Drunken Master II

Drunken Master II
Drunken Master II DVD cover
Traditional	醉拳二
Simplified	醉拳二
Mandarin	Zuì Quán Èr
Cantonese	Zeoi3 Kyun4 Ji6
Directed by	Lau Kar-Leung Jackie Chan (uncredited)
Produced by	Eric Tsang Edward Tang Barbie Tung
Written by	Edward Tang Tong Man-Ming Yun Kai-Chi
Starring	Jackie Chan Ti Lung Anita Mui Ken Lo Lau Kar-Leung Andy Lau Felix Wong
Music by	William Hu
Cinematography	Jingle Ma Tony Cheung Cheung Yiu Jo Nico Wong
Editing by	Peter Cheung
Distributed by	Hong Kong: Golden Harvest Paragon Films United States: Dimension Films
Release date(s)	Hong Kong: 3 February 1994 (1994-02-03) United States: 20 October 2000 (2000-10-20)
Running time	102 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
Language	Cantonese
Budget	$2,000,000
Gross revenue	Hong Kong: HK$40,971,484 United States: US$11,555,430

Not to be confused with Dance of the Drunk Mantis aka Drunken Master Part 2.

Drunken Master II (Chinese: 醉拳二; Cantonese Yale: Jui Kuen II) is a 1994 Hong Kong kung fu action film directed by Lau Kar-Leung and Jackie Chan, who stars as Chinese folk hero, Wong Fei Hung. It was Chan's first traditional style martial arts film since The Young Master (1980). The film was released in North America as The Legend of Drunken Master in 2000.

The film is a follow-up to Chan's 1978 film Drunken Master, directed by Yuen Woo-ping, but not a direct storyline sequel. Another film, Drunken Master 3 (1994, directed by Lau Kar-Leung) 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, who are smuggling ancient Chinese artifacts out of the country. Fei Hung battles the henchmen of the consul using the Zui Quan (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 studio founder Leonard Ho. 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, a Jackie Chan Stunt Team member and Chan's former personal bodyguard. The action direction was by Lau Kar-leung in co-operation with the Jackie Chan Stunt Team.

Cast

• Jackie Chan – Wong Fei Hung
• Anita Mui – Ling
• Ti Lung – Wong Kei Ying
• Felix Wong – Fishmonger Tsang
• Lau Kar-leung – Master Fu Wen-Chi (as Lau Ka Leung)
• Hoh Wing Fong – Fun
• Cheung Chi Gwong – Chang Tsan
• Ken Lo – Jon / John (as Low Houi Kang)
• Ho Sung Pak – Henry
• Cheung Chi-Gwong - Tso (as Tseung Chi Kwong)
• Chin Kar-lok – Ho Sang / Fo Sang (as Chin Ka Lok)
• Bill Tung – General rewarding Wong Kei Ying
• Andy Lau – 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 – 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 VCD and LaserDisc, 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). 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[1]

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.

Reception

Critical reception

Roger Ebert, writing in the Chicago Sun-Times, gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of a possible four:

"When I did a seminar at the Hawaii Film Festival several years ago, comparing the physical comedy of Chan and Buster Keaton, 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."^[2]

In Entertainment Weekly, 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 made Jackie Chan 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."^[3]

TIME Magazine listed Drunken Master II as one of the "All-TIME" best 100 films as chosen by TIME's movie critics Richard Corliss and Richard Schickel:

"The most important and entertaining star of east Asian cinema, Jackie Chan survived a boyhood in a punishing Peking Opera School, 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".^[4]

James Berardinelli 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."^[5]

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$40,971,484 during its theatrical run.^[6] 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$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 Hong Kong Film Awards
  • Winner: Best Action Choreography (Lau Kar-leung, Jackie Chan Stunt Team)
  • Nomination: Best Film Editing (Peter Cheung)

• 1994 Golden Horse Film Festival
  • Winner: Best Martial Arts Direction (Lau Kar-leung, Jackie Chan Stunt Team)

• 1997 Fant-Asia Film Festival
  • Winner: Best Asian Film (Jackie Chan, Lau Kar-leung)

(Tied with Perfect Blue (1998)

See also

• Jackie Chan filmography

References

1. ^ Lin, Stephen. "Drunken Master 2 vs. Legend of Drunken Master". newmoanyeah. http://www.newmoanyeah.com/2002-reviews/021102_dm2_vs_legend.php. 
2. ^ Ebert, Robert. "Reviews: The Legend of Drunken Master". rogerebert.com. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20001020/REVIEWS/10200305/1023. 
3. ^ Schwarzbaum, Lisa. "Movie Review: The Legend of Drunken Master". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/review/movie/0,6115,278367_1_0_,00.html. 
4. ^ "ALL-TIME 100 movies: Drunken Master II". TIME. http://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/0,23220,drunken_master_ii,00.html. 
5. ^ Berardinelli, James. "Review: Legend of Drunken Master". ReelViews. http://www.reelviews.net/movies/l/legend_drunken.html. 
6. ^ "Drunken Master II (1994))". Hong Kong Movie Database. http://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=7798&display_set=big5. Retrieved 28 August 2009. 

External links

• Jui kuen II at the Internet Movie Database
• Drunken Master II at AllRovi
• Drunken Master II at Hong Kong Cinemagic