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Starring
:
Jackie
Chan
Yuen
Biao
Shek
Kin
Whang
In Sik
Lily
Li Li-Li
Wei
Pei
Fan
Mei Sheng
Action
:
Jackie
Chan
Producer
:
Leonard
K.C. Ho
Director
:
Jackie
Chan
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THE
YOUNG MASTER (1980)
Reviewed
by Tony Ryan
Following
on from his success with 'Snake
In The Eagle's Shadow' and 'Drunken
Master' with Seasonal Films and Yuen Woo Ping, Jackie
returned to Golden Harvest to exercise a free reign, and make
the kind of pictures he wanted, rather than what Lo Wei had
previously forced him into.
Essentially
following similar styles in look and tone to the 'Drunken
Master' formula, this is still an essential chapter in the
Jackie Chan Filmography as not only does it provide an early
main role for Yuen Biao, but is also an early example of
Jackie's exercise in excess and desire for perfection. Filming
began without a finished script, and on many occasions Chan
would turn up to begin filming with fresh ideas only to feel
that nothing was working and go home again. Other times he
would try so hard for a perfect shot that he would shoot
indefinite takes for a two second piece of action.
After
injuries on 'SITES' and 'DM', Jackie was not a fan of Hwang
Jang Lee, so when it was his turn to direct he chose Whang In
Sik to play the main villain. The finale, and showpiece,
features Jackie fighting the superior Whang for around 15
minutes, abandoning technique to win at all costs. The
encounter is suitably aggressive and memorable, but for me,
the highlights of the film are the scenes featuring Yuen Biao.
His cool persona acts well against Jackie's cocky nature and
the encounters between them are both amusing and impressive.
Other highlights include a brief, well-choreographed duel
against 'Enter
the Dragon' villain Shek Kin and the notorious fan
fight against the burly Chiang Kam.
Possibly
not as well structured or action packed as 'Drunken Master',
but still an impressive note in both Biao's and Jackie's
filmography making it an essential purchase for fans of old
school kung fu.
Rating:
 
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