Film

Drunken Master

Name: Drunken Master
Genre: Action, Comedy
Released: 1978
Cast: Jackie Chan, Simon Yuen Siu-Tien, Hwang Jang-Lee, Dean Shek Tin, Hsu Hsia

Martial arts action
Light-hearted

Jackie Chan's breakout as a genuine action star, playing the young Wong Fei-hung as a cocky brat who gets flogged into shape by a drunk old master. The fights are astonishing — loose, funny, dangerous-looking in a way CGI never manages — and the comedy is as important as the kicks. Essential kung fu cinema, and still enormous fun.

TMDb rating

3.7

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love kung fu films where the fighting is loose, funny and acrobatic, built on physical comedy and a rowdy mentor-pupil dynamic.

Skip it if you want the fight scenes to feel grounded and lean, since the plot is a loose string of set pieces and the comedy can feel broad and dated.

What it asks of you: Just under two hours, with slapstick in bursts and long stretches of clowning before the showier fights, it wants a tolerant, playful attention.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Drunken Master III1994

Chan revisits the same character and style sixteen years later with bigger stunts, sharper comic timing, and a legendary finale fight that's often called the best of his career.

But The tone shifts darker toward the end, and some prefer the scrappier, goofier original energy.

Police Story1985

Chan doing his own insane stunt work in a modern-dress action-comedy, including a shopping mall finale that nearly killed him. Peak physical filmmaking.

But Less kung fu, more contemporary cop-thriller mayhem, if you specifically want traditional martial arts.

Once Upon a Time in China1991

Jet Li plays the same folk hero, Wong Fei-hung, but older and more serious, wrapped in gorgeous widescreen wire-fu and real historical stakes.

But Far more earnest and political than the Chan version — if you came for jokes, they're thinner on the ground.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Drunken Master

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Steamboat Bill, Jr.1928

Chan's stunt comedy is a direct descendant of Keaton's: real bodies, real risk, and jokes built entirely out of physical timing rather than words.

Buster Keaton building an entire film around one insane physical gag — a house facade collapsing around him and missing by inches — with zero dialogue needed to sell it.

But Silent, black-and-white, and paced for 1928 audiences — patience required if you're used to modern editing.

Enter the Dragon1973

Bruce Lee's defining film and the reason kung fu cinema went global — essential viewing for context on everything that followed, Chan included.

But Stiffer pacing and none of the slapstick; this is martial arts as myth-making, not comedy.

Kung Fu Hustle2004

Stephen Chow's cartoonish, gag-a-minute homage to old kung fu films, with fight choreography that's somehow both loving tribute and total absurdity.

But The humour is broader and weirder than Chan's — expect live-action Looney Tunes logic, not grounded slapstick.

Ip Man2008

Donnie Yen at his most controlled and lethal, telling a real martial arts legend's story with clean, brutal Wing Chun choreography.

But Much more dramatic and nationalistic in tone — this is a hero's biography, not a comedy.

The Karate Kid1984

The training-montage template done with real heart — an unlikely master, a humiliated student, and a final showdown that still lands.

But American, gentle, and PG — none of the stunt danger or physical comedy that makes Chan's films thrilling.

Shaolin Soccer2001

Kung fu skills repurposed for football in a film so silly and sincere it becomes weirdly moving by the end.

But Extremely broad comedy with obvious low-budget effects — charming if you're in the mood, grating if you're not.

Rush Hour1998

Chan's Hollywood breakthrough, pairing his physical comedy with Chris Tucker's mouth — a genuinely funny buddy-cop hit.

But Studio-polished and safe; the stunts are toned down considerably from his Hong Kong work.

Whiplash2014

Same structural engine as Beggar So's training: an abusive teacher inflicting real pain to forge real skill, and the uncomfortable question of whether it was worth it.

A student is broken down and rebuilt by a monstrous, brilliant mentor in pursuit of mastery — ferocious, tense, and about as far from martial arts as you can get.

But There's no comedy cushion here — the cruelty is played completely straight and it can be genuinely upsetting.

The Grandmaster2013

The same folk-hero kung fu mythology, filtered through total tonal opposite: elegy instead of slapstick, stillness instead of stunts.

Wong Kar-wai turns the kung fu legend genre into slow, aching, gorgeously shot tragedy about lost time and unspoken love, with Tony Leung superb throughout.

But Meditative and fragmented where Drunken Master is fast and joyful — go in expecting poetry, not punchlines.