Drunken Master II (1994)

comedyactionkung fu

Jan 21

Written By George Karystianis

Director: Lau Kar-leung

Starring: Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, Felix Wong, Lau Kar-leung

Primary genre: Action

Secondary genre: Comedy

Third genre: Kung fu

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Directed by Lau Kar-leung, the unrelated sequel to Jackie Chan’s breakthrough role in 1978 (“Drunken Master”) simply titled “Drunken Master II”, is an astonishing achievement in stuntwork and exceptional staging of extensive fight sequences that remain to this day unmatched in their complexity.

In typical Hong Kong fashion, the story is a tonally uneven mix of random plot elements that range from regional cultural crisis to artifact thefts and one’s self-discipline which at the end are irrelevant. The film just like its predecessor, is no more than an excuse to showcase in a wider scope the drunken boxing style.

Although Chan is unconvincing as the supposedly much younger (and thus impulsive) Wong Fei-hung (he was 40 in 1994), his charismatic screen presence and pitch perfect chemistry with fellow cast members (especially with the comedy gold that was the late Anita Mui, Fei-hung’s stepmother who shares her stepson’s tendency for mischief and easygoingness) are enough to win viewers over along with the hasty pacing.

The restrained direction of Kar-leung (with whom Chan clashed apparently behind the scenes) lends surprisingly more charisma to the proceedings lacking the self-indulgence and script disruptiveness that Chan had in his 80s outputs (“Armor of God” (1986) is a good example). And there is some heart and excellent comedic sketches within this belated sequel too, mostly because Kar-leung lets his cast display and amplify their natural talents; Chan’s is a natural in the several Buster Keaton inspired comedic sketches and Mui’s OTT theatrics are the right ingredients in a movie that avoids taking itself (too) seriously, despite some heavy handed melodrama, a typical element of any HK production.

Considering by Film Mining 101 to be one of the top ten martial arts films of all time, witnessing Chan using this particularly difficult and highly cinematic style of boxing to dispatch several foes in seemingly impossible physical poses is a particular delight. Just the final 20 minute sequence against Ken Lo and his henchmen that includes jaw dropping stunts (live coal!), superb editing and breathtaking choreography puts anything from modern Hollywood into shame and that includes benchmark behemoths such as “The Matrix” (1999) and “Kill Bill” (2003-2004).

Substance or subtlety were never the strong suits of Hong Kong actioners unless you are a Wong Kar-wai (e.g., “Ashes of Time” (1994), “The Grandmaster” (2013)) or a John Woo (e.g., “The Killer“ (1989), “Hard Boiled“ (1992)) among others. But when it comes to stage wholly inventive, thrilling, perilous and groundbreaking action sequences, no one has managed to come close to a dozen of filmmakers from the Pearl of the Orient; each one pushing repeatedly the limits of what outrageous fighting or shooting mayhem can be captured on camera with a death defying attitude.

“Drunken Master II” might lean heavily on its extensive action set pieces but this is the actual point (and plot depending on your perspective) of the entire film. Packed with some heartfelt humor that is guaranteed to make you explore in laughter, you will be surely entertained and you will certainly gasp in this peak Jackie Chan screen vehicle that remains an achievement in action filmmaking and a landmark in Asian cinema.