The Legend of Drunken Master

Do you like clowns? Comedic drama? International superstars setting themselves on fire? Than this is the film for you!

This take on Wong Fei-Hung, Chinese national hero and leader of the Boxer rebellion, comes courtesy of first-rate clown Jackie Chan. Chan plays Wong as a young man who, for no particular reason and against his father's wishes, dabbles in the extremely odd martial-arts style known as drunken boxing. Since alcohol loosens the limbs and inhibitions, and dulls the body to pain, drunken-style is a bit of a fringe curiosity, but it's extremely impressive to watch, and Chan is great at it - these being the only reasons I can discern that he made a whole film about Wong Fei-Hung using it. But as far as gratuitous comedies go, this is a good one! Jackie Chan is a strong comedic actor and excellent martial artist/stuntman, and his Jackie Chan's Stuntman Club join him for this outing, with what's probably the best mob stuntwork around. Plus, the blooper reel for the end credits shows that he really did fall on and crawl across a bed of flaming coals, and deliberately catch on fire several other times. Most insane stunt ever. Plus, the supporting cast is strong, especially the final-fight villain who demonstrates why Chun-Li of Street Fighter fame isn't actually as ridiculous a character as she looks. Yes, people really can kick like that. Boy, can they ever kick.

Otherwise, it's a pretty typical Chinese comedy, with all slapstick, chronic liar characters, good-natured rivals, and gags that to us last way too long but to the Chinese are just right. Also, the final-fight villain looks like the Chinese version of a Korean pastor I know, so that was kind of weird. Look for a blink-and-you'll-miss-him appearance from Andy Lau of Infernal Affairs, and if anyone can tell me why the final-fight villain's young accomplice is so familiar, that would be greatly appreciated.

The bottom line is, if you want a good, silly night at home packed with impressive martial arts and flaming stars, this is a good pick. Be warned, there were two Jackie Chan films released in the U.S. as The Legend of Drunken Master - one from 1978 and one from 1994. I watched the 1994 film; couldn't tell you what the older one is like.

Next on the list: Intolerable Cruelty.