Over the closing credits of Drunken Master II (1994; aka The Legend Of Drunken Master), as tradition with a lot of Jackie Chan movies, we see out-takes of the stunts and action sequences. And it helpfully confirms that Jackie Chan did indeed throw himself onto an actual bed of fiery coals in the factory climax, proving himself to be once again a spectacular athlete and a hectic maniac, particularly in his prime. Drunken Master II has a high reputation amongst fans of Jackie Chan and Hong Kong action movies and it was exciting to see it available on SBS On Demand. A decades later sequel to his Drunken Master (1978) where he returns to the role of Wong Fei-hung in the early 20th century China, someone who practices the art of fighting known as ‘Drunken-boxing,’ which is where he drinks wine and engages in wacky fighting moves, blending Chan’s considerable talents in comedy and stunt-work. Though Chan looks the same age as the guy playing his father, Ti Lung (from A Better Tomorrow), and is probably a little bit old for the role, his cheeky and boyish quality remains intact. There are some hijinks involving a mix-up between a package of gin-seng and a coveted Imperial Seal, and this eventually leads to standing up against British rule and their underlings who are forcing steel mill workers to work over-time with no pay, not to mention also intending to smuggle priceless Chinese artefacts to the British Empire. All the while, Jackie Chan has to struggle with being a good son to his respected father and has an ally in his step-mother, Ling, a hilarious character played by Anita Mui who basically steals the film with her snarky attitude, comical physicality and impeccable timing. Reading up on the production, I didn’t realise that it was co-directed by Lau Kar-leung (who directed 1970s martial arts classics like The 36th Chamber of Shaolin) and who also stars the leader of the Chinese rebellion, sparring together in one of the first major fight sequences; apparently he and Chan also clashed during the making of the movie, with Kar-leung leaving the movie and Chan taking over. Thus, there is a noticeable difference between the old-school western vibe of the beginning, resembling a Sergio Leone movie, and the latter half which has a more modern feeling in the flame-lit factory show-down, which carries a certain intensity even if still being infused with Chan’s sense of humour. Andy Lau shows up in a small role and I thought he was going to be in it more. Recommended.
VHS Tracking 