|
Starring
:
Jack
Long
Li
Yi Min
Jeanie
Chang
Long
Ten Hsiang
Chan
Hui Lau
Lung
Fei
Mark
Long
Yuen
Siu Tien (cameo)
Action
:
Yuen
Cheung Yan
Producer
:
Joseph
Kuo
Director
:
Joseph
Kuo
|
THE
WORLD OF DRUNKEN MASTER (1979)
A.K.A.
- Drunken Dragon
Reviewed
by Andrew Saroch
Another
kung fu comedy inspired by the hugely influential 'Drunken
Master' and another lacklustre attempt to create the same
cinematic spark that the Jackie Chan hit had. Once again,
elements are 'borrowed' from the original box-office smash,
but this time there is a very short cameo by Yuen Siu Tien to
further the link.
Wandering
Beggar So (Li Yi Min) is invited to a mysterious meeting at an
abandoned restaurant and decides to venture there out of
interest. When he arrives, he meets former friend Tai Pei
(Jack Long) who has also been invited there by the stranger.
After an initial period of hostility, So and Tai Pei begin to
remember their first meeting many years ago and how they
became friends. Their story begins with in their youth with
both being mischievous orphans keen to take every opportunity
to make easy money. Tai Pei initially meets So when the two
are intending to steal grapes from the same vineyard and the
pair decide that their combined efforts would be even better
for the task. However, during the theft, the pair are caught
by the vineyard owner who decides to put them to work so that
they can pay off their debt. After a while, the owner begins
to take pity on the two and teaches them Drunken Boxing
following their pleas. Tai Pei and So quickly become proficient
in the style and are more than happy to try out their skills
on the local thugs. Their actions bring them to the attention
of the town's main villain who also happens to have a score to
settle with the vineyard owner. When he discovers his
adversary's new location, he gathers together his gang and
marches to the vineyard for revenge. Thankfully, So and Tai
Pei are not far behind and are ready to save their master's
life. After such an encounter, the two are later divided over
their love for the same woman and are now in their present
state. However, the reason for their invitation is soon
explained as the mystery man arrives to explain everything.
Joseph
Kuo can be credited with providing the genre with much to savour,
but 'World Of Drunken Master' is a very routine kung fu
comedy. Kuo tries to add an extra dimension to the storyline
by telling it in flashback and adding a brief romantic
sub-plot. However, as admirable as these attempts are, the
film is too derivative to make use of these properly and we
are instead left with a very familiar production. As usual,
Kuo has gathered together a solid cast though and Li Yi Min
and Jack Long make two very capable leads. They do shine in
the numerous scenes of fight action but, even with Yuen Cheung
Yan choreographing, there's nothing too spectacular within
them. Those who don't mind another 'Drunken Master' rip-off
may still find this a worthwhile purchase, though it's hardly
a prime example of the sub-genre.
Rating:
 
|
