Drunken Master II
Encyclopedia
Drunken Master II is a 1994 Hong Kong kung fu
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...

 action film
Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...

 directed by Lau Kar-Leung
Lau Kar-leung
Lau Kar-Leung is a famous Hong Kong martial arts filmmaker, choreographer, and actor.Lau Kar-Leung is best known for his movies which he made during the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio...

 and Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...

, who stars as Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...

 folk hero
Folk hero
A folk hero is a type of hero, real, fictional, or mythological. The single salient characteristic which makes a character a folk hero is the imprinting of the name, personality and deeds of the character in the popular consciousness. This presence in the popular consciousness is evidenced by...

, Wong Fei Hung
Wong Fei Hung
Wong Fei-hung was a Chinese martial artist, a traditional Chinese medicine physician, acupuncturist and revolutionary who became a folk hero and the subject of numerous television series and films. He was considered an expert in the Hung Gar style of Chinese martial arts. Wong is visibly the most...

. It was Chan's first traditional style martial arts film since The Young Master
The Young Master
The Young Master is a 1980 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by and starring Jackie Chan as Dragon.The film is notable for being the first that Jackie Chan worked on for Golden Harvest, and despite being his second film as director , this is often incorrectly credited as his directorial...

(1980). The film was released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 as The Legend of Drunken Master in 2000.

The film is a follow-up to Chan's 1978 film
Hong Kong films of 1978
A list of films produced in Hong Kong in 1978:.-1978:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 1978 at...

 Drunken Master
Drunken Master
Drunken Master, also known as Drunk Monkey In The Tiger's Eye, is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, and starring Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu-tien, and Hwang Jang Lee...

, directed by Yuen Woo-ping
Yuen Woo-ping
Yuen Woo-ping is a Chinese martial arts choreographer and film director, renowned as one of the most successful and influential figures in the world of Hong Kong action cinema. He is one of the inductees on the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong...

, but not a direct storyline sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...

. Another film, Drunken Master 3 (1994, directed by Lau Kar-Leung
Lau Kar-leung
Lau Kar-Leung is a famous Hong Kong martial arts filmmaker, choreographer, and actor.Lau Kar-Leung is best known for his movies which he made during the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio...

) features little in common with either this or its predecessor, and is not considered a sequel.

Plot

The story concerns the misadventures of Wong Fei Hung as he accidentally becomes involved with the affairs of the British consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...

, who are smuggling ancient Chinese artifacts out of the country. Fei Hung battles the henchmen of the consul using the Zui Quan
Zui Quan
Zui Quan is literally Drunken Fist, also known as Drunken Boxing or Drunkard's Boxing) is a concept in traditional Chinese martial arts, as well as a classification of modern Wushu forms...

 (Drunken Boxing) style of martial arts. Fei Hung finds that he becomes a more powerful fighter when he consumes alcohol, although after consuming too much alcohol, he becomes very sluggish, drunk, and incapable of fighting.

Cast and crew

Drunken Master II was nominally presented by Golden Harvest
Golden Harvest
Golden Harvest is a film production, distribution, and exhibition company based in Hong Kong. It played a major role in becoming the first Chinese film company to successfully enter the western market for an extended period of time, especially with the films of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan...

 studio founder Leonard Ho
Leonard Ho
Leonard Ho was a Chinese movie producer. He formed Golden Harvest in 1970, with Raymond Chow, after leaving Shaw Brothers. The first movie he produced was A Man Called Tiger from 1973. In 1989, he was nominated for a Hong Kong Film Award for best picture for the movie Painted Faces, which was...

.
The film was directed by Lau Kar-leung, although Jackie Chan is credited with directing the final fight scene. The villain in the scene is played by Ken Lo
Ken Lo
Ken Low Wai-kwong is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist and a ex-member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team.-Early life:...

