The Legend of Drunken Master
The Legend of Drunken Master
醉拳II
Overview
"Wong Fei-hung reluctantly uses his forbidden drunken boxing style to protect Chinese cultural artefacts from foreign smugglers, culminating in a brutal, alcohol-fuelled brawl through a steel mill."
Iconic Tracked Scenes
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Wong Fei-hung fights the axe gang's fighters at the train station using increasingly wild drunken boxing as he drinks more alcohol.
"train station fight drunken master 2""jackie chan drinks to fight axe gang" - ▶
The steel mill finale where Jackie Chan fights on red-hot burning coals, sustaining real burns, against a brutal kickboxer.
"fighting on hot coals steel mill""jackie chan coal fire fight" - ▶
Wong Fei-hung drinks industrial alcohol in desperation to power up his drunken boxing for the final battle.
"drinking industrial alcohol""wong fei-hung industrial spirits"
Why It's Remembered
- ★Jackie Chan fighting and sustaining real injuries on live burning coals.
- ★The increasingly unhinged drunken boxing as he consumes more wine.
- ★His mother sneaking him alcohol against his father's wishes.
Cultural Context
- ◈Director Lau Kar-leung is himself a lineage holder of the Hung Gar tradition, making his choreography for drunken boxing uniquely authentic.
- ◈Jackie Chan sustained genuine burns to his hands during the coal sequence — the redness seen on screen is real.
- ◈The film was a massive critical rehabilitation after years of Hollywood misfires, reasserting Jackie's dominance in Hong Kong.
Did You Know?
- 1Jackie Chan and director Lau Kar-leung famously clashed on set, with Lau leaving mid-production and Chan completing the direction himself.
- 2The coal-walking finale is one of the most dangerous stunt sequences ever filmed, with Jackie suffering real second-degree burns.
- 3Roger Ebert called this film one of the greatest action movies ever made upon its US release in 1994.
About the Action Elements
The Legend of Drunken Master is widely celebrated among martial arts cinema fans for sequences involving train station, axe gang, drunken boxing, drinking, steel mill. One of the most memorable sequences features Jackie Chan naturally executing train station fight drunken master 2, where the choreography and unique set pieces become the unexpected highlight of the film.