Drunken Master 醉拳 Drunken Master II 醉拳 2

Drunken Master (Chinese: 醉拳; lit. 'Drunken Fist and Jui Kuen'), also known as Drunken Master The Beginning, is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping and produced and co-written by Ng See-yuen.[1] The film features much of the same crew as Yuen's Snake in the Eagle's Shadow released earlier the same year, including lead actors Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu-tien (Woo-ping's father), and Hwang Jang-lee; although narratively unrelated, Drunken Master bears similarities to its predecessor in its story and style. Drunken Master features Chan and Yuen Siu-tien as fictionalized versions of martial artists Wong Fei-hung and Beggar So; in the film, Wong is an irreverent young man forced under the fierce tutelage of So, master of the drunken fighting style; although the two do not originally get along, Wong eventually gains humility and respect for So. Considered an early milestone of martial arts comedy and one of the best films in the genre, the film was a large box-office success, earning two and a half times the revenue of the already-successful Snake in the Eagle's Shadow;[2][3] it had a significant cultural impact, inspiring numerous later films, music, manga, anime and video games with its depictions of teacher-student relationship and the drunken style, and helped establish Chan as one of Asia's most popular actors. The film was followed by two sequels directed by Lau Kar-leung in 1994: the direct sequel Drunken Master II, in which Chan reprised his role, and the mostly-unrelated Drunken Master III. Drunken Master would be Yuen Siu-tien's final film released during his lifetime, although he would portray Beggar So again in several films released posthumously, including the Drunken Master spin-off Dance of the Drunk Mantis (1979), also directed by Woo-ping. PlotWong Fei-hung (sometimes dubbed as "Freddie Wong") is a young and mischievous son, who runs into a series of troubles. Firstly, he teaches an overbearing assistant martial arts teacher a lesson, and later makes advances on a woman to impress his friends. He is consequently thrashed by her older female guardian. His shame is compounded when these two are later revealed to be his visiting aunt and cousin, whom he had not met before. Lastly, he beats up a hooligan, who turns out to be the son of an influential man in town. His father decides to punish him for his behavior by making him train harder in martial arts. Wong's father arranges for Beggar So to train his son in martial arts. Beggar So has a reputation for crippling his students during training so Wong flees from home in an attempt to escape his punishment. Penniless, Wong stops at a restaurant and tries to trick a fellow patron into offering him a free meal. As Wong was about to leave after his meal, he discovers that the man is actually the owner of the restaurant. He fights with the owner's lackeys in an attempt to escape. An old drunkard nearby is drawn into the fight and helps him escape. The drunkard turns out to be Beggar So (who is known in some versions of the film as Sam Seed, So-Hi or Su Hua-chi), the Drunken Master. Beggar So forces Wong into his brutal and rigorous training programme, but he flees again to avoid the torturous training and runs into the notorious killer Yim Tit-sam (known in some versions as Thunderfoot or Thunderleg) by accident. Yim is known for his "Devil's Kick", a swift and deadly kicking style which has never been defeated. Wong provokes and challenges him to a fight and is soundly defeated and humiliated. He makes his way back to Beggar So and decides to commit himself to the Drunken Master's training program. The training resumes and soon Wong learns Beggar So's secret style of martial arts, a form of Drunken Boxing called "The Eight Drunken Immortals", named after the eight xian that the fighting style references. Wong masters seven of the eight styles with the exception of Drunken Miss Ho's as he feels that her style of fighting is too feminine. Meanwhile, Yim Tit-sam is contracted by a business rival to kill Wong's father. Wong's father fights with Yim and is defeated and injured by him. Wong and Beggar So arrive on time and Wong continues the fight with Yim. Beggar So promises not to interfere in the fight. Wong employs the new skills he has learned and