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(About Our Ads) "THE LEGEND OF DRUNKEN MASTER" (2000) (Jackie Chan, Anita Mui) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Moderate Extreme Mild Heavy Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Minor Mild None Mild Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Mild Mild Mild Mild Extreme QUICK TAKE: Action/Adventure: Discovering that foreign gangsters are smuggling Chinese artifacts from his native country, a man uses his various martial arts techniques, including that of drunken fighting, to stop them. PLOT: Wong Fei-Hung (JACKIE CHAN) is a young martial arts master who's proficient in the style of drunken fighting where one confuses their opponent by appearing to be drunk, thus luring them into a false sense of security. His father, Wong Kei-Ying (TI LUNG), a respected and dignified herbalist, however, thinks the form disgraces the family - especially when Fei-Hung actually become drunk to increase his skills -- and forbids him from using it. His stepmother (ANITA MUI), a playfully conniving woman and mahjong addict, however, encourages Fei-Hung to be himself and use that fighting style when necessary. While on an herbal shopping trip with his father, he gets that chance when he runs into Fu Min-Chi (LAU KA LEUNG), an older man who's taken a small package that's identical to the one containing ginseng that Fei-Hung stashed among an ambassador's belongings to avoid paying taxes on it. It turns out that Fu Min-Chi was hoping to retrieve a stolen Chinese artifact, the Jade Seal of the Emperor that the ambassador and his associates were planning on smuggling out of China with many other similar artifacts. With Fei-Hung unknowingly possessing that artifact, he draws the hostile attention of many of the gangsters (including KEN LO), who are also tightening the reins on a local steel mill. As Fei-Hung eventually learns of his possession and sets out to assist Fu Min-Chi, he has various violent encounters with the many gangsters, and uses his drunken fighting style against them, despite knowing that his father won't approve. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into Jackie Chan or other martial arts-related films, they probably will. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For violent content CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JACKIE CHAN plays a martial arts master whose specialty is drunken fighting where he appears to be drunk to confuse his opponents. His secret, however, is that he actually becomes drunk to better his fighting prowess. In the end, he fights many gangsters while trying to prevent them from smuggling precious Chinese artifacts out of the country. ANITA MUI plays his playfully conniving stepmother and mahjong addict who often conspires against her husband to cover Fei-Hung's mistakes or behavior. TI LUNG plays Fei-Hung's dignified and reserved herbalist father who doesn't approve of his son's drunken fighting style and beats him and threatens to do the same to his wife for disgracing him. LAU KA LEUNG plays an older government official who fights various gangsters while trying to stop that smuggling of artifacts. KEN LO plays one of the villains, proficient in martial arts, who battles Fei-Hung. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated action/adventure film. Violence is listed as extreme due to a person being shot and killed as well as many multi-minute fight sequences where various characters punch, kick, beat, pummel or otherwise assault others with various objects, occasionally with varying degrees of bloody results. Some of those scenes may be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers, but most will probably see them as nothing but pure action, and some kids may want to imitate all of the martial arts moves and fighting. One element of that fighting is drunken boxing (where a fighter feigns being drunk to throw off his opponent) and the protagonist takes that one step further by actually drinking a lot of liquor very fast in order to get drunk and be more proficient at fighting. As such, we see him fighting while drunk in several scenes, as well as just plain old drunk in another. Other drinking and some smoking are also present. All of the one-dimensional villains have bad attitudes (for smuggling out artifacts and trying to harm or kill anyone who tries to stop them), while some tense family scenes are present (where a father disowns his son after beating him and threatening to beat his wife for disrespecting him). Profanity consists of several uses of the "s" word, while a handful of other expletives and colorful phrases are also used, while a few non-explicit, sexually related comments are made (which will probably go over most kids' heads). Should you still be concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone in your home who wishes to see it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed content listings for more specific examples of what occurs in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Some people drink in a dining car. Fei-Hung's mother and