Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Drunken Master II Blu-ray Movie Review

Fighting spirit(s).

Reviewed by Randy Miller III May 11, 2021

UPDATE 5/12/21: Due to potentially incorrect information supplied by Warner Archive regarding this Blu-ray's source material, the "Video Quality" portion of this review has been revised. My apologies for the confusion.

Known in the U.S. as The Legend of Drunken Master, Lau Kar-leung's Drunken Master II is at or above the level of quality you'd expect from most Jackie Chan productions: jaw-dropping fight scenes, plenty of laughs, and a story that can't help but come in third place. It's perhaps most notable as his last film before mainstream success in America with Rumble in the Bronx and, for those unfamiliar with his pure, unfiltered Hong Kong output, a dazzling display of visceral showmanship with no shortage of career-high moments. Let's put it this way: if the fire-spitting, table-breaking, superhuman brawl during its climax was preceded by 80 minutes of static, it'd still score at least a 5/10.

Luckily, there's a decent movie beforehand. Its story concerns the exploits of Wong Fei-hung (Chan) who, along with his pacifist father Wong Kei-ying (Ti Lung), is returning home to Canton via train when he runs into Fu Wen-chi (Lau Kar-leung), a former civil servant carrying valuable Chinese artifacts, including the jade-carved Imperial Seal, that he's trying to smuggle into Britain. The two accidentally switch bags during a scuffle, and it's not long before the British consul sends henchmen to retrieve the artifacts by any means necessary. Fei-hung resorts to drunken boxing in an attempt to defend his home and family, including stepmother Ling (Anita Mui), but dear old dad will have none of it: successful or not, Kei-ying resents his son's public drunkenness and fighting, which prompts Fei-hung to swear off alcohol for good... a vow that, unfortunately for his dad (and fortunately for us), doesn't last very long.

Like most Jackie Chan movies, the plot is almost secondary and, if you're unfamiliar with Chinese history or the culture in general, even its most rudimentary elements might get a little lost in translation. But the end result is still universally accessible filler, thanks in no small part to the enjoyable performances of almost each and every supporting character. Felix Wong (as Fei-hung's buddy Tsang) is great, while Ti Lung and Anita Mui are an absolute hoot as his dysfunctional parents; the latter steals almost every scene she's in while showing off her comedic timing and physical chops during a few kinetic sequences. Which, of course, brings us to Drunken Master II's primary reason for existing: the amazingly choreographed hand-to-hand combat and rewind-worthy stunts that, while certainly familiar to die-hard Jackie Chan enthusiasts, rank among his very best. Three in particular stand out: Fei-hung's initial binge-fest brawl with the British consulate's henchmen, the famed restaurant attack that arrives soon after and, of course, a blistering final showdown that reportedly took over four months to shoot. It's eight minutes of what might very well be one of the finest fight sequences ever committed to film, and it caps off Drunken Master II with one hell of an exclamation mark.

Nonetheless, there's an innate sense of clashing styles during stray segments of Drunken Master II in regards to its overall flow -- not surprising, when you consider Chan's very public falling out with late director Lau Kar-leung (also sometimes credited as Liu Chia-liang) who, despite a lasting legacy of films including The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and Legendary Weapons of China, clashed with the star and would direct only two more movies before his death in 2013. It's even rumored in some circles that Chan himself directed portions of the movie (or at least a handful of the action sequences), although he's uncredited in both the original version and its slightly shorter American counterpart.

Either way, those who only know this film as The Legend of Drunken Master will appreciate having the original cut on Blu-ray. Sure, the differences are minimal and this disc has one oversight in its subtitle options, but Warner Archive's transfer -- though not quite up to their usual standards -- is still a largely pleasing effort.

For an alternate take on the American cut, please refer to Kenneth Brown's review of the 2009 Blu-ray edition.

Drunken Master II Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner Archive's Blu-ray is advertised as being sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative which, in hindsight, does not appear to be truthful. It looks strikingly similar to a 2018 Blu-ray issued by Warner Bros. for the Japanese market that, despite showing a marked improvement over Buena Vista's 2009 Blu-ray of the American cut, is still not quite an optimal transfer. They are not identical discs though, at least as far as compression is concerned: this dual-layered Blu-ray runs at a high bit rate and displays no obvious compression artifacts, with underlying strengths included -- but not limited to -- a rather robust color palette, no aliasing or banding, and a very dense appearance with excellent black levels and highlights. But there is what appears to be somewhat regular use of noise reduction that renders certain scenes and shots a bit waxy; it's not terribly distracting in-motion, nor is it present during all (or even most) of the film. What initially looked like a low-grain film stock now looks more like slightly compromised source material that, unfortunately, has not been rectified by a brand-new and carefully-treated scan -- something that Warner Archive is known for. So unless this transfer was the result of miscommunication on one or both sides, it marks a very rare near-miss for the usually reliable boutique label. It's still a largely pleasing effort whose strengths easily outweigh its shortcomings but, if you already own the Japanese Blu-ray, the improvements are minimal.

As usual, Warner Archive has uploaded a few YouTube clips showing off the transfer... and in a variety of language options, to boot. These include Cantonese with the original "faulty" English subtitles, Mandarin with English (SDH) dubtitles, the English dub, and the four-minute opening clip in Cantonese, unsubtitled.

Drunken Master II Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

No less than three audio options are included here in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0: the original Cantonese (new to Region 1/A home video), a Mandarin dub, and an English dub; see below for more on the latter. All are roughly the same, as far as volume levels and dynamic range are concerned. I stuck with the Cantonese and, even though 100% perfect audio sync on these movies is basically a pipe dream, it seems to provide the most natural experience, warts and all. Dialogue is, for the most part, cleanly recorded and very emotive, showcasing a good balance with the fight sequences and background elements. The visceral sound effects are appropriately dialed-up and, unlike some of the altered ones on the English dub, showcase a good rhythm that pairs nicely with all the action. Of course, even what appears to be a best-case scenario for very limited source material still sounds more than a little thin and unremarkable on the whole, but Drunken Master II has never sounded better to my ears and that's what really counts here.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included -- dubtitles, unfortunately -- as well as a set of literal English subtitles that were first created for Hong Kong theatrical prints; the latter includes more than a few grammatical errors and are presented as they originally appeared (see here for more info). I know I'm not alone in wishing that improved literal translation subtitles would have been created, and I'm hoping this is considered for future Jackie Chan titles.

Also, please note that the English track is not from the American cut in which Jackie Chan dubs his own dialogue. Had Warner Archive included both versions like Mr. Nice Guy, I'm sure that would option have been available.

Drunken Master II Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with original one-sheet poster artwork and no inserts of any kind. Also unlike Warner Archive's recent release of Mr. Nice Guy, the only extra on board here is an original trailer.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:26) - This English-narrated Golden Harvest promotional piece can be seen here.

Drunken Master II Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Lau Kar-leung's Drunken Master II is damn good mid-career Jackie Chan, offering more visceral action and slightly less cheese than his entertaining but ultimately toned-down Hollywood output just a few short years away. Warner Archive's new Blu-ray resurrects the original cut that, while not all that different than the American version first released on DVD in 2000 (and later on Blu-ray), is appreciated. The lack of both versions is a bit disappointing, as well as that version's English dub and a new literal set of subtitles While the transfer itself is not up to Warner Archive's usual standards (see above), this still represents the film's best appearance on home video. Recommended.