As the price of movie tickets and movie concessions continues to rise, the movie critic must also continue to raise the standards of what makes a good movie. After all, if you're going to shell out at least eight dollars just to get into the theater (let alone what you spend on popcorn, drinks, etc.), you should be getting your money's worth. In other words, the gap between movies that are "not bad" to movies that are "very good" is constantly widening.
Into this gap falls The Legend of Drunken Master, the latest entry from Chinese super-star Jackie Chan. Both a martial arts expert and a gifted comedian, Chan has been compared to everyone from Bruce Lee to Buster Keaton. He's a little of both, actually, and he brings a spark to every film he is in. No matter what surrounds him, Chan is always worth watching.
The dilemma, however, is whether the film that surrounds him is worth seeing in a theater or better left to video. This is a question of taste: his latest films, Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon, have had more comedy than action; while early hits like Rumble in the Bronx and Supercop were kung-fu intensive with a little humor added in. The Legend of Drunken Master (which is actually a sequel to an earlier film Chan made) is an uneasy mix between the two styles, and it shows. Sometimes funny, sometimes amazing but mostly silly, Drunken Master is probably left better to video - which is where it's been since its original release (and over-dubbing) in 1994.
It's important to understand that most of Chan's films are made of the same elements: bad dubbing, incoherent dialogue, dismissible plot, silly jokes, incredible kung fu, and - of course - Jackie Chan. Drunken Master is technically about a master of drunken boxing trying to stop some British thieves from stealing Chinese artifacts, but this plot-line is practically disregarded for 90 percent of the movie. Most of the fights are started with an awkwardly inserted "Get him!" and Chan giving an "I-don't-want-to-fight-but-I-will-defend-myself!" facial expression. Most of the jokes fall flat, while the characters are indistinguishable and are over-played by terrible actors. The line, "Gentlemen, everything is going to plan," is actually used. In truth, this is probably one of Chan's weakest films in terms of story and plot - even Rush Hour had a plot.
It is in the fighting sequences, however, that respect must be paid. The drunken boxing sequences, along with an amazing fight in a restaurant, are masterpieces of timing and execution. There are no stuntmen in Jackie Chan films: all the flips are real, all the blows connect, and when someone lights Chan on fire, he is actually on fire. While recent films like The Matrix and (to a lesser extent) Romeo Must Die have raised the bar for American martial arts films, there is no substitute for a Chinese/Hong Kong action sequence. Drunken Master is no exception. The skill with which Chan performs his drunken boxing is unmatched.
So once again, the question is posed; is this worth eight dollars and two hours of your time? Probably not. This is not one of Chan's better movies, and there are no standout sequences that would be diminished on video. But if you're a fan, and you want to see the master at work, eight dollars is a bargain.
