Riding on the success of Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master (1978) is this enjoyable, if slightly jumbled film concerning the early exploits of Beggar Su (So) and his friend Fan Ta-Pei.

In an obvious attempt by Joseph Kuo to cash in, Simon Yuen, who played Beggar Su in Drunken Master shows up in footage at the beginning of the film, but is replaced by another actor shortly thereafter, never to return. The focus of the story shifts to Su’s friend Fan Ta-Pei, played by Jack Lung. This was Lung’s fourth or fifth film with director Kuo and is definitely one the better performances out of the bunch. Some business about a former friend who wants to learn Fan’s martial arts technique and a killer looking for Fan gets shelved as Fan reunites with Beggar Su after thirty years. The narrative abruptly shifts back to their first meeting as they attempt to both sell stolen grapes from a wine orchard. When both return to the orchard to steal more, they’re caught by Chan Chi, played by veteran genre actor, Chan Wai Lau and put to work in the distillery. After seeing the pair unsuccessfully attempt to defend street vendors from thugs, Chan teaches them his “18 Falls of the Drunken Immortals” kung fu, which this film attributes as the predecessor to Beggar Su’s famed drunken boxing. They excel in their training, due in part to the aid of the ever-popular surgical tubing.

Trouble comes knocking when Chan’s old nemesis, Tiger Yeh, who happens to own the land upon which the winery operates, learns that Chan is working at the winery and training students. Lung Fei, who played Yeh also starred in several other films directed by Kuo including The 7 Grandmaster (1978) and The Cavalier (1978). Lung was usually cast as the villain and didn’t buck trends in this film. Unfortunately, as the main baddie, Lung still has to compete with the film’s other minor villains that show up to challenge Fan at the end of the film, thus reducing the potency of Lung’s character. Eventually, Yeh orders the winery destroyed. After a failed attempt to kill Chan, both Fan and Su are beaten and tied up. Both their master, Chan and the winery owner’s daughter end up suffering as a result. Once free, the pair manage to catch up with Chan and Yu-lu and the group attempts to escape from Yeh. Inconceivably, Fan and Su are sent into Chan’s cavernous retreat in order to learn the final part of the Drunken Immortals kung fu just as Yeh catches up with Chan and Yu-lu. Fan and Su emerge from the cave to finish off Yeh and we jump forward thirty years to resume the marginally related plot about a killer out to defeat Fan.

The World of Drunken Master contains a lot of Kuo’s better trademarks such as some successful humor, a better than average script, and uniformly outstanding kung fu. Most of the humor takes place in the first half of the film with a scene where the young Fan and Su are doing kung fu in their sleep as a highlight. The second half grows more serious and although the acting and story is actually decent, the uneven nature of the film is disappointing. Jack Lung has one of his best feature roles in this film and performs remarkably. Chan Wai Lau also deserves mention for his very energetic performance. The fighting is all tightly choreographed and the camerawork is rock solid. The film certainly captures the feel of an early Yuen Wo Ping film.

If only Kuo has left out a few unrealistic or fantasy-like edits, most of which appear during the final fight between the killer and Fan, The World of Drunken Master would have rated higher. Likewise, the confusing subplot the film starts and ends with should have been axed. But still, the film has great fight choreography, a well-acted and thought out main plot, and good cinematography.

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