Film

The Legend of Drunken Master

Name: The Legend of Drunken Master
Genre: Action, Comedy
Released: 1994
Cast: Jackie Chan, Ti Lung, Anita Mui Yim-Fong, Ram Chiang Chi-Kwong, Lau Kar-leung

Martial arts action
Light-hearted

Jackie Chan's drunken master is a carnival of joy: impossible physicality, comic timing that lands between the frames, and fight choreography that treats the human body as an instrument of pure invention. It's less a story than an excuse for Chan to wreck himself in increasingly hilarious ways. For anyone who thinks action cinema can be this much fun.

TMDb rating

3.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love kung fu films where the fighting is playful, acrobatic and built around a gag, and you don't mind a plot that mostly exists to hang the next set piece on.

Skip it if you want a grounded story or slow character work; the comedy is broad and loud, and the fights are the point rather than a break from the talking.

What it asks of you: Around a hundred minutes of nonstop motion, with bright slapstick tone and a lot of attention on physical choreography rather than quiet moments.

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

If you liked this

Police Story1985

Chan's breakthrough vehicle, with the same blend of slapstick danger and genuine martial artistry. Every prop becomes a weapon; every location becomes a playground. The stunts are jaw-dropping because they are real, and the comedy lands because Chan commits completely to the pain.

But The plot is thin and the dialogue occasionally feels like placeholder text. Some action sequences overstay their welcome.

Police Story 3: Super Cop1992

Chan on a motorcycle, hanging from a helicopter, pursued across three countries. The action is operatic and impossible, but shot with such clarity that you can see exactly how he's doing it. Lighter on comedy than Drunken Master, heavier on spectacle.

But The story is a Jason Bourne sketch and the romantic subplot is purely decorative. It's a stunt showcase masquerading as a spy film.

Rumble in the Bronx1995

Chan in New York, fighting with a shopping cart, a ladder, and a hovercraft. The joy is infectious; he's clearly delighted by the collision of his martial arts vocabulary with these mundane objects. Kinetic, inventive, and proof that location doesn't matter—Chan's physicality transcends everything.

But The supporting cast is paper-thin and the dialogue dubbing is rough. The plot about gang territory feels like it was written on a napkin.

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

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Drunken Master1978

Yuen Woo-ping shot both; the 1994 film is a reinvention of the 1978 original, faster and funnier, but the original has a spiritual weight the remake trades away.

The original. Yuen Woo-ping directed both, but this one has a darker, grittier texture. It's where the legend began, where Chan was younger and angrier, and where the drunk style feels genuinely transgressive rather than just acrobatic.

But The print quality is poor and the pacing is slack by modern standards. It's more martial arts film than comedy, which may disappoint if you came for the laughs.

Wheels on Meals1984

Chan and Sammo Hung as food delivery guys who stumble into a kidnapping. The fight choreography is a conversation between two masters; watching them move is like watching two musicians improvise. It's looser and sillier than his later work.

But The comedy is broad and dated. The pacing drags in the middle and the story barely holds together.

Who Am I?1998

Chan wakes up with amnesia and fights his way through Barcelona and Amsterdam. The action sequences are baroque—he's older here, fighting with craft rather than just speed. The staircase fight is a masterclass in spatial storytelling.

But The mystery plot is genuinely confusing and doesn't reward attention. The amnesia premise disappears whenever it becomes inconvenient.

Armour of God1986

Chan in a globetrotting adventure, swinging from ropes, jumping between cliffs, fighting through ornate temples. It's action cinema as tourism, and Chan's physical comedy finds new registers in each location.

But The film nearly killed him during production—the stunt work is reckless rather than clever. The plot is a generic treasure hunt that exists only to justify the next set piece.

The Foreigner2017

Chan plays a grieving father pursuing those responsible for his daughter's death. It's a serious role—no winking, no cartoonish physics. The action is tight and brutal, and watching him carry real emotion raises the stakes entirely.

But It's a revenge thriller, not a comedy, and Chan's age shows. Some may find the shift in tone a betrayal of what they love about him.

Mr. Nice Guy1997

Chan as a TV chef who witnesses a murder and has to fight his way through Melbourne. There's a sequence with a tractor and another involving a construction site that reach levels of absurdist genius.

But The plot is incomprehensible and nobody seems to care. The dialogue is painful and the villains are cardboard.

Police Story 4: First Strike1996

Chan as a secret agent in Ukraine, Hong Kong, and Australia, fighting on frozen lakes and through street markets. The variety of locations and opponents keeps it fresh, and there's genuine creativity in how he uses each environment.

But It's slighter than his best work and the spy plot intrudes regularly on the fun. The comedic timing is choppier than usual.

Kung Fu Hustle2004

Same director of photography (Christopher Doyle), same Hong Kong sensibility, and both films understand that action comedy works when you commit fully to absurdity without winking.

Stephen Chow's love letter to Hong Kong action cinema, with the same DNA: a protagonist discovering hidden martial powers, comedy that emerges from movement rather than dialogue, and fight choreography that feels like dance. The CG-assisted wire work has a different texture, but the joy is identical.

But It's more stylized and less grounded than Chan's films. Some sequences veer toward self-parody, and the sentimentality doesn't always land.