Rated R

Directed by Chia Liang Liu and Lau Kar Leung

Starring Jackie Chan, Ti Lung, Anita Mui, Felix Wong and Chia Liang Liu

Heidi’s Illustrious Review: 5

Word of Warning: This film does not deserve the rating of R. Unless you are tremendously offended by martial arts movies (or Jackie Chan playing a drunk martial artist), there is no reason this movie should receive more than a PG.

This is my favorite Jackie Chan movie (followed by Shanghi Noon). I have seen this movie several times and it never gets old. It is the story of Wong Fei-hong (Jackie Chan), a martial artist who excels at the martial art known as “drunken boxing.” His father is a legendary martial arts instructor and his stepmother is a legendary mahjong player (and a good martial artist too).

While returning home on a train, Wong Fei-hong attempts to avoid paying taxes on a package of ginseng by hiding it in another man’s luggage. This results in a chaotic chain of events as the package is mistakenly replaced by a stolen Jade Stone. Wong Fei-hong accidentally takes the jade stone home and he and his family become wrapped up in a plot by British imperialist to steal cultural artifacts from China and sell them on the open market.

Drunken boxing is a martial art involving the excessive drinking of alcohol. The alcohol loosens the martial artist up and allows him to become almost super human in his abilities. This movie is Jackie Chan at his best. His portrayal of Wong Fei-hong never ceases to send me into side-splitting laughter. When Wong Fei-hong imbibes alcohol, Jackie Chan wobbles, sways, bobs and smiles like a drunken sailor and then proceeds to kick some serious ass. He has names for all his moves, like “down the hatch,” “wheelbarrow,” “turtle,” and more. 

Anita Mui steals every scene she appears in. As the fiesty Madame Wong she delights the viewers with hilarious scenes of martial arts prowess and intellect mixed with the submissive attributes of a Chinese housewife. Mui and Chan are a force to be reckoned with and leave the audience (and the bad guys) in stitches.

If you enjoy martial arts movies, dubbed in English, The Legend of Drunken Master is a must-see.