, a Jackie Chan Stunt Team
Jackie Chan Stunt Team
The Jackie Chan Stunt Team , also known as Jackie Chan's Stuntmen Association is a group of stuntmen and martial artists who work alongside Jackie Chan.-History:...

 member and Chan's former personal bodyguard. The action direction was by Lau Kar-leung in co-operation with the Jackie Chan Stunt Team
Jackie Chan Stunt Team
The Jackie Chan Stunt Team , also known as Jackie Chan's Stuntmen Association is a group of stuntmen and martial artists who work alongside Jackie Chan.-History:...

.

Cast

  • Jackie Chan
    Jackie Chan
    Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...

     – Wong Fei Hung
    Wong Fei Hung
    Wong Fei-hung was a Chinese martial artist, a traditional Chinese medicine physician, acupuncturist and revolutionary who became a folk hero and the subject of numerous television series and films. He was considered an expert in the Hung Gar style of Chinese martial arts. Wong is visibly the most...

  • Anita Mui
    Anita Mui
    Anita Mui Yim-fong was a popular Hong Kong singer and actress. During her prime years she made major contributions to the cantopop music scene, while receiving numerous awards and honours. She remained an idol throughout most of her career, and was generally regarded as a cantopop diva...

     – Ling
  • Ti Lung
    Ti Lung
    Tommy Tam Fu-Wing, also known as Ti Lung , or Dik Lung, is a Hong Kong actor.-Background:He studied Wing Chun under the martial arts master Chu Wan. In 1969, Ti was found by the Shaw Brothers and cast in Return of the One-Armed Swordsman opposite Jimmy Wang Yu, a role which would launch his career...

     – Wong Kei Ying
    Wong Kei Ying
    Wong Kei-ying , also known as Wong Leung-ying, was a Chinese martial artist and physician who lived during the late Qing Dynasty....

  • Felix Wong
    Felix Wong
    Felix Wong Yat-wah is a Hong Kong actor and singer. Wong is best known for his performances in many Hong Kong wuxia television drama series produced by TVB, such as The Legend of the Condor Heroes , in which he played the protagonist Kwok Ching...

     – Fishmonger Tsang
  • Lau Kar-leung
    Lau Kar-leung
    Lau Kar-Leung is a famous Hong Kong martial arts filmmaker, choreographer, and actor.Lau Kar-Leung is best known for his movies which he made during the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio...

     – Master Fu Wen-Chi (as Lau Ka Leung)
  • Hoh Wing Fong – Fun
  • Cheung Chi Gwong – Chang Tsan
  • Ken Lo
    Ken Lo
    Ken Low Wai-kwong is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist and a ex-member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team.-Early life:...

     – Jon / John (as Low Houi Kang)
  • Ho Sung Pak
    Ho Sung Pak
    Ho-Sung Pak is an American film actor, martial artist, action choreographer, writer, and producer.-Early life and career:Pak, a Korean American, was born in Seoul, South Korea...

     – Henry
  • Cheung Chi-Gwong - Tso (as Tseung Chi Kwong)
  • Chin Kar-lok – Ho Sang / Fo Sang (as Chin Ka Lok)
  • Bill Tung
    Bill Tung
    Bill Tung Biu was a Hong Kong actor and horse racing commentator. Tung started off as a horse jockey with his family racing horse stable. He was then recruited to become a horse racing commentator. Due to his fame, he was invited to act in many movies from 1949 to 1996, many of them with Jackie...

     – General rewarding Wong Kei Ying
  • Andy Lau
    Andy Lau
    Andy Lau MH, JP is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, actor, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time...

     – Counter Intelligence Officer
  • Hon Yee Sang – Uncle Ho / Hing
  • Lau Ga-Yung – Marlon (Fishmonger Tsan's student)
  • Lau Siu Ming – Mr. Chu / Chiu
  • Suki Kwan – Mrs. Chu
  • Pak Yan – Mrs. Chan
  • Yvonne Yung Hung
    Yvonne Yung Hung
    Yvonne Yung Hung is a Chinese actressYvonne emigrated to Hong Kong when she was 12 years old. She started as a model and dancer, and was crowned Miss Asia Pageant in 1989. She is also a runner up for Miss Asia Pacific in 1989, and Hong Kong delegate for Miss World 1989.At one point, she was known...