outmatches Yim's kicking style. Yim then resorts to his secret technique, the Devil's Shadowless Hand, which is too fast for Wong to defeat. Wong confesses that he did not master the last style so Beggar So tells him to combine the seven styles and create his own version of the last style. Wong follows the instruction and discovers his own unique style of Drunken Miss Ho, which he uses to overcome the Shadowless Hand and finally defeats Yim. BackgroundThe film's protagonist Wong Fei-hung was a Chinese martial artist, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner and a revolutionary who lived towards the end of the Qing dynasty. He became a Chinese folk hero and the subject of several Hong Kong television programmes and films. Beggar So, who plays a supporting role in the film, is also another character from Chinese folklore and one of the Ten Tigers of Canton. The Beggar So character is often cast as an associate of Wong Fei-hung or Wong's uncle. CastJackie Chan as Wong Fei-hung / Freddy Wong (UK version) (voiced by Tang Wing-Hung[4])Yuen Siu-Tin (or Simon Yuen) as Beggar So / Su Hua Chi / Sam SeedHwang Jang-lee as Thunderleg Yen Tie Hsin / Yim Tit-sam / ThunderfootDean Shek as Professor Kai-HsinLam Kau as Wong Kei-Ying / Wong Chi-Ying / Robert Wong (UK version)Fung King-man as Mr. Lee Man-hoHsu Hsia as King of Bamboo Hsu Ching-tienLinda Lin as Wong Fei-hung's auntYuen Shun-yi as Chan Kwok-wai / Charlie WeiTong Jing as Wong Fei-hung's cousinTino Wong as Jerry LeeYuen Woo-Ping as Man with bucket of greens Fight scenes and martial artsA number of notable fights are featured in the film, almost all of them with strong elements of comedy—from the game of Keep Away with Wong Kei-ying's cocky, but incompetent, assistant kung fu instructor, to the novel "head-fu" fighting style used by one of his opponents. The film features the Hung Ga system of fighting, which was historically practiced by Wong Fei-hung and his father Wong Kei-ying, both of whom are major characters in the film. The animal styles of Snake, Crane, and Tiger performed in the film are derived wholly from the Hung Ga system and bear only a tangential relationship to the Fujian White Crane, Lama Pai (Tibetan White Crane), Black Tiger, and Snake systems of kung fu. Monkey style kung fu, popular in Southern Chinese martial arts performances, is also shown briefly. Numerous systems of kung fu include "Drunken Boxing" forms (e.g. Choi Lei Fut and Drunken Monkey), and the Taoist Eight Immortals are popular staples of Chinese culture and art. However, the "Eight Drunken Immortals" forms depicted in this film are likely the creation of director and choreographer Yuen Woo-ping and based on routines found in other systems. The primary villain in Drunken Master is played by Hwang Jang-lee, a Korean martial artist specialising in Taekwondo and known for his high-flying kicks, which are prominently displayed in the film. The systems of "Devil's Kick" and "Devil's Shadowless Hands" employed by Thunderleg are entirely fictitious. According to his book I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action, Chan nearly lost an eye after his brow ridge was injured.[5][6] Theme songThe theme song of Drunken Master is based on a Chinese folk song, "Under the General's Orders". Since Drunken Master, the theme song has been popularly associated with the folk hero Wong Fei-hung, who Jackie Chan plays in the film. It was later used in the 1983 film Winners and Sinners, starring Sammo Hung; it was played in a market scene whilst the Five Lucky Stars are watching two men demonstrating the beneficial effects of their medicines and their martial arts stances, in reference to Wong Fei-hung. "Under the General's Orders" later become the main theme song for the Once Upon a Time in China series starring Jet Li, who also plays Wong Fei-hung. Box officeAt the Hong Kong box office, Drunken Master earned an impressive HK$6,763,793[2] (US$1,445,255).[7] It was the second most popular film in Hong Kong in 1978 behind the Hui brothers' The Contract and third on the all-time list.[8][9] In Japan, where it released on 21 July 1979, it became one of the year's top ten highest-grossing films, earning ¥1.9 billion[10] (US$8.7 million).[11] In South Korea, it was the highest-grossing film of 1979, with 898,561 box admissions in Seoul City,[12] equivalent to an estimated ₩1,347,842,000[13] (US$2,784,800).