Cast: Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, Lung Ti, Felix Wong
Director: Chia-Liang Liu
Producer: Barbie Tung
Screenplay: King-Sang Tseng, Kai-Chi Yun
Cinematography: Tong-Leung Cheung, Yiu-tsou Cheung, Jingle Ma, Man-wan Wong
Music: Michael Wandmacher
U.S. Distributor: Dimension Films
Dubbed into English
With their acquisition of the U.S. distribution rights to many of Jackie Chan's Hong Kong pictures, Miramax Films thinks they have struck gold - and, considering the profit margin inherent in such a deal (low cost, minimal marketing, reasonable return), they may be right. Over the past few years, since Chan began establishing himself in the United States with films like Rumble in the Bronx and, later, Rush Hour, Miramax has been siphoning his older movies into the marketplace - sometimes with limited theatrical runs and sometimes direct-to-video. The Legend of Drunken Master is the latest such endeavor - a newly-dubbed version of Chan's 1994 outing, Drunken Master II (which is a sequel to 1979's Drunken Master). In terms of the weekly box office sweepstakes, it is unlikely to be much of a player, but Chan's loyal fans will turn out to support the movie, and, coupled with future video sales, The Legend of Drunken Master is virtually guaranteed to turn a tidy North American profit.
I'm sure some purists will be aghast by the thought of watching a dubbed (rather than subtitled) copy of the film, but the majority of Chan's movies, including this one, are so campy to begin with that the mis-synching of lip movement with words adds to the fun rather than detracting from the production's "artistic integrity." Chan films are about action, not dialogue, character, or plot. In fact, too much of these traditional storytelling elements generally hurt the movie's flow by impeding its momentum. The less Chan talks and the more he moves, the more satisfying the experience is. I could sit through 90 minutes of his kinetic, fluid, endlessly inventive stunts and fight sequences without becoming bored. Throw in 15 minutes of dialogue, and I'll be squirming in my seat.
The Legend of Drunken Master is pretty typical Hong Kong Chan fare - five superior action sequences with a lot of failed comedy and mindless drivel padding out the running length. Most of the expository and character-building scenes fall into one of three categories: (1) inane, (2) incomprehensible, or (3) dull. The tone is also wildly inconsistent. Some sequences are laced with slapstick comedy while others are acutely uncomfortable as a result of torture and the nearly-abusive disciplining of a grown child by a parent. (Differences in culture make the latter seem more incongruous to American viewers than to Chinese movie-goers.) So it's up to the action to redeem the film - a feat it succeeds at, at least to a point.
Chan plays Fei-hong, an expert at a style of kung-fu called "drunken boxing". The more he drinks, the more agile and tenacious he becomes with moves like "drunk plays flute", "nursing a hangover", "drunken monkey", and "down the hatch". Fei-hong lives at a martial arts school run by his father, Wong (Lung Ti), and step-mother (Anita Mui). Wong expressly forbids his son to practice drunken boxing, claiming that it often leads to alcoholism. However, when a series of coincidences puts Fei-hong in possession of a coveted Jade Seal and a gang of trained thugs comes after him to get it, he has no choice but to down three bottles of liquor and go to battle. Unfortunately, this leads to further complications - including a rift with his father - and Fei-hong is at a low point in his life when government agent Master Tsan (Felix Wong) arrives, looking for the Jade Seal. Fei-hong joins Tsan in the struggle against British smugglers seeking to make a profit by selling Chinese artifacts overseas.
The primary reason to see a Jackie Chan film is Jackie Chan. The star is a hybrid of Bruce Lee and Buster Keaton, with an expressive face and a nimble body. Chan does all of his own stunts, without the aid of computer-generated special effects and often at great peril to his own safety (as is shown in the now-famous end-credit outtakes), and it makes a difference. There's no need to strain one's suspension of disbelief because the stunt man doesn't look exactly like the actor he's standing in for. As is always the case, every action sequence has been elaborately choreographed, including a two-against-twenty battle and the climatic struggle, which features a pit of burning coals and streamers of fire. The connecting material between the action scenes may not be compelling, but the same cannot be said of the film's true highlights, which are the reason people pay money to see movies like The Legend of Drunken Master in the first place.
Curiously, the MPAA has slapped The Legend of Drunken Master with an R rating - a totally inexplicable classification. There is violence, to be sure, but much of it is of the comic book variety and there is no graphic gore. A gun is used only once. There is drunkenness, but no more than can be found in the average PG-13 teen comedy. And the profanity is mild. Given all these considerations, it's impossible to construe why this film is deserving of a rating that, at least in theory, would bar a portion of the target audience from admission. Then again, people are saying the same thing about movies like Almost Famous, Girlfight, and Billy Elliot, all of which are more deserving of an R than The Legend of Drunken Master.
In a sense, one has to view a Jackie Chan movie in much the way one views a James Bond movie - on its own terms. Comparing Chan's movies with other films - even other action films - doesn't offer a fair playing field, because no one else puts the same level of energy into a project than the actor does. The Legend of Drunken Master is not Chan's best, but it's not his worst, either. The storyline is a serviceable means (if barely) of connecting the action scenes. Chan fans will probably want to pay to see this one on the big screen. Everyone else can bide their time for the video release.
© 2000 James Berardinelli