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Jackie Chan, Simon Yuen, Jang Lee Hwang, Dean Shek, Yuen Shun-Yi ... see more see more... , Wai Yin Lam , Siu Tien Yuen , Hsia Hsu

One of the earliest major films starring Jackie Chan, this 1978 Hong Kong offering highlights the relationship between a student and his martial arts master. This theme would dominate the American mar... read more read more...tial arts genre for years to come, as evidenced by The Karate Kid and many films to follow. Wong Fei-hong, played by Chan, is a 19th-century folk hero in Chinese culture and cinema, a kung fu master who fights injustice in the time of British colonialism. This character would later be portrayed by Jet Li in the more serious Once Upon a Time in China. Drunken Master finds Wong in his early years as a troublesome youth who is sent to receive discipline and martial arts instruction from his uncle (Siu Tien Yuen), the hard-drinking title character. Wong runs away, but runs afoul of some local villains. Beaten badly, he returns to his uncle, who trains him in "drunken-style" kung fu. The martial arts showcased by Chan in this film are important in the development of his career; the staggering, inebriated techniques allow for a looser, more flowing style, but more importantly, they contribute to the elaborate martial-arts slapstick that have become Chan's trademark and have made him an international star. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, Rovi

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82% liked it

33,489 ratings

Critics

77% liked it

13 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 51 min.

Directed by: Woo-ping Yuen

Release Date: October 5, 1978

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DVD Release Date: April 2, 2002

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Flixster Reviews (1,273)

  • sanjurosamurai
    January 21, 2011
    sanjurosamurai
    im usually more into the epic or serious kung fu films than the comedies, but jackie chan's kung fu comedies are the cream of the crop and this is easily one of the best kung fu films ever. the training sequences are some of my favorites for any martial arts film, and chan's aer... read moreobics and constant movements are impressive. the film effectively blends 3 villains and features tons of fight scenes. truly excellent.
  • binky013
    September 8, 2010
    binky013
    A hint to some: When you practice standing meditation in qi gong, make sure to drink a small amount of Chinese fermented rice wine before you start. Once you have begun meditation, picture in your mind what is called in this movie "Monkey" style. I hear for some of us, this ca... read moren be the key to the world of martial arts.

    You know I've heard it said that Jet Li went the martial arts side of performance, while Jackie Chan went the acrobatics route. Well, that may be true, but it surely does not mean that Jackie Chan cannot pull off some amazing kung fu.

    And it's Jackie Chan, so why haven't you already seen it : )
  • matertenebraum
    October 15, 2009
    matertenebraum
    This for me is Jackie Chan's finest, and is the film which propelled him to super stardom in Hong Kong. Whilst other martial artists were trying to be the new Bruce Lee, Jackie did something different. Why replace the irreplaceable when you could do something completely different... read more? What Jackie did was introduce slapstick into the Kung Fu formula, the rest as they say is history.

    Jackie stars as Freddy Wong aka (Wong Fei Hung) depending upon which dub you watch. A juvenile delinquent with a penchant for feeling up immediate female members of his family. His father, fed up of his delinquency hires Sam Seed aka The Drunken Master to teach him some discipline as well as his secret fighting style. Naturally the two get off on the wrong foot but learn to respect each other as the film goes on whilst of course getting into the obligatory scrapes and japes. There is of course a villain of the piece in this case its the Tae Kwan Do master Hwang Jan Lee as the underworld assassin "Thunderfoot" who in real life was just as badass as he is in the film.