[14] The film also broke records in Malaysia and Singapore.[8] In Germany, where it was released as Sie nannten ihn Knochenbrecher ("They Called Him Bone Breaker") on 25 July 1980, it was the 41st highest-grossing film of the year, selling 584,312 tickets,[15] equivalent to an estimated €1,460,780[16] (US$2,063,606).[17] In Spain, the film sold 823,203 tickets,[18] equivalent to an estimated €1,070,164[16] (US$1,489,989). Combined, the film grossed an estimated total of approximately US$16,483,650 (equivalent to $79,000,000 in 2024) in East Asia and Europe. Sequels and spinoffsDrunken Master II (1994) stars Jackie Chan, and is considered the only official sequel. Chan portrays the same character, Wong Fei-hung. The US release of the film in 2000 was entitled The Legend of Drunken Master. In 2021, the film was released again in the United States on Blu-ray as part of the Warner Archive Collection under its original title with previously censored content added back into the film.[19]In 1979, Yuen Siu-Tin reprised the role of Beggar So in the film Dance of the Drunk Mantis, which is entitled Drunken Master Part 2 (not to be confused with the film Drunken Master II referenced above) in some releases. The film, which was again directed by his son, Yuen Woo-Ping, does not feature Jackie Chan, focusing instead on the drunken beggar character rather than on Wong Fei-hung. It is therefore generally considered to be a spinoff rather than a true sequel.Yuen played this same role again in the films Story of Drunken Master and World of the Drunken Master. ImitatorsAs with several successful Hong Kong action films, a number of films were released in the wake of Drunken Master (and its sequel) that could be considered to trade on the fame of the original films. These had less in common with the original films than the spinoffs starring Yuen Siu-tien. They include: 5 Superfighters (aka The Drunken Fighter) (1978)Drunken Swordsman (aka Drunken Dragon Strikes Back) (1979)Drunken Arts and Crippled Fist (Featuring Li Yi Min) (1979)Drunken Master, Slippery Snake (Starring Cliff Lok) (1979)Shaolin Drunken Monkey (Starring Elton Chong) (1981)The Shaolin Drunken Monk (starring Gordon Liu) (1982)Drunken Tai Chi (directed by Yuen Woo-ping and starring Donnie Yen) (1984)Revenge of the Drunken Master (1984), starring Johnny Chan,[20] whose name allowed him to trade off his more successful namesake in other low-budget martial arts films including Golden Dragon, Silver Snake (1979) and The Eagles Killer (1978)Drunken Master III (aka Drunken Master Killer) – starring Andy Lau (1994)The Little Drunken Masters (1995) Not all films that feature the Zui Quan "Drunken Fist" style (or variations on it) can be considered as imitators of the Drunken Master films. Films such as Drunken Monkey (2002) may feature a drunken style of kung fu, and in the case of The Forbidden Kingdom (2008), the same principal star, but they have a fundamentally different plot and sufficiently different title to separate them from Drunken Master. Home mediaOn 24 April 2000, Hong Kong Legends released a DVD in the United Kingdom. The image is cropped from 2:35:1 to 1:78:1 and has the Mandarin soundtrack with dubtitles. However, it has a number of additional features including a deleted scene and an interview with producer Ng See-yuen.On 2 April 2002, Columbia TriStar Home Video and Destination Films released a DVD in the United States. Despite a 2:35:1 image and the inclusion of the original Cantonese track, the audio is incomplete in some sections (reverting to the English dub) and contains dubtitles. There's an audio commentary by Ric Meyers and Jeff Yang.[21]On 18 March 2004, HKVideo released a "Wong Fei Hung" DVD boxset in France containing this film (French title: "Le maître chinois") and two others. It contains a full 2:35:1 image and the Cantonese soundtrack. However, it contains slightly poorer image quality and no English subtitles.On 30 April 2004, Mei Ah Entertainment released a remastered DVD in Hong Kong (pictured right). It contains a 2:35:1 image, Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1 track, original Cantonese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono track and Mandarin Dolby Digital 2.0 mono track. Subtitles include Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and