The Legend of Drunken Master

The Legend of Drunken Master | |
| Director: | Lau Ka Leung |
| Cast: | Jackie Chan |
| Genre: | Film, Action |
Just before World War I, rapacious British colonialists are looting China of its culture--here represented by a small but ancient jade sculpture. So Jackie Chan--really, does he need a character name? (OK, it's Wong Fei Hung)--gets embroiled in a plot involving the sculpture, some valuable ginseng, labor disputes, and Chan's father (Ti Lung) getting pissed about Jackie's titular kung-fu technique: getting soused (or acting like it) in order to better kick ass. By the time Wong--based on a real Chinese folk hero--is hung naked in the town square, the movie becomes a superbly edited ultraviolence extravaganza of the first degree. (Well, not quite as good as the 1978 prequel, Drunken Master, but way better than the Anglo-fied Chan of recent years.) And for comedy, there's Anita Mui's gut-busting turn as Chan's mom, suggestive of an unholy union of Lucille Ball and Bette Davis. The best action film of 2000, despite the fact that it was made in 1994.