her friend race to a bar and retrieve various bottles of wine and liquor for him to use in his drunken fighting. While fighting various men, he then drinks the wine and liquor as fast as he can (even breaking the necks of two bottles so that he can simultaneously pour both into his mouth) and becomes more proficient the more he drinks. He then drinks even more and we then see that he's very drunk. Fei-Hung's father pours what's presumably wine onto him from a large container. We later see Fei-Hung doing more drinking and he appears even more drunk. After he's beaten and strung up nude, he promises his father that he'll never drink again. Fei-Hung ingests some sort of alcohol (found in a steel mill) and uses it to fight some villains (he spits some onto one, catching him on fire) and uses the alcohol's inebriation factor to fight the other villain. BLOOD/GORE We see some bloody fish guts as a man chops up fresh fish in a street market. Fei-Hung has some blood from his nose and lip after a man beats him up. Fei-Hung has some blood on his hand during a massive martial arts fight scene with many other men, some of which have bloody scrapes/cuts on them after Fei-Hung rakes them with some sort of bundle of sharpened reeds. A man's shirt and hands are bloody after he's been shot several times. We see that Fei-Hung and his friend are both rather bloody while being beaten by other men. A man's face is bloody during a fight. Fei-Hung appears to have burn marks (possibly burned flesh, but also maybe just cinders) on his face and hands after being knocked onto a field of burning coals. Later, another man appears to have burn marks on his face after he catches on fire. We see Fei-Hung vomit. During the closing credits outtakes, Jackie Chan and another actor run into each other, causing a real nosebleed from Chan. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Fei-Hung hides some ginseng among an ambassador's goods so that it won't be taxed upon their return home. A man steals Kei-Yung's wallet. The ambassador and everyone working for or with him have both as they plot to smuggle Chinese artifacts out of the country for their own profit. They also have both for trying to injure or kill those who try to stop them. Realizing they don't have the ginseng they bought on their earlier trip (and trying to avoid Kei-Yung's wrath), Fei-Hung and his mother try to pass off various items as ginseng to an unsuspecting buyer (they eventually succeed). A man picks a fight with Fei-Hung after dismissing his fighting style. A man steals a woman's purse. Fei-Hung's father beats him with some sort of stick while mad at him for disgracing the family. He then threatens to hit his wife, but doesn't. FRIGHTENING SCENES Some viewers may find some or all of the many scenes listed under "Violence" as unsettling or suspenseful (but most will probably see them as nothing but pure action). GUNS/WEAPONS Rifles: Carried by guards and used during a fight (fired and used to hit people). Spears/Sword/Hatchets/Knives/Chains: Used by various people to attack and/or defend themselves from others. Handgun: Used to shoot and kill someone. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "What the hell are you doing now?" "Bitch," "Who the hell do you think you are?" "Kick your ass," "What the hell is that?" "Losers," "Idiot," "Shut up," "Damn you" and "You can go straight to hell." Some kids may want to imitate all of the martial arts moves and fighting that occurs in the film, and some might believe the drunken fighting bit where the fighter becomes more proficient the more they drink. JUMP SCENES Some bad guys suddenly show up at a window. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A mild amount of suspenseful music plays in various scenes during the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 2 "s" words, 3 damns, 3 hells, 2 asses, 2 uses each of "G-damn" and "Oh my God" and 1 use each of "My God" and "Oh God" as exclamations. SEX/NUDITY Fei-Hung's mother tells an herbal customer that the fake ginseng she's giving him (he doesn't know it's fake) will cause women not to believe "the difference in your performance." We see that some bad guys have hung Fei-Hung high in the air by his hands and have stripped him naked save for a banner that covers his crotch (we see the side of his bare hips in a straight-on shot, but that's it). After he's pulled down, another man tells Fei-Hung that the good thing about that is that all of the women in the town now want to be his wife (after seeing him naked). SMOKING An ambassador smokes cigars in a few scenes while various miscellaneous people also smoke. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Fei-Hung's father beats him with some sort of stick while mad at him for disgracing the family. He then threatens to hit his wife, but doesn't. He does, however, disown and ban Fei-Hung from the family (they later make up). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The belief that the more one drinks, the more proficient they'll become at fighting (Fei-Hung's mother says it gives him power). All of the fighting that occurs in the film. VIOLENCE Fei-Hung pushes a man traveling with him to the street as a means of being a decoy. A man backhands another man in the face. A thrown baseball accidentally hits a person in the face. Fu Min-Chi punches Fei-Hung when the latter catches the former going through someone else's belongings. The two then end up under a stationary train where Fu Min-Chi repeatedly tries to jab Fei-Hung with a spear. Fei-Hung then defends himself and tries attacking Fu Min-Chi with a sword. The fight then continues along the support beams of some sort of deck/bridge and the two then get into hand to hand combat with many punches and kicks being delivered and blocked. A factory foreman pushes a man backwards, and then fights several workers who are upset with his new orders. While doing so, he grabs a glowing hot steel rod and rakes it across various workers clothed chests (their clothing briefly catches on fire). A man challenges Fei-Hung to a martial arts battle. They then proceed with various punches and kicks being thrown, block and delivered to each other. After a man steals a woman's purse, Fei-Hung chases and then punches that man. A group of other men then confront Fei-Hung with one of them backhanding Fei-Hung's stepmother. Fei-Hung then fights that group of men, with a tremendous number of punches and kicks being thrown. He also pokes a man in the eyes and a man hits him with what looked like a stool. He then briefly fights his father (while drunk) until he realizes who he is. Fei-Hung's father beats him with some sort of stick while mad at him for disgracing the family. He then threatens to hit his wife, but doesn't (although he strikes the table or stool in front of her). He then slaps Fei-Hung several times and then pours what's presumably wine onto his son from a large container. He then throws Fei-Hung over a table and into other structures in their courtyard. A man shows up with a group of men and breaks a musician's instrument. He then kicks Fei-Hung (who's very drunk) backwards, and another man tries to come to his aid, but the group of men attack that man. The first man then kicks Fei-Hung again. Thinking that he's a bad guy, Fei-Hung's mother attacks Fu Min-Chi when he arrives at their home. Fei-Hung and Kei-Ying then fight him as well until they realize he wishes them no harm. A massive, several minute fight scene breaks out as Fu Min-Chi and Fei-Hung battle a large number of hatchet-wielding bad guys. During this, various people are knocked from second story windows, a staircase and a balcony to the ground or floor below them, as the two men use various items to fight their attackers. As the relentless fighting continues, we then see that one of the attackers has hit Fu Min-Chi in the back with a hatchet (that then stays in his back as he continues to fight). Fei-Hung rakes some of the attackers with some sort of bundle of sharpened reeds that scrape/cut the men and leave bloody wounds. Fei-Hung's friends then show up and fight various people with punches and kicks. A person shoots another person several times, mortally wounding them. A man knocks out another man, and he and Fei-Hung then briefly fight until they realize who they are. British guards/soldiers then hold their rifles on the two of them. Men punch/pummel Fei-Hung and his friend until both of them are very bloody. More people fight (one is thrown from a window and hangs onto a railing, another is thrown onto a table, a person stomps down onto another man, a person hits another man on the head with shovel, etc.). A guard shoots a rifle at someone twice. We see a skirmish between guards and protestors where people are hit and a guard tries shooting at some protestors. Fei-Hung fights a large man who carries and swings about a heavy chain (with many punches and kicks being delivered). During this, the man pushes Fei-Hung back towards a hot wall (behind which there is fire) and Fei-Hung's shoe catches on fire when he props it up there. Fei-Hung fights more men as others try to drop large and heavy objects on them from the ceiling (that nearly crush Fei-Hung). As more martial arts fighting continues, one man throws something down onto Fei-Hung that catches him on fire. After Fei-Hung extinguishes the flames, that man continues doing the same at Fei-Hung (but misses) and another man (who also catches on fire but is put out). Fei-Hung then fights the two main bad guys in a several minute sequence where many brutal punches and kicks are delivered. One of them hits Fei-Hung with a red hot metal rod and he falls backwards into burning coals and scrambles to get off them. Fei-Hung then ingests some sort of alcohol and spits it onto one of these men, catching them on fire. Fei-Hung then gets into a prolonged fight with the last bad guy, and uses that alcohol he ingested to fight this other man (where many brutal punches and kicks are delivered). During the closing credits outtakes, Jackie Chan and another actor run into each other, causing a real nosebleed from Chan. Other real violence occurs in the form of miscues and falls, etc. Reviewed October 18, 2000 / Posted October 20, 2000