English. The missing Cantonese for the opening has been re-dubbed in Cantonese and the other missing Cantonese scenes as extended footage in Mandarin due to trouble of re-dubbing with new voice actors. Many short lines missing Cantonese had been removed. Special features include Extended footage, accessed during the film by selecting the wine jug icon when it appears on the right top corner, Mastering the Drunken Master, a 35-second music video with clips of Jackie Chan practicing the 8 Drunken Gods from the film, film synopsis and cast & crew.PanMedia released a bootleg DVD that contains the complete Cantonese track. Cultural impactThis section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) FashionDuring the late 1970s to early 1980s, Jackie Chan's shoulder-length hairstyle in Drunken Master became popular across Asia, widely adopted by both men and women across the region.[22] FilmIn 2017, it was ranked number 3 on GamesRadar's list of 50 greatest kung fu movies of all time.[23] Edgar Wright's The World's End (2013) had drunken pub fight scenes inspired by Drunken Master. The film's fight scenes were choreographed by Brad Allan, who was part of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team during the 1990s to 2000s.[24] Manga and animeManga author Akira Toriyama cited Drunken Master as one of his major inspirations for the Dragon Ball series of shōnen manga and anime, along with Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon (1973) and the Chinese novel Journey to the West.[25] Toriyama said that he would never have come up with Dragon Ball if he had not watched Drunken Master,[26] and he was drawn to its more light-hearted tone.[27] Drunken Master also served as a reference for the training scenes.[28] The series pays homage to Drunken Master when the first tournament is held, where Kame-Sennin (Master Roshi) is disguised as "Jackie Chun" and he tries to use a Drunken Fist technique on Son Goku (Goku).In the Naruto series, the character Rock Lee is seen performing similar fighting styles after consuming alcohol. Known as the 'Drunken Fist' in the series' Japanese version and the 'Loopy Fist' in the English. MusicJamaican musicians Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, and The Revolutionaries recorded a reggae song titled "Drunken Master" that was released by Island on the album Sly and Robbie Present Taxi in 1981.[29]UK dubstep artist FuntCase used speech samples taken from the film in his song "Half drunk". Video gamesThe PlayStation game Jackie Chan Stuntmaster includes a bonus level in which he wears his traditional Drunken Master dress and drinks wine while fighting. He even gives the Drunken Punch as his charge punch throughout the game.In popular PC online game Guild Wars, there is a stance-skill called "Drunken Master" which temporarily increases movement and attack speed. This effect is doubled if character is drunk.In The King of Fighters series, the character Chin Gentsai was modeled after Su Hua Chi.The Tekken video game series features a character named Lei Wu Long, a Hong Kong detective based on Jackie Chan's Police Story films. While the character was originally nicknamed Supercop after the film Police Story 3: Supercop Lei Wu Long uses 5 to 6+ stances which have all of Jackie Chan's signature film movies. Initially in the series it focused on the Snake style he created for Snake in The Eagles Shadow. In Street Fighter X Tekken released in 2012, Lei Wulong's "Ultimate Stance" is "Drunken Fist" based on his performance in the 1978 original and the 1994 sequel.The Dead or Alive video game franchise features a playable character named Brad Wong; a drunken wanderer introduced in Dead or Alive 3 who specializes in the zui quan fighting style, and was taught by a non-playable character named Chen.The Mortal Kombat video game franchise introduced Bo' Rai Cho in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance; his name is a play on the word "borracho" (Spanish for "drunk"), and he is indeed usually depicted as intoxicated, and carrying a canister of alcohol. His fighting moves consist of drunken style fighting mixed with vulgar actions.Drunken Master II (Chinese: 醉拳二; Cantonese Yale: Jui Kuen II) is a 1994 Hong Kong action-comedy kung fu film directed by Lau Kar-leung and starring Jackie Chan as Chinese martial arts master and a Cantonese folk hero, Wong Fei-hung. It was Chan's first traditional style martial arts film since Fearless Hyena Part II (1983). The film was released in North America as The Legend of Drunken Master in 2000. The film is a sequel to Chan's 1978 film Drunken Master, directed by Yuen Woo-ping. Another film, Drunken Master III (1994, directed by Lau Kar-Leung) features little in common with either this or its predecessor, and is not considered a sequel.