Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Taoism Drunkard Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 29, 2024

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the Two Taoist Tales collection from Eureka! Entertainment.

While it might arguably help viewers to know something about Taoism in order to (no religious pun intended) divine some context in the two films Eureka! Entertainment has aggregated under the title Two Taoist Tales, it may not be strictly necessary for any number of reasons. First of these is the frank admission in some of the supplements that anyone looking for some kind of "authentic" accounting of Taoism in either of these films had probably best keep looking. Perhaps more importantly, and frankly perhaps even more hilariously, is the fact that even Taoist scholars often can't agree on exactly what Taoism is "all about", as evidenced by any number of online "analyses" that can come to almost confoundingly different conclusions about what is alternately termed a "religion" or a "philosophy". Adding into the "comprehensibility maelstrom" both of these films offer is the fact that as commentators Mike Leeder and Arne Venema mention, in a kind of linked follow up to some of their jokes in a commentary included on The Miracle Fighters, another relatively recent Eureka! release of a film often cited as a progenitor for both of these films, there may have been a "controlled substance" or two (or three) in regular use by the filmmakers, resulting in an unabashed hallucinogenic ambience that may either intentionally or unintentionally short circuit any attempt at rational reactions. Somewhat interestingly, there's actually a fourth film that is often lumped in with the two in this set and The Miracle Fighters, 1983's Shaolin Drunkard, which may augur a future release from Eureka! Entertainment.

While there are certainly tethers linking Taoism to Buddhism (and those interested are encouraged to a little internet sleuthing, as some of those connections are kind of fascinating and even at times a bit surprising), it might be joked that this film's focal character, officially dubbed The Drunken Taoist (Yuen Cheung-yan) probably does not subscribe to Buddha's admonition that suffering can be avoided if one follows "the middle way" of moderation in all things. The sloshed monk at the center of this story does indeed suffer almost instantly due to his drinking habit, and the rest of the film follows his fitful attempts to set things "right". That quest ultimately introduces another major character, Chiu (Yuen Yat-choh).

Much as with The Miracle Fighters, however, any fairly straightforward plot summary is going to miss the absolutely gonzo antics and characters that are on display, including quasi-humans (if evidently godlike) villains like Old Devil (Yuen Shun-Yi) and even Yuen Cheung-yan crossdressing as a putative grandmotherly type, but also a wacky array of more surreal sidebar offerings (see screenshot 2 for just one example).

Taoism Drunkard Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Taoism Drunkard is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Eureka tends not to provide a ton of technical information on their releases, and that's once again the case here, with the insert booklet only offering "viewing notes" (somewhat hilariously mentioning the wrong aspect ratio) and calibration advice. The back cover's sole comment is a minimal "both films are presented on Blu-ray for the first time ever from brand new 2K restorations". If the title of this collection is Two Taoist Tales, I might co-opt that adjective to say Taoism Drunkard is a tale of two presentations. There is an almost eye popping array of grain thicknesses throughout this film, with, yes, some of the spikes stemming from old school composited effects, and some probably caused by lighting choices, but any number of others which suddenly just kind of show up for a moment or two, and then recede. In at least some of these more "swampy" moments, there is at least minimal detail degradation, to the point that I wonder if two different elements may have been utilized. In its best moments, which are admittedly frequent, grain resolves much more tightly (and pleasantly to my eyes), with a good, vibrant palette and some excellent detail levels on some of the handsome costumes in particular.

Taoism Drunkard Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Taoism Drunkard features LPCM 2.0 Mono audio in either Cantonese or English. There's not a whale of a lot of difference between these two other than the spoken languages, but I'd probably argue the Cantonese is slightly fuller sounding. There's a slight hint of distortion at times in some of the louder sound effects and goofy scoring choices. There's an undeniably boxy sound throughout, but anyone familiar with this general era of Chinese film won't be seriously surprised at the overall sound. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Taoism Drunkard Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng


• Audio Commentary by Mike Leeder and Arne Venema


• James Mudge on Taoism Drunkard (HD; 17:53) is an interesting overview by Mudge, who gets into some of Lo Wei's history as well as the so-called Yuen Clan.


• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 4:21)

Additionally, the keepcase features a reversible sleeve and encloses a nicely appointed insert booklet with two really interesting essays. Packaging features a slipcover.

Taoism Drunkard Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As I mentioned in our The Miracle Fighters Blu-ray review, there were parts of that completely gonzo film that actually reminded me in passing of some of the psychedelic delights (?) suffusing films like The Happiness of the Katakuris, and that same surreal quality is probably more evident in this film than in The Young Taoism Fighter (which is not to suggest that that film is completely devoid of the bizarre). A lot of the humor here is pretty forced, and any "connection" to actual Taoism probably more than a bit questionable, but this film has an almost ferocious energy which may keep some entertained despite its deficits. Technical merits are generally solid, if occasionally improvable, and the supplements, including two fun commentaries, are very enjoyable. With caveats noted, Recommended.