Drunken Master
Drunken Master
醉拳
Overview
"Wong Fei-hung is a mischievous, undisciplined son of a martial arts master, constantly getting into brawls and embarrassing his father. As punishment, he is sent to train under Beggar So, a notoriously cruel, alcoholic instructor. Beggar So tortures him through grueling conditioning until Wong finally embraces the unpredictable, fluid art of the Eight Drunken Immortals."
Iconic Tracked Scenes
- ▶
An arrogant young student tries to eat a massive meal without paying, leading to a hilarious restaurant brawl.
"restaurant fight""eat and run" - ▶
A brutal and humiliating defeat against Thunderleg, forcing the student to finally take his training seriously.
"thunderleg fight""humiliating defeat" - ▶
Enduring torturous physical training exercises under a sadistic beggar master, including doing pushups over burning coals.
"training montage""burning coals" - ▶
The final showdown where the hero suddenly invents the feminine 'Miss Ho' form of Drunken Boxing mid-fight to counter lethal kicks.
"drunken boxing fight""miss ho form"
Why It's Remembered
- ★Drinking water from impossibly small cups while suspended upside down above a fire.
- ★The painful 'walnut-crushing' finger strength conditioning exercises.
- ★Inventing an impromptu, highly erratic 'female' drunken style to utterly confuse and defeat Thunderleg.
Cultural Context
- ◈Created the comedic Kung Fu genre almost single-handedly and turned Jackie Chan into an international superstar.
- ◈Paints a youthful, highly irreverent picture of Wong Fei-hung, traditionally depicted as a stoic, infallible folk hero.
- ◈Yuen Siu-tien (who played Beggar So) was director Yuen Woo-ping's actual father and a renowned Peking Opera master.
About the Action Elements
Drunken Master is widely celebrated among martial arts cinema fans for sequences involving restaurant, eating, food, not paying, brawl. One of the most memorable sequences features Jackie Chan naturally executing restaurant fight, where the choreography and unique set pieces become the unexpected highlight of the film.