[by whom?] In 2005, Drunken Master II was named one of the top 100 best films of all time by Time magazine. In 2015, the British Film Institute (BFI) selected Drunken Master II as one of the ten best action movies of all time. PlotThe film is set in early 20th century China. Wong Fei-hung, along with his father Wong Kei-ying and servant Tso, is on the way home to Canton after a trip to the Northeast when he encounters Fu Wen-chi, a former top candidate in the Qing era's military examination. After an exchange of blows, Wong and Fu accidentally switch the boxes they had been fighting over. Wong ends up with the Imperial Seal while Fu gets the ginseng that Wong's father had bought for a client. Unknown to Wong, the Imperial Seal is one of numerous Chinese artifacts that the British consul is trying to smuggle out of China to Britain. Back in Canton, Wong gives the client a root from his father's favourite bonsai to pass off as the ginseng. Wong's stepmother, Ling, complicates things when she tries to help Wong by loaning her necklace for money for Wong to buy a new ginseng; their neighbours mistakenly believe that the Wongs are in financial difficulty. In the meantime, the British consul sends his henchmen to track down Wong and seize the Imperial Seal. A fight breaks out between Wong and the henchmen when the latter try to snatch a bag from Ling, thinking that it contains the Seal. At Ling's instigation, Wong gets drunk and uses drunken boxing to beat up the henchmen until his father shows up and stops him. The older Wong is furious at his son for embarrassing their family by getting drunk and fighting in public. To make matters worse, the client falls sick after consuming the fake ginseng and his wife informs Wong's father about it. After he learns the truth behind the ginseng and bonsai, the older Wong becomes so angry that he hits his son and chases him out of the house. When Wong tries to drown his sorrow by drinking heavily, he gets beaten up and publicly humiliated by the henchmen because he is too drunk to fight back. After his family saves him and brings him home, Wong feels deeply ashamed of his drunken behaviour and apologizes to his father, saying that he will never drink again. Meanwhile, Fu Wen-chi visits the Wong residence and tells them about the British consul's smuggling operation. The next day, Fu and Wong are attacked at a restaurant by the Axe Gang, a group of thugs hired by the consul. Fu is fatally shot and the Imperial Seal is taken by the consul's men. Before dying, Fu implores Wong and his friends to retrieve the Seal and stop the consul from stealing Chinese artifacts. One night, Wong and his friend, Tsang, disguise themselves and break into the British consulate. They are caught, assaulted and held for ransom by the consul, who demands that Wong's father sells his land in exchange for their release; the older Wong reluctantly agrees. Later, Wong's friends discover that the British consul is planning to smuggle the stolen artifacts out of Canton using boxes meant for steel shipments. They inform Wong and Tsang, who then join the workers in a violent protest at the British-owned steel factory against the consul's abuses. Out of desperation, he breaks his promise and drinks again in order to use drunken boxing technique to overcome John, the consul's chief enforcer. After a long fight, Wong and his friends defeat the consul's henchmen and put an end to the smuggling operation. At the end of the movie, a Chinese general presents the Wongs a commemorative plaque to honor them for their service to the country and to offer Wong a job, only to find that Wong has suffered a bad hangover due to his drinking. Cast Jackie Chan as Wong Fei-hungAnita Mui as LingTi Lung as Wong Kei-yingFelix Wong as Fishmonger TsangLau Kar-leung as Fu Wen-chiHo Wing-fong as FunChin Kar-lok as Fo-sangLau Kar-yung as MarlonRam Chiang as TsoKen Lo as