Drunken Tai Chi (1984)

Most notable as being Donnie Yen’s first film and starring role, Drunken Ta Chi is one of Yuen Wo Ping funniest films and possesses all of the elements of a great comedic kung fu epic.

A noticeably young Donnie Yen plays Chin Da, a gifted but impetuous youth who learns the value of hard work and friendship while kicking some serious butt. People can say what they want about Donnie’s ego, but the man knows how to perform on screen. If not for his recent success in Hollywood, I could almost say I wish he had been around during the kung fu heydays in the ’70’s. This is as close as you’ll get to seeing this guy perform in a “classic” kung fu film and he does a spectacular job. With a chiseled physique and incredibly fast and flexible kicking, he really stands out. His acting on the other hand is not so good. Yen is a bit stiff and lacks subtlety, something he has improved upon but still hasn’t mastered.

Yen’s main foil in the film is the delightful Lydia Shum who is the first person to best Chin, despite her large size. This prolific actress gets some great moves and ends up being Chi’s savior when he has no where else to turn. Wo Ping’s distinctive humor, which is present in all the films he directs is bawdy and may put off some viewers who are sensitive to the likes of fat jokes and all around buffoonery. Yuen Cheung Yan is the crazy puppeteer who has a love/hate relationship with his wife (Lydia Shum). At one point, a painting hangs on their wall which depicts a husband serving his wife. As the story progresses, the puppeteer finally stands up to his domineering wife and perceptive audiences will notice the painting now depicts the large woman serving her husband. Little touches like this run all through the film and make it a delight to watch.

Yuen Wo Ping’s greatest asset as a director is his endless creativity. Memorable scenes in the film include Yuen Shun-yi as the Killer Bird, a uni-browed, mute, and Mongo-like assassin who pounds nails into scraps of wood to form a ridiculous-looking rocking horse for his son. Shun-yi played a similar role, although with less depth in Dreadnaught (1981), as a killer out to finish off Yuen Biao. More great scenes include the puppeteer fighting a villain with one of his hand puppets, Yen’s break-dance/mime routine and Lydia Shum’s unsuccessful attempt to cross a small bridge without going over the weight limit which is pure genius. The Tai Chi training session that the puppeteer puts Chin through is one of the best kung fu training scenes ever seen in film, period. You actually get a rudimentary understanding of Tai Chi while being thoroughly entertained and it fits in with the story remarkably well. Chin prefers the “hard” style but comes to realize that he can’t beat a guy who pounds nails into wood so he grudgingly adopts the fluid “soft” movements of Tai Chi which uses an opponent’s strength against them.

Drunken Tai Chi is simply a must see film. If not to see Yen’s first outstanding performance, then it should be to see Wo Ping filmmaking at its best. Later films would push the envelop further on choreography but to get the best mix of memorable characters, humor, and fighting, this film has it all.