Rating:

Aka: DRUNK MONKEY IN THE TIGERS EYE

Stars: Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu Tien, Hwang Jang Lee, Hsu Hsia, Lin Ying

Director: Yuen Woo Ping

1978, Hong Kong, Seasonal Films

 

Getting into trouble daily is part of Wong Fei Hung's (Jackie) life. When he beats up a guy (Tino Wong) badly, Fei Hung's father gets mad and almost throes him out of the house. But instead, he tortures him with some kung fu training. But his father isn't going to keep him around for long as he is planning on sending him to Beggar Su (Yuen Siu Tien), who is known for training his students in a brutal way. But Fei Hung escapes.

Once again making trouble he is saved by a drunken old man. It then shows that this is in fact Beggar Su who is out to teach Fei Hung. Of course he tries to escape but Su beats him up and takes him home. Fei Hung starts learning the old mans brutal style and doesn't like it at all. So he escapes again.

Drying his clothes, in what looks like a little deserted house, he runs across a killer (Hwang Jang Lee) who also is a master in the art of kicking. Without knowing it's his house, he gets beaten up and is humiliated. With no clothes, home or anything else he returns to Beggar Su so he at least has something to eat and maybe to prove to himself and the world that he can pass the difficult task of becoming a "drunken master".

After mastering Beggar Su's secret style, known as Eight Drunken Mortals style, he returns home. On the way he finds his father getting beaten up by the killer that was hired by the family of the guy that Fei Hung had beaten up badly.

 

Truly excellent. One of the best Jackie flicks I've seen (the other one being "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow") and one of the best kung fu movies ever. It was a huge success and made HK$8,000,000 in it's first run and remains one of the most loved kung fu classics til' this day.

The comedy is never to much and never goes over to being silly, it's just darn funny. The awesome fights where choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping himself and I think he appears in one scene before Jackie beats up Tino Wong.

 

Jackie is so damn good especially when doing the forms, and he's funny and has charisma too. While "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow" made him an overnight star, this one established him as the king of kung fu comedy.

Yuen Siu Tien is great as Jackie's drunken teacher who can't live without wine; he's one of those characters you just have to love.

Hwang Jang Lee kicks ass (literally) as usual and has a bigger role than in the predecessor "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow". He looks meaner here too.

Also a cameo by one of the greatest of the Yuen Clan, Yuen Shun Yi who also performs the stunts to some of the stars.

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