JohnHo-Sung Pak as HenryAndy Lau as Zhang Xueliang / counter-intelligence officerSuki Kwan as Mrs ChiuYvonne Yung as a lady in the coffee shopVindy Chan as a lady in the coffee shopHon Yee-sang as Uncle HingLau Siu-ming as Mr ChiuWong Shing as LarryChan Kwok-kuen as CurlyTai Po as MoeSandy Chan as LilyPau Fong as cookHa Chun-chau as a senior in the restaurantSzema Wah Lung as a senior in the restaurantYan Pak as Mrs ChanLouis C. Roth as the British consulTherese Renee as TereseVincent Tuatanne as BrunoMark Houghton as SmithCao Ying as a maidMars as a thug (uncredited)Bill Tung as the Chinese general (uncredited) Stunt fight scenes and martial artsIn Drunken Master 2, there are several fight scenes in which one can observe the different fighting styles. The fighting styles observed in the film during the fight scenes are: In the fight scene on the train, at the beginning of the film, between Wong Fei-hung (Jackie Chan) and Fu Wen-chi (Lau Kar-leung), both Wong Fei-hung and Fu Wen-chi use the Hung Ga, in addition to weapons known as the spear (or Qiang), used by Fu Wen-chi and the Tiger Sword, used by Wong Fei-hung.In the fight scene at the restaurant, Wong Fei-hung and Fu Wen-chi uses both Hung Ga and Shaolin Kung Fu, while the henchmen use the Xingyiquan.In the fight scene in the central square of the city, Wong Fei-hung uses the Drunken boxing against the main antagonist's goons.In the savage final fight scene between Wong Fei-hung and one of the main antagonists, John (Ken Lo) uses Taekwondo against Wong Fei-hung and uses typical Taekwondo kicks to try to defeat him. Wong Fei-hung on the other hand uses one of the most popular styles of Drunken boxing, the Daoist style or the Drunken Eight Immortals style to counter attack John (Note: Ken Lo is a black belt in Taekwondo and has won numerous tournaments with this martial art).[1][2] Home mediaNo DVD has been made available to date that preserves the original aspect ratio and the uncut version of the film with the original Cantonese audio track. The film's purest English-friendly version can only be found on now out-of-print releases – the Mei Ah VCD and LaserDisc, Tai Seng's VHS (itself a recording of the Mei Ah LaserDisc) and the Australian VHS from Chinatown Video (a sub label of Siren Visual). These prints have "burnt-in" Chinese/English subtitles. An uncut release with good picture quality, the original audio track, and the original aspect ratio is considered a "holy grail" by many Hong Kong cinema fans. Thakral's region 0 DVD release of Drunken Master II was the only official DVD which featured the uncut version with proper English subtitles. However, instead of the original Hong Kong theatrical version, it contains the Chinese print. The Chinese print is identical to the Hong Kong print except for one major difference: the scene of Fei-Hung drunkenly singing at the outdoor restaurant is re-cut and re-edited with alternative footage so that Fei-Hung is singing a different song in Mandarin instead of Cantonese.[3] Thakral's aspect ratio is cropped to 1.78:1 from the original theatrical 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The region 3 releases for Hong Kong and Korea contains the English export version with the original 2:35:1 non-anamorphic aspect ratio. This cut of the film ends almost immediately after Fei-Hung defeats John. The audio tracks include an abridged Cantonese and Mandarin soundtracks, and the original Golden Harvest English dub different than that of Dimension's. It contains the original score and sound effects, but there are no English subtitles. Of all the films in Chan's back-catalogue that received North American theatrical distribution, Drunken Master II was cut the least. A scene in which Wong drunkenly sings at a café was re-cut slightly, making use of a few alternate takes not seen in the original Cantonese version. In addition, a 35 second cut was made to the concluding scene of the film which showed Wong blinded and mentally crippled as a result of drinking industrial alcohol during the film's ultimate fight. Played for laughs, the scene was considered to be in bad taste by the American distributor, Dimension Films.[citation needed] In addition to the cut, other significant changes made to the US release including the change of title (to Legend of Drunken Master), an English-language dub (Chan dubbed himself), and a new musical score. The re-dubbed soundtrack also meant that sound effects were different, in some instances completely altering the rhythm of the fight scenes.