|
|
|
The
Legend of Drunken Master
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
6
|
|
 |
|
5 |
|
10
= Highest Rating |
|
|
Bruce
Lee's successor as the world's most popular martial
arts film star, the inimitable Jackie Chan, is
a whirling dervish of incredible action stunts
in one of his best movies, 1994's Legend
of Drunken Master.
This
film's original title is Drunken
Master 2, as it's a sequel to a previous
Chan flick. When finally released in the U.S.
(edited, dubbed and re-scored) in 2000, it was
given a new title so as not to confuse American
audiences. Jackie stars as Wong
Fei-hung, the same Chinese folk character Jet
Li portrays — albeit in a totally different way
— in Once Upon a Time in
China. As would be expected, Chan plays Wong
mostly for laughs. When consuming massive amounts
of alcohol he gains increased power and fighting
abilities. This fanciful twist on kung fu lore
provides Chan with numerous opportunities to play
the kind of broad, slapstick-style comedy scenes
he's famous for.
The plot hinges on the old "switched
luggage" routine, as a prized ginseng root
purchased by Wong's father, a doctor and martial
arts instructor, is mistaken for a valuable jade
seal of the Emperor's that was stolen by a criminal
gang. The gang, working for a corrupt British
ambassador, attempts to recover the seal but is
repeatedly foiled by young Wong. At the same time
Wong is berated and beaten by his father, who's
furious that his son used the Drunken Boxer technique
—
of which the elder Wong strongly disapproves —
in public.
Aided by his gregarious
stepmother (the hilarious Anita Mui), Wong teams
up with his kung fu-fighting friends and a patriotic
Mandarin agent to stop the evil ambassador's plan
to rob China of its most valued treasures.
The
broad Three Stooges-type comedy works better here
than in other Chan films we've seen, mainly because
its relevant to the plot. The whole "drunken
boxer" thing is silly but Chan pulls out
all the stops, using his amazing physical skills
and winsome personality to make it work. Anita
Mui, as Wong's stepmom, proves she's every bit
Chan's equal in the comedy department, providing
even more laughs than Jackie.
Of course it's the fight scenes that remain the
chief attraction —
action fans certainly won't be disappointed. The
three biggest set-pieces (the confrontation in
the town square, the Axe King's raid on the tea
house and the grand finale, set in a steel foundry)
are jaw-dropping showcases for the astounding
stunt work and choreography of Chan and his team.
Some wire work is obviously involved but it never
overpowers the "true" skills of the
participants. The DVD format is a boon here; the
viewer can use looping and frame-by-frame advance
to slow down the blistering action and marvel
at just how incredible these performers are. Be
warned, however... just watching them in
action may leave you exhausted.
|
|
*
There's no way this film should be rated R. It's
strictly PG material.
|
|
|
Dimension's
DVD provides a sharp, colorful picture, exhibiting
only the tiniest print damage in a few fleeting
spots, with a robust use of 5.1 Dolby sound. Unfortunately
only the English-dubbed version is utilized. The
fact that Chan dubs his own voice helps, but it
should be standard fare to include the original
Chinese language track with these discs. (Marketers
don't seem to understand that the most ardent U.S.
fans of these films would appreciate having the
option. Some Americans actually can read
subtitles...)
The disc comes with only a minimum of extras:
a short interview with Jackie about the film, featuring
numerous action scene clips, and trailers for other
Chan films (those that were repackaged for U.S.
audiences in the '90s by New Line/Dimension). Trailers
for a handful of recent Jet Li pictures are also
included. The menu screens are not animated. 6/19/01 |
•
Home
| Reviews | Top
•
|
