Drunken Monkey (2003)

Classic kung fu’s greatest champion, Master Lau Kar-leung amazingly returns in full force at retirement age with a decidedly old school production with hardcore kung fu action at a time when pretty Cantopop stars and Hollywood actors fed a couple months of crash-course training in dangling from wires are dominating action films. Produced by the once mighty Shaw Brothers studio, Drunken Monkey is a labor of love for its director who matches up mainland China’s top martial arts star Wu Jing with a talented cast of former kung fu stars including Gordon Liu (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin), Chi Kuan-chun (Iron Monkey), and Lau Kar-wing. Not surprisingly, Lau has crafted some of the best kung fu choreography seen in years, but his efforts to rekindle past glories have also left the rest of the film languishing in rehashed mediocrity.

For the story, the film sticks closely to genre conventions and plays out unevenly. Lau Kar-leung is Man Bill, rider for the Chun Yuen Delivery Service in 1930s China who discovers that one of his associates is secretly smuggling opium. This is unfortunately a tiresome throwback to the dozens of early ’90s kung fu movies that used the evils of opium as the instigator of conflict. Nothing new is added to this tale as Man Bill is attacked and left for dead by all of his fellow riders who are all part of the smuggling ring. This opening is about 20 minutes long, grim, and full of bloody action with Lau right in the middle of it. Flash forward one year and the film’s tone switches to near-slapstick comedy as we meet a young artist named Kai-yip (Lau Wing-kin) who is trying to create a Monkey Fist kung fu manual with the aid of his stereotypically conniving mother and Tak (Wu Jing), his great-uncle by marriage who happens to be approximately the same age. After a series of “comical” scenarios, Kai-yip and Tak are sent to a new school far away from home which allows them to search for the legendary master of Monkey Fist kung fu known as Man Bill. The pair not only find him, but also his feisty student (Shannon Yao) and Inspector Hung Yat-fu (Gordon Liu), Man Bill’s close friend who has been looking for him all this time. A subsequent reunion is short-lived as word gets to Man Bill’s enemies that he’s still alive. After a deadly fight, Man Bill takes on the two men as his students. Fast-paced, yet intensive training in Drunken Monkey Fist follows and then the heroes confront their enemies with their combined skills.

I don’t think anyone could say they looked forward to seeing this film more than I. It is fair to say that in his day, Lau Kar-leung was a genius with unparalleled skill in crafting realistic and entertaining kung fu action for film. His prolific work with director Chang Cheh and subsequently on his own led to some of the finest martial arts films ever made. But he never recovered his momentum following the fall of the genre in the mid-’80s. Operation Scorpio and his ill-fated collaborative efforts on Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master II were his only real successes in the ’90s. An attempt at thumbing his nose at Chan by directing an unofficial sequel titled Drunken Master III in 1994 ended up a flop. Nine years later and in his late 60’s, Lau came to the conclusion that Hong Kong film needed to return to what it once knew best and offer something that Hollywood never could, namely real kung fu action.

Lau did succeed in part of his mission. Drunken Monkey does feature some terrific kung fu action, the likes of which have not been seen for years. Amazingly, Lau himself is the most energetic cast member who jumps right in there and shows us all how its done. Sure, he’s doubled for some of the wide shots involving acrobatics, but I don’t think I’ve seen a man his age look as spry or as fierce onscreen. Despite his age, he delivers the best action performance of his career since Mad Monkey Kung Fu (1979). The choreography throughout the film is uniformly excellent. Purists may not care for a few extravagant scenes with characters leaping between trees in a monkey-like fashion, but Lau’s trademark display of precision, power, and clarity in the movements of the actors is clearly evident. In addition, the camera work and editing isn’t obviously used to cover up any lack of skill.

Wu Jing (The Legend of Zu) is definitely the best and only choice to lead this film. Putting Jet Li aside, Wu is the go to guy for martial arts leads in film and television programming in China thanks to his tremendous skills. He appears to easily adapt his Northern Wushu training to Lau’s Southern Shaolin forms. Unfortunately with a poor script and a weak character, Wu’s physical prowess is diminished by a snotty demeanor and Lau’s failure to fully give him the spotlight. Wu’s onscreen partner Lau Wing-kin fares worse as he really isn’t shown to be of any great skill, is rarely seen training, and yet unconvincingly manages to stand with Wu against their enemies. Likewise, the token female as played by Shannon Yao is nothing special. She also lacks Wu’s abilities and is misused.

The treat for old school fans is three-fold. First there is the early appearance of Lau Kar-wing in a short, but sweet fight with Kar-leung. Then midway through, Kar-leung’s real-life student Gordon Liu shows up which leads to the film’s highlight, a forced battle between Gordon and Kar-leung. I didn’t care for the contrived circumstances that lead to the fight, but watching them go at each other is worth it. Finally, the talented Chi Kuan-chun, who sports an even more muscled frame than in his Eagle’s Claw (1977) days and looks very fit becomes the central villain whose special ability is using a number of hoop bracelets on either arm.

Where Lau goes wrong is unfortunately on everything else outside of the casting and choreography. The worst aspect is the plot which starts out strong, but drops out when comedy is introduced. Instead of keeping its focus, the film flirts with unnecessary situational scenes ripped from the likes of ’90s films like Fong Sai Yuk. Then Lau counters this with sappy drama and acting such as when he is shown caring for Shannon while her character suffers from a drug overdose. The conclusion to the film just falls together with Lau showing up with an improbable “secret weapon” that comes a little too close to stealing from Drunken Master II.

Drunken Monkey ultimately lives up to its title, but barely. You’ll see the title kung fu style in well-crafted action, but its nothing new. In addition, the film lacks the magic that fueled Lau Kar-leung’s greatest works while it safely sticks to the more uninspired plot outlines of the genre. But for classic kung fu enthusiasts, there is still much to enjoy in the action, where it counts. And Lau Kar-leung proves even in old age that he is still the Master of this art form.