     – Ling's friend (as Evonne Yung)
  • Vindy Chan – Ling's friend (as Chan Wai Yee)
  • Louis Roth – British Consul (as Louis C. Roth)
  • Po Tai – Moe (as Tai Bo)
  • Alan Chan - Fight Spectator in the Crowd (as Chan Kwok Kuen)
  • Mark Houghton – British military officer Smith
  • Ho Pak Kwong – Uncle Ho (uncredited)
  • Sandy Chan – Lily (as Chan Kui Ying)
    • Vincent Tuatanne – Bruno
  • Therese Renee – Terese


DVD versions

The original region 0 DVD release of Drunken Master II is the only version which features the entire Hong Kong version. However, the aspect ratio is cropped to 1.78:1 from the original theatrical 2.35:1 aspect ratio.

No 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 version can only be found on now out-of-print releases – the Mei Ah
Mei Ah Entertainment
-History:The company was established in 1984 in Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong. A number of TVB TV series were redistributed by Mei Ah after airing nightly on national broadcasts. Movies distributed by the company are also branded in the film and on the boxes. The company continued to expand until it...

 VCD and LaserDisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...

, 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
Siren Visual
Siren Visual is an Australian company which specialises in the distribution of Japanese anime, documentaries and off-beat cinema in Australia and New Zealand....

). 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.

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
Dimension Films
Dimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. It was formerly used as Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax Films, to produce and release genre films...

.

In addition to the cut, however, there were 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.

The Australian (region 4) and Japanese (region 2) release featured the same cuts and re-scoring as the US release. The region 3 releases (for at least Hong Kong and Korea) contains the English export version at 2:35:1 non-anamorphic with abridged Cantonese and Mandarin soundtracks, but no English subtitles.

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.

To date, the movie has never been released in the UK.

Critical reception

Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...

, writing in the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...

, gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of a possible four:
"When I did a seminar at the Hawaii Film Festival
Hawaii International Film Festival
The Hawaii International Film Festival is a film festival held in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It was started in 1981 by Jeannette Paulson Hereniko and has been held annually in the fall for two weeks...

 several years ago, comparing the physical comedy of Chan and Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...

, 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."


In Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

, 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
Drunken Master
Drunken Master, also known as Drunk Monkey In The Tiger's Eye, is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, and starring Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu-tien, and Hwang Jang Lee...

made Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...

 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."


TIME Magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...

listed Drunken Master II as one of the "All-TIME" best 100 films as chosen by TIME's movie critics Richard Corliss
Richard Corliss
Richard Nelson Corliss is a writer for Time magazine who focuses on movies, with the occasional article on music or sports. Corliss is the former editor-in-chief of Film Comment...

 and Richard Schickel
Richard Schickel
Richard Warren Schickel is an American author, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. He is a film critic for Time magazine, having also written for Life magazine and the Los Angeles Times Book Review....

:
"The most important and entertaining star of east Asian cinema, Jackie Chan survived a boyhood in a punishing Peking Opera School
Peking Opera School
The Peking Opera Schools were boarding schools located throughout Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, specialising in teaching Peking opera...

, 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".


James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli is an American online film critic.-Personal life:Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of nine years, he relocated to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...

 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."

