Drunken
Master II
IMDb Rating
67K
IMDb Votes
97%
Rotten Tomatoes
$40M
Box Office
Synopsis & Review
Set in early 20th-century China during a period of foreign imperialism, Drunken Master II (1994) follows the young Wong Fei-hung (Jackie Chan) — a folk hero renowned for his mastery of the drunken boxing style, Zui Quan. After accidentally swapping baggage with a British diplomat at a train station, Fei-hung discovers a cache of Chinese cultural artifacts being smuggled out of the country by a corrupt foreign syndicate and its local collaborators. As the conspiracy widens, Fei-hung must reconcile his patriotic duty to fight with the strict Confucian values of his disapproving father (Ti Lung) — while his mischievous stepmother (Anita Mui) secretly encourages him to drink, knowing that only the power of drunken boxing can save the day.
Directed by legendary martial arts choreographer Lau Kar-leung — with Chan himself taking over direction for the finale after a creative disagreement — Drunken Master II is, by any serious measure, the apex of the martial arts film as an art form. The choreography operates on a level of complexity and athleticism that no other film has matched before or since: fights are constructed like jazz improvisations, with call-and-response rhythms, unexpected pivots, and a physical vocabulary that rewards multiple viewings. Chan was 39 years old during production and performing at the absolute limit of what a human body can do — the axe-gang marketplace sequence alone contains more inventive choreography than most directors fit into an entire career. The finale, set inside a steel mill, pushes everything to a delirious extreme: Chan's Wong Fei-hung drinks industrial alcohol to achieve the deepest possible state of drunken power, and the resulting fight is twenty minutes of pure, uncut genius. Roger Ebert called it one of the great action sequences in film history. He was not wrong.
Why Watch This Movie?
The Greatest Martial Arts Choreography in Cinema History
This is not hyperbole. The fight sequences in Drunken Master II — choreographed by Jackie Chan, Lau Kar-leung, and the Jackie Chan Stunt Team — are the most technically and artistically accomplished ever committed to film. Zui Quan (drunken boxing) is a genuine kung fu style that mimics intoxication to deceive opponents: unpredictable weight shifts, collapsing movements, sudden explosive strikes from seemingly helpless positions. Chan spent years perfecting this style and pushes it far beyond anything seen in the 1978 original. Every sequence is a masterclass in timing, spacing, and body awareness.
Anita Mui Steals Every Scene She Is In
The late Anita Mui — one of Hong Kong's greatest entertainers — plays Wong Fei-hung's scheming, wine-loving stepmother with outrageous comic timing and genuine warmth. She is funnier than anyone else in the film, including Chan himself, and her scenes provide the emotional heartbeat the story needs. Her relationship with Chan crackles with a screwball energy that elevates every comedic sequence she is part of. It is a reminder of just how singular a performer Hong Kong lost when Mui died of cervical cancer in 2003.
The Steel Mill Finale Is Twenty Minutes of Pure Cinema
After drinking industrial alcohol to unlock his full drunken power, Chan's Wong Fei-hung faces an axe-wielding gang in a steel mill surrounded by glowing hot coals. The sequence lasts roughly twenty minutes and escalates in both physical intensity and emotional stakes — culminating in Chan crawling across burning embers in a moment of genuine, jaw-dropping suffering. Roger Ebert, who was not generally a martial arts fan, singled this sequence out as one of the great action finales in cinema. It is the film's closing argument, and it wins.
Cast & Crew
Director
Lau Kar-leung / Jackie Chan
Screenplay
Edward Tang & Man-Ming Tong
Producer
Leonard Ho / Golden Harvest
Wong Fei-hung
Jackie Chan
Stepmother
Anita Mui
Father
Ti Lung
John (Villain)
Ken Lo
Action Director
Jackie Chan Stunt Team
US Release Title
The Legend of Drunken Master
Official Trailer
© Golden Harvest / Media Asia. Trailer embedded via YouTube.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Drunken Master II have two directors?
The film was originally directed entirely by Lau Kar-leung, one of Hong Kong's most revered martial arts directors and the man responsible for the 36th Chamber of Shaolin series. However, Chan and Lau had a significant creative disagreement during production — primarily over the tone and content of the finale. Lau's approach was more traditional and restrained; Chan wanted a bigger, more physically extreme conclusion that pushed drunken boxing to its absolute limit. Chan ultimately took over direction of the steel mill finale himself, and the resulting sequence reflects his vision. Both men received director credits on the finished film. The creative tension arguably produced a better film than either might have made alone.
Is drunken boxing (Zui Quan) a real martial arts style?
Yes. Zui Quan is a genuine Chinese martial arts style with a history of several hundred years. It is characterised by stumbling, swaying movements that mimic intoxication — the practitioner deliberately looks unsteady and vulnerable to deceive the opponent, then transitions explosively into powerful strikes from unexpected angles. The style requires exceptional balance and body awareness to perform, because maintaining controlled instability is far harder than standing normally. Jackie Chan trained in Zui Quan for the original Drunken Master (1978) under choreographer Yuen Woo-ping and continued developing the style over the following sixteen years before the sequel. What audiences see on screen is a greatly embellished, cinematically heightened version of the real style — but the underlying technical foundation is authentic.
How long did it take to film the steel mill finale?
The steel mill finale — approximately twenty minutes of screen time — took around three months to film. The sequence involved real steel mill machinery, live flames, and actual hot coals. The scene in which Chan's character crawls across burning embers was performed by Chan himself without the use of protective gear beyond thin padding — the resulting burns were real. Ken Lo, who plays the lead villain in the finale, was Jackie Chan's personal bodyguard and an elite kickboxer, not a professional actor; Chan cast him specifically because his leg speed was so exceptional that it would challenge Chan visibly on screen. Lo performed every kick in the sequence at full speed and power.
Why was it released as The Legend of Drunken Master in the US?
The film was released in Hong Kong in 1994 under its original title. Miramax acquired the US distribution rights and held the film for six years before releasing it in America in 2000 — six years after its Hong Kong premiere — retitling it The Legend of Drunken Master to differentiate it from the original 1978 film and to avoid sequel-numbering that might confuse unfamiliar audiences. Miramax also cut approximately five minutes from the original cut, removed some of Anita Mui's comedic scenes, and dubbed the English version. For the most complete experience, the original Cantonese version with subtitles is strongly recommended.
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