[4] The English dub also makes references to animal kung fu styles such as Drunken Monkey, as well as made-up names for random moves during the first two instances that Wong Fei-hung uses drunken boxing. The original dialogue referenced the Eight Drunken Immortals technique, which was also featured in Drunken Master (1978) based on the real-life Daoist style of Drunken Fist. The change was most likely done to compensate for the general western audience's unfamiliarity with Chinese mythology and the first film. The Australian (region 4) and Japanese (region 2) release featured the same cuts and re-scoring as the US release. A Blu-ray version was released on 15 September 2009, in the United States, which features the cut US version in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio.[5] In the UK it was released on Blu-ray 16 April 2012 under the title The Legend of Drunken Master.[6] The original, uncut Hong Kong version was finally made available on Blu-ray in China, Korea and Japan, courtesy of Warner Bros., on 11 October 2018 under the title Drunken Master II.[7] ReceptionBox officeDrunken Master II was a notable success in Hong Kong, grossing an all-time record[8] of HK$40,971,484[9] (US$5,301,693)[10] during its theatrical run. The success was somewhat surprising, considering reports of tension on the set between Chan and Lau Kar Leung.[11] By January 1995, the film had grossed US$17.3 million from five other East Asian territories.[8] It grossed CN¥10 million in China,[12] and NT$39,889,970 in Taiwan, where it was one of the year's top ten highest-grossing films.[13] In Japan, the film grossed ¥726 million.[14] In South Korea, it sold 1,136,145 tickets and grossed US$5.45 million, making it the year's top-grossing film in the country.[15] Six years after its original release, Drunken Master II was released in 1,345 North American theaters as The Legend of Drunken Master by Dimension Films in 2000.[16][17] This re-edited version made US$3,845,278 ($2,865 per screen) in its opening weekend, on its way to a US$11,555,430 total in the United States and Canada.[18] Upon its 2000 release in France, the film sold 28,681 tickets,[19] equivalent to an estimated €154,877[20] (US$143,405).[21] Combined, the film's total estimated worldwide gross was approximately US$34,300,528, equivalent to US$73 million adjusted for inflation. Critical responseThis article contains too many or overly lengthy quotations. Please help summarise the quotations. Consider transferring direct quotations to Wikiquote or excerpts to Wikisource. (November 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Roger Ebert, writing in the Chicago Sun-Times, gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of a possible four: When I did a seminar at the Hawaii Film Festival several years ago, comparing the physical comedy of Chan and Buster Keaton, martial arts fans brought in their bootleg Hong Kong laser discs of this film and told me that I had to see the final 20-minute fight sequence. They were correct. Coming at the end of a film filled with jaw-dropping action scenes, this extended virtuoso effort sets some kind of benchmark: It may not be possible to film a better fight scene.[22] In Entertainment Weekly, Lisa Schwarzbaum gave the film an A− grade and wrote: A half dozen years after its Asian release, and over two decades after the original Drunken Master made Jackie Chan a star in Hong Kong, The Legend of Drunken Master may be the most kick-ass demonstration yet, for the majority of American moviegoers, of what the fuss is all about: To many aficionados (who know the video as Drunken Master II), this 1994 favorite, remastered and dubbed in "classic" bad Chinese-accented English, showcases Chan in his impish glory, dazzling in his ability to make serious, complicated fighting look like devil-may-care fun.[23] Time magazine listed Drunken Master II as one of the All-Time 100 Movies as chosen by Time's movie critics Richard Corliss and Richard Schickel: The most important and entertaining star of east Asian cinema, Jackie Chan survived a boyhood in a punishing Peking Opera School, and his early screen days as "the next Bruce Lee" to create his own genre of martial-arts comedies .. Jackie starred in, and directed, many wonderful action films in his pre-Hollywood days. This one can stand at the peak.