    So it's all pretty derivative then? Well yes and no. There is a genuine rapport between Jackie and Yu Su Tien as pupil and teacher. The martial arts is brilliantly choreographed and inventive (the scene in the restaurant is probably my favourite) and the whole thing has a "joie de vivre". Watching it, it seems to me that the actors had a ball making the film. Which is just as well as I had a ball watching it.
  • garyX
    June 5, 2009
    garyX
    The arrogant son of a martial arts master is packed off to study under an aging beggar who needs booze like Popeye needs spinach. Drunken Master was the film that broke Jackie Chan into the popular consciousness and is the perfect vehicle for his particular brand of energetic kun... read moreg fu and comedy. The plot firmly takes a back seat for this film, but whereas many of this type are po-faced fight scenes interspersed with clumsy slapstick, this one marries the two brilliantly. The best of the action involves the drunken master himself, a kind of cross between Mr Miyagi and Barney Gumble, and there are lot of laughs in his faux drunken acrobatics. Stephen Chow has obviously carried on very successfully in this tradition and anyone one who enjoys kung fu movies or cheering for the underdog while having a few chuckles along the way, this ranks amongst Chan's best.
  • kpn666
    February 22, 2009
    kpn666
    The one and only! Funny and priceless!! the great comedy of a legendary chinese hero!



    Wong Fei Hong is a lazy, good for nothing bum of a son who is a total embarassment to his father. So his father decides to send him away to his great Uncle for disciplining and hard t... read moreraining. At first, Fei Hong refuses to, hearing that his Uncle is a sadistic task master and takes obvious delight in toruturing his students. But when he observes the old man's fighting ability and the secrest of drunken kung fu, the old man decides to make him his apprentice and teach him about drunken boxing and taking responsibility.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    August 17, 2008
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Fun regardless of being a bit dated, all the parts with the master are great.
  • jagfire
    March 29, 2008
    jagfire
    Jackie Chan's second starring role is probably one of his funniest and the kung fu sequences are amazingly technical.
  • EightThirty
    August 26, 2007
    EightThirty
    This is a cool movie with cool Moves!!!
  • deano
    November 1, 2006
    deano
    Jackie made heaps of funny and martial arts action by acting as drunken.
  • hypathio7
    September 20, 2010
    hypathio7
    Jackie Chan is young and cocky, but with a good heart. In the English dubbed version I thought it sounded like Keanu Reeves was providing his voice sometimes. He anachronistically has kind of a surfer attitude about life and responsibility. I've been editing Jackie Chan movies... read more here on Flixster lately and wanted to finally check one out. This movie is fun and ridiculous. Jackie Chan's crazy martial arts skills, especially in using whatever props happen to be nearby, are enjoyable to watch. I love how garyX here describes the Drunken Master. "[He] needs booze like Popeye needs spinach." The Drunken Master is Jackie's teacher, uncle, and trainer. The main lesson being you need to learn to hold your alcohol so you can fool your opponent into thinking you are drunk and then with inner strength you can surprise them by kicking their ass. The Drunken Master demonstrates some moves the Harlem Globetrotters would be proud of at one point, and I wonder if this movie had any influence on the break-dancing movement.

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Critic Reviews

June 1, 2010
TV Guide's Movie Guide

It's an undisguised star vehicle for the likeable Chan and his incredible acrobatic skills, and even viewers who couldn't care less about which fighting style the combatants are using will enjoy watch... Full Review

Eric Lurio
December 21, 2004
Eric Lurio, Greenwich Village Gazette

II was better, but this is great too.

Mike DeWolfe
March 16, 2004
Mike DeWolfe, Apollo Guide

From the viewpoint of tracking Jackie Chan's career, this movie is a milestone. Full Review

Dan Lybarger
March 28, 2003
Dan Lybarger, Nitrate Online

Chan's breakthrough film is crudely made, but his own charm and athleticism make this worth a look.

Joey O'Bryan
January 1, 2000
Joey O'Bryan, Austin Chronicle

Not unlike the silent films of Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd, or for that matter, the best pictures of Hong Kong's Seventies kung fu films, the genius of Drunken Master lies in its kinetics. Pure enterta... Full Review

Chris Hicks
January 1, 2000
Chris Hicks, Deseret News, Salt Lake City

This is the film where Chan's confidence in his unique mix of comedy and martial arts, his gracefully choreographed slapstick-kung fu fighting style and natural athleticism, really began to blossom. Full Review

December 2, 2011
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Robert Roten
August 30, 2005
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope

No review available.

Andy Klein
May 19, 2005
Andy Klein, Los Angeles CityBeat

No review available.

Thomas Delapa
November 4, 2004
Thomas Delapa, Boulder Weekly

No review available.

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