Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Drunken Master Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 1, 2018

Yuen Woo-ping's "Drunken Master" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video program with critic Tony Rayns; archival interview with Jackie Chan; deleted scene and more. In Cantonese, Mandarin, or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The troublemaker

The massive advancements in filming technology have already ensured that there will never be another action superstar like Jackie Chan. This was probably true a few decades earlier as well, but now it is something that everyone can agree on. The reason for this is very simple: all of the incredibly dangerous work that Chan did during the ‘70s and ‘80s can now be easily simulated by a programmer sitting in front of a computer. In fact, a couple of clicks are literally all it takes to not only transfer Chan’s striking athleticism to another actor, but even improve it. Now the sky truly is the limit, though even the sky is no longer real. Chan came from a different era -- the era in which you could do amazing things but only if you were truly gifted and ready to work a lot harder than your competitors to get noticed. The present isn’t as discriminating. It is owned by the superheroes, and any actor can become one -- or at least any actor that has the right look, the right social attitude, and a suave agent that routinely talks to best producers in the business.

Directed by Yuen Woo-ping, Drunken Master was the most significant of Chan’s early ’70s films because it legitimized his potential to be something more than just a martial arts extraordinaire. Indeed, while his incredible athleticism was already on full display in earlier films like The Killer Meteors and Magnificent Bodyguards, Drunken Master was the film that began emphasizing Chan’s equally special personality. So this film does not just offer a long selection of incredibly choreographed stunts and fights, but a pretty good dose of light humor as well, with Chan almost always being the catalyst behind it.

The character that Chan plays was inspired by the legendary troublemaker Wong Fei-hung whose colorful adventures have been the subject of other big films as well. In this film he is introduced as a rather naïve young man who quickly makes a series of wrong moves, angers the wrong people -- including his very strict father -- and then predictably becomes a big target. He is given a chance to redeem himself by enduring a long and quite harsh disciplinary course invented by a notorious kung fu master, Beggar So (Yuen Siu-tien), who struggles to stay sober but knows how to transform troublemakers into seemingly invincible fighters. Not long after that, the disappointing son returns home to defend his father from a merciless criminal (Hwang Jang Lee).

Chan is unquestionably the heart and soul of the film, but there is something quite important that usually gets ignored while his performance is rightfully praised. It is the incredible supporting cast that he engages throughout the film. For example, virtually all of the fights are choreographed in ways that require Chan’s opponents to match his skill level, so unless they are equally impressive there are substantial portions of the film that would fall apart. This is even true with quite a bit of the conventional comedy material where a wide range of precise reactions are needed so that it is as effective as intended.

This home video release of Drunken Master is sourced from a recent 4K restoration of the film and features two audio tracks: the original Cantonese track that serves the original longer Hong Kong theatrical version, as well as a Mandarin track which was created for an alternate shorter version of the film. In addition to standard optional English subtitles, the release reintroduces even the original Hong Kong theatrical English subtitles, which retain inherent spelling and grammatical errors.

Drunken Master Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Yuen Woo-ping, Drunken Master arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a recent 4K restoration of the film, and even though I do not have an old DVD release to perform direct comparisons, I am convinced that the film has never before looked this fresh and vibrant. In fact, my one big criticism pertains to the presence of fairly consistent black crush that routinely makes the visuals look thicker and flatter than they should. The effect is most noticeable during indoor footage where some nuances are very clearly lost, but trained eyes will likely spot its presence even during numerous daylight sequences (see an obvious example in screencapture #3). On the other hand, this is a film with plenty of shaky camera movement and frequently very obvious focus fluctuations, so some of these native limitations can actually exacerbate the issues that the crushing introduces in pretty dramatic ways. Density is proper, contrast levels are good, and image stability is excellent. I like the primary color values and supporting nuances as well. I noticed some extremely light background flutter, but I am fairly certain that this is an issue that is inherited and its effects are minimized as best as possible (you can see an example around 00:15:13 mark). There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Also, the film has been carefully cleaned up. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Drunken Master Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Cantonese LPCM 1.0, Mandarin LPCM 1.0, and English LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the Cantonese and Mandarin tracks, as well as English SDH subtitles for the English dub. As a bonus, the label has also provided the original Hong Kong theatrical subtitles, which retain inherent spelling and grammatical errors.

I viewed the film with lossless Cantonese track, but after starting with the proper English subtitles I very quickly switched to the Hong Kong theatrical subtitles. And I am glad I did, because they made the film even more entertaining. There are a number of enhancements and effects during the fights that show their age. Obviously, this is how they were recorded and mixed, so my guess is that a decision was made not to try to 'improve' or possibly even remove them. On the other hand, when music is used it is quite clear that there is light distortion in the upper register(s). Sometimes it is very minor, but sometimes it grows into borderline conventional buzz. However, I am fairly certain that the surviving elements are not in perfect condition and it is very possible that this is best that could have been done. The important thing is that none of these source limitations ever become distracting.

Drunken Master Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original international trailer for Drunken Master. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• UK Music Promo - a vintage promo for the film. Music only. (2 min).

• Deleted Scene - Jackie Chan shows his drunken skills. Music only. (2 min).

• Kicking Showcase - a vintage clip. (2 min).

• Jackie Chan - in this video interview, Jackie Chan addresses the cult status of Drunken Master, his preparation for the various styles of kung fu and some of the more dangerous shoots, some of the 'famous' injuries he sustained, the film's sense of humor, etc. The interview was conducted for the 35th anniversary of the film's theatrical release. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (22 min).

• Gareth Evans - in this new video interview, director Gareth Evans (the Raid films) discusses the emergence of Jackie Chan's classic style in Drunken Master, the choreography of his fighting and its evolution, some specific stylistic choices and the impact that they had on him while growing up, the film's lasting appeal, etc. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• Tony Rayns - in this new video interview, film critic Tony Rayns discusses the emergence of Jackie Chan and his establishment as a world-class action star, as well as Yuen Woo-ping's work and career and the evolution of the martial arts genre after Drunken Master. In English, not subtitles. (42 min).

• Ng See-Yuen - in this archival interview, producer Ng See-Yuen discusses his professional relationship with the Shaw Brothers and his work with Jackie Chan and the success of Drunken Master. In English, not subtitles. (14 min).

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary features Hong Kong cinema expert Ric Meyers and co-author of Jackie Chan's autobiography Jeff Yang. It was recorded in 2002 and has appeared on previous home video releases of Drunken Master.

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by Michael Brooke and archival imagery.

Drunken Master Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

When I revisit Jackie Chan's early films, one of the things that never seizes to amaze me is just how incredibly good the supporting actors that he worked with were. The bulk of Drunken Master, for instance, quite simply would not have worked without the supporting actors matching his skill level. In the contemporary action comedies that he made years later he did a lot of groundbreaking work that was enough to permanently separate him from everyone else, but in the early days team work of the highest caliber was absolutely essential. It is pretty incredible to see what these guys were able to accomplish together without cheating with fancy CGI effects. Eureka Entertainment's recent Blu-ray release of Drunken Master is sourced from a 4K remaster and is the healthiest presentation of the film that I have seen to date. RECOMMENDED.