[24] James Berardinelli was one of the less fervent reviewers: 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.[25] On Rotten Tomatoes, Drunken Master II has an aggregated review score of 85% based on 81 critic reviews, the site's critical consensus reads: "Jackie Chan sends up some amazing and entertaining fight sequences in The Legend of Drunken Master."[26] Awards and nominations In 2015, the British Film Institute (BFI) selected Drunken Master II as one of the 10 best action movies of all time.[27] Awards and nominations Ceremony Category Recipient Result 14th Hong Kong Film Awards Best Action Choreography Lau Kar-leung, Jackie Chan Stunt Team Won Best Film Editing Peter Cheung Nominated 31st Golden Horse Awards Best Action Choreography Lau Kar-leung, Jackie Chan Stunt Team Won 2nd Fant-Asia Film Festival Best Asian Film Drunken Master II Won See alsoJackie Chan filmographyAndy Lau filmographyList of Hong Kong filmsList of martial arts films References "10 best action movies". British Film Institute. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. External linksOfficial websiteDrunken Master II at IMDbDrunken Master II at Rotten TomatoesDrunken Master II at Hong Kong Cinemagic vteFilms directed by Lau Kar-leung "Ken Lo". 16 November 2015. "Jackie Chan fighting against his real life Bodyguard Ken Lo (Taekwondo practitioner)". "Drunken Master II : Comparison of Chinese DVD and Japanese blu-ray". Movie-Censorship. Retrieved 28 December 2020. Lin, Stephen. "Drunken Master 2 vs. Legend of Drunken Master". newmoanyeah. Archived from the original on 27 March 2003. "The Legend of Drunken Master (Blu-ray) : DVD Talk Review of the Blu-ray". dvdtalk.com. Retrieved 9 February 2014. "Legend of Drunken Master". Amazon UK. Retrieved 26 March 2012. "Drunken Master II (1994) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version)". YesAsia. Retrieved 7 June 2019. "More than 'the next Bruce Lee'". Variety. 23 January 1995. p. 56. "Drunken Master II (1994))". Hong Kong Movie Database. Retrieved 28 August 2009. "Official exchange rate (HK$ per US$, period average)". World Bank. 1994. Retrieved 8 December 2018. "Drunken Master 2 – Screening at Golden Shadows on 1 September 2002". Heroic Cinema. Retrieved 18 April 2018. "【ジャッキーチェン興行成績】 第9回：中国での興行収入". KungFu Tube (in Japanese). 16 August 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2018. "1994 Taiwan Box Office". National Chengchi University. 19 February 2001. Archived from the original on 19 February 2001. Retrieved 30 November 2018. "【ジャッキーチェン興行成績】 第12回：日本での興行収入". KungFu Tube (in Japanese). 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2018. "【ジャッキーチェン興行成績】 第10回：韓国での興行収入". KungFu Tube (in Japanese). 5 September 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2018. Natale, Richard (23 October 2000). "'Parents' Gets in the Last Word With Moviegoers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 April 2014. "Weekend Box Office". Los Angeles Times. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2014. "The Legend of Drunken Master (2000)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 28 November 2018. "Jui kuen II (The Legend of Drunken Master) (2000)". JP's Box-Office. Retrieved 28 November 2018. "Cinema market". Cinema, TV and radio in the EU: Statistics on audiovisual services (Data 1980-2002) (2003 ed.). Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. 2003. pp. 31–64 (61). ISBN 92-894-5709-0. ISSN 1725-4515. Retrieved 23 May 2020. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help) "Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) - Euro area". World Bank. 2000. Retrieved 22 June 2020. Ebert, Robert (20 October 2000). "Reviews: The Legend of Drunken Master". rogerebert.com. Schwarzbaum, Lisa (27 October 2000). "Movie Review: The Legend of Drunken Master". Entertainment Weekly. "All-Time 100 Movies: Drunken Master II (1994)". Time. 12 February 2005. Archived from the original on 25 May 2005. Berardinelli, James. "Review: Legend of Drunken Master". ReelViews. "Drunken Master II". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 25 July 2004. Retrieved 3 March 2025.

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