Track listing

  1. The Drunken Master (sung by Jackie Chan & other artists) (03:09)
  2. Provocation (02:12)
  3. Circled On All Side (02:13)
  4. Conspiracy (01:39)
  5. Stealing The Jade Seal (00:34)
  6. The First Fight (02:22)
  7. Bayonet (01:08)
  8. To Try Out (01:21)
  9. The Car Chase (00:50)
  10. Searching (01:22)
  11. Wonderful Moment (01:25)
  12. Not Thinking Others (04:22)(sung by unknown artist)
  13. Free (01:29)
  14. Mistake (01:27)
  15. Mother And Son (01:35)
  16. The Wild Strong Man (01:45)
  17. Ending Love (sung by unknown artist) (04:22)
  18. Gathering Of City (01:35)
  19. The Discussion (01:09)
  20. The Robbery Of Country's Fortune (00:56)
  21. The Hidden Wiseman (01:10)
  22. Marching Forward (01:12)
  23. Real Dragon Does Not Belong To Small Pond (02:59)
  24. Play Around (01:04)
  25. Fan Hon's Lesson (02:07)
  26. Public Insult (01:16)
  27. Regret (01:49)
  28. A Drunken Journey (01:20)
  29. The Hand-To-Hand Combat (02:02)
  30. To Come On Proudly (02:48)
  31. The Drunken Master (sung by Jackie Chan & other artists) (03:06)

Box office

Drunken Master II was a notable success in Hong Kong, grossing HK$
Hong Kong dollar
The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of the jurisdiction. It is the eighth most traded currency in the world. In English, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...

40,971,484 during its theatrical run. The success was somewhat surprising, considering reports of tension on the set between Chan and Lau Kar Leung, and that the 90s vogue for kung fu films had more or less passed.

Six years later, Drunken Master II was released in 1,345 North American theaters as The Legend of Drunken Master. This re-edited version made US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

3,845,278 ($2,865 per screen) in its opening weekend, on its way to a US$11,555,430 total.

Awards and nominations

  • 1995
    14th Hong Kong Film Awards
    Ceremony for the 14th Hong Kong Film Awards was held in 1995.-Best Film:-Best Director:-Best Screenplay:-Best Actor:-Best Actress:-Best Supporting Actor:-Best Supporting Actress:-Best New Performer:-Best Cinematography:...

     Hong Kong Film Awards
    • Winner: Best Action Choreography (Lau Kar-leung
      Lau Kar-leung
      Lau Kar-Leung is a famous Hong Kong martial arts filmmaker, choreographer, and actor.Lau Kar-Leung is best known for his movies which he made during the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio...

      , Jackie Chan Stunt Team
      Jackie Chan Stunt Team
      The Jackie Chan Stunt Team , also known as Jackie Chan's Stuntmen Association is a group of stuntmen and martial artists who work alongside Jackie Chan.-History:...

      )
    • Nomination: Best Film Editing (Peter Cheung)

  • 1994 Golden Horse Film Festival
    Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards
    The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962, by Government Information Office, Republic of China...

    • Winner: Best Martial Arts Direction (Lau Kar-leung
      Lau Kar-leung
      Lau Kar-Leung is a famous Hong Kong martial arts filmmaker, choreographer, and actor.Lau Kar-Leung is best known for his movies which he made during the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio...

      , Jackie Chan Stunt Team
      Jackie Chan Stunt Team
      The Jackie Chan Stunt Team , also known as Jackie Chan's Stuntmen Association is a group of stuntmen and martial artists who work alongside Jackie Chan.-History:...

      )

  • 1997 Fant-Asia Film Festival
    Fantasia Festival
    Fantasia International Film Festival is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996...

    • Winner: Best Asian Film (Jackie Chan
      Jackie Chan
      Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...

      , Lau Kar-leung
      Lau Kar-leung
      Lau Kar-Leung is a famous Hong Kong martial arts filmmaker, choreographer, and actor.Lau Kar-Leung is best known for his movies which he made during the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio...

      )

(Tied with Perfect Blue
Perfect Blue
is a 1997 Japanese animated psychological thriller film directed by Satoshi Kon and written by Kon and Sadayuki Murai based on the novel of the same name by Yoshikazu Takeuchi. Junko Iwao plays Mima Kirigoe, a member of a Japanese pop-idol group called "CHAM!", who decides to pursue her career as...

(1998)

External links

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