (in other words no cuts made for western release), but common consensus is that there are still portions of fights and other scenes missing. I can't find any suggestion that those scenes are actually available anywhere. So, if nothing else, this is likely to be as close to complete as you're going to find. The runtime is 1:51.
Extras
-Commentary: Hong Kong cinema expert, Jackie Chan expert: The commentary is great because it is so historically informative. One guy is a Jackie expert having helped in the writing of his autobiography, and the other is a renowned expert on Hong Kong cinema. They give a lot of excellent info on the making of the movie, the stars in it (particularly those not well-known in America), and the societal context of several plot points. If you have ANY real interest in Hong Kong cinema you don’t need to pass up this commentary!
-Previews: A couple of trailers offered in a menu.