Drunken Master

A pre-credits sequence introduces Thunderfoot, the evil assassin who, like Angel Eyes Sentenza in Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, always completes a job:

"Someone's paid you to kill me? I'll pay you twice as much to kill him."
"You could, but my honour comes first. You must realise the contract's sealed, so you must die."

Then we meet young Wong Fei Hung (Jackie Chan), who still has something to learn about the whole honour business. Arrogant and brash, he can't stop goofing off and thinks his martial arts skillz, the five animal styles, are the real shit.

But, after getting into trouble one too many times and bringing shame onto the family name, Fei Hung's father decides he needs to be taught a lesson and arranges for Master Su to take over his training for a year.

Hearing of the drunken master’s fearsome reputation – "he's a real sadist, a torturer"- Fei Hung decides to flee.

Stopping off at a restaurant he scams a meal, – not realising that his victim is the restaurant owner. After yet another beating, Fei Hung is saved by an old man whom it turns out is Master Su (Simon Yuen – the director’s father, who suddenly found himself a star in his 60s).

Su takes Fei Hung under his wing for training, but the reluctant youngster keeps trying to escape. Finally he succeeds, only to encounter Thunderfoot, who subjects him to yet another humiliating beating. "You could study kung fu for the rest of your life but you won't beat me."

Tail between his legs, Fei Hung returns to Master Su to restart training in earnest, the master finally revealing the reason behind it all – the secret of the "eight drunken gods" style.

Meanwhile, evil gang boss-cum-businessman Li has hired Thunderfoot to kill Fei Hung's father.

Needless to say, Fei Hung arrives in time to save the day and reach a reconciliation with his father…

After Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow, Jackie Chan consolidated his position as both Bruce Lee’s heir and antithesis with this entertaining reinterpretation of the Wong Fei Hung legend, again collaborating with Yuen Woo Ping under the auspices of Ng See Yuen’s Seasonal Films.

Much like a Spaghetti Western or left-field Hollywood entries like Arthur Penn’s The Left-Handed Gun and Sam Peckinpah’s Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Drunken Master both celebrates and deconstructs its mythic material, offering a radical departure from the interpretation of the character presented by Kwan Tak Hing in over 80 films.

While some of the humour may fall flat, with the basic gag-structure soon becoming too apparent, the plentiful action sequences deliver the goods thanks to a splendid mix of straight, prop-based and comedy fights and the incredible athleticism of all the performers. Director Yuen Woo Ping makes the camera an integral part of the action, zooming in or out with each cut.