The Legend of Drunken Master (1994)-"R"

Run Time:99 minutes

3 stars out of 4

Jackie Chan's original Drunken Master, made in 1979, was one of the films that catapulted him into fame in the U.S. Now, obviously, Chan is a very well-known and loved celebrity in many countries, and he is, of course, best known for his slapstick martial arts comedies, and his insistence on doing his own stunts. The Legend of Drunken Master was Chan's 1994 follow-up to the original success, and is currently being re-released on video and DVD, to the delight of myself and many other fans of Jackie Chan. Like many of Chan's other Chinese films, the dialogue is dubbed in English, by Chan and most of the other actual actors, and instead of the dubbing being distracting, like in some other foreign films, is actually entertaining and adds to the feel of Jackie Chan movies. The plot follows Fei-Hung Wong (played by Chan), a legendary Chinese folk hero whose name has been used in many other Chinese movies. Fei-Hung accidentally falls into a bitter conflict between a corrupt British Embassy with some evil Chinese henchmen, and loyal Chinese steel workers. The British are planning to steal ancient Chinese artifacts and sell them to a British Museum, and will shut down a local steel mill and martial arts school in the process. Fei-Hung sides with the steel workers and, at the same time, tries to recover the artifacts and save the two local institutions. In order to fight off the Ambassador's henchmen, Fei-Hung must resort to Drunken Boxing, a martial arts technique that works best when the fighter is drunk. Fei-Hung is very good at Drunken Boxing, in fact one of the only locals who knows it, but is disowned by his father for using it, and disgracing him in public. So, Fe-Hung must win back his father's respect, save the steel mill and martial arts school, and keep the evil British from steeling the priceless artifacts. Of course, the plot is implausible and very loose, and serves simply as a backdrop to Chan's incredible and lengthy fight scenes, choreographed by Andy Lau. I can't ignore the loose plot, but I can say that Chan's charm and comic genius makes the plot flaws unimportant. The stunts are great, the fight scenes are incredible, and the movie's feel-good feeling is impossible to resist. The Legend of Drunken Master is definitely a must-see for fans of Jackie Chan, and shows him in his element as a slapstick comedian and screen fighter.