Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Leofwine_draca DRUNKEN MONKEY was made as a tribute to the glory days of the Shaw Brothers studio, reuniting some old faces with some new and youthful energy. It's a low budget film which feels a bit rough around the edges, and the choreography is never quite as slick as you wish. The biggest detraction are some long scenes without any action at all, substituting it instead for lame comedy involving mugging actors who definitely deserve less screen time. This was a labour of love for the great director, martial artist and choreography Liu Chia-Liang, who shines in all of his roles; this was to be his swansong excluding a role in the Tsui Hark movie SEVEN SWORDS.The story is simplicity in itself, involving the corrupt members of a security team who use murder to achieve their ends, which lie in profiteering through smuggling. Liu Chia-Liang learns of the misdeeds and barely escapes with his life, before proceeding to train up a trio of young 'uns in 'monkey king' style. Wu Jing is the youthful hero and acquits himself well, and Gordon Liu has a small but pivotal role. Best of the lot is the inimitable Chi Kuan-Chun, still impossibly muscled some 30 years after his Shaw Brothers debut, and absolutely burning up the screen in style.

ifasmilecanhelp When I discovered that Liu Chia Liang did again a movie a few years ago, as a big fan of many of his movies, I was glad... Unfortunately, this is a melting-pot which is on my opinion (even I had pleasure to see it), a rather very weak one.Even with my greatest respect to LCL, not very excellent, even not very good nor funny ! Basically traditional Kung Fu and/or comedy, I can appreciate...An LCL did so fantastic ones, that frankly I'm disappointed...It's not because the weakness of the plot (almost never mind that, it's alike in many KF stories)...In the beginning, the movie looks like a dark "cowboy KF movie." OK... hum... why not ?The first fighting scene between LCL and his son Gordon Liu, as usual in LCL movies is... just perfect ! Fast, imaginative, concise, a good short fight sequence. Super, OK.A little further, with the next scenes, suddenly I wondered if I had not a strange Alice in Wonderland copy ! Did they make a surprising mistake ? Like if they had burned a part of a complete different film together after the first sequence ?!It looked to me like if I was in a complete other movie... So I checked out, and no, it seems the movie was a whole one... Incredible !!! To put it down bluntly, it follows with a stupid comedy part... and then some fighting again... Wow ! What incoherent parts put together...And so it went on... Some parts are good... and some belong to the low silly comedy.Still with my respect to LCL, I like him a lot, and Gordon Liu too, but unfortunately, this strange mixture is a big mess...In fact the only goods things in this movie are their faces and the fights. Fights like LCL used us, very creative, even if he, LCL, for instance, survives to everything, to remain in the story... (that doesn't bother me!)But the rest in just a bag of no interest...Mr Yaguy Tajima's comment put perfectly the finger on the holes of that Drunken Monkey 2002. I agree completely with what he wrote, and advise you to read it (dated 29 November 2005).But, as I said, I had pleasure to see again LCL and Gordon Liu together, but true, for KF buffs only, and even not sure...If you like the classical type, like me, please search for Return of the Master Killer (LCL 1980, KF comedy type), or one of my obviously preferred Shaolin Master Killer LCL 1978, more deep.Not knowing these two, if you liked Drunken Monkey 2002, you just will be enchanted of an incomparable higher level... those two, among many others, show what LCL is able to... I beg you, Mr LCL, please offer us another one, but not a silly one !!! Well, let's hope...8 to 9*** for the fights, say 4 or 5*** for the rest ... 6*** all in all... and definitively not more !

taosanshin It is true many movies from Hong Kong are strange if not awkward in the humor department. But holy crap man, this one takes the cake. I have seen hundreds of martial arts movies, and this one is among the worst. There are many reasons not to watch this. However, because Lau Kar Leung(Legend of Drunken Master),Gordon Liu(Kill Bill 1&2), and Jacky Wu(The Legend of Zu) are in it, some will watch anyway. But understand before watching that the plot was ridiculously stupid at best, and despite the martial arts talent in the movie, the fights aren't anything to brag about. And for you martial arts enthusiasts out there, who heard this movie is the first movie made by the re-opened old Shaw Bros studio- you're right. And to all those who heard this movie was a throwback to traditional Kung Fu in movies- you will be sorely disappointed; while they do fight in a traditional style they use wires so much, it seemed like it was caught in limbo between a Shaw Bros movie and a Tsui Hark movie.Damn this was a disappointing movie...........seriously, go rent Legend of Drunken Master instead.

nakataohana Set in the 1930's, the movie is about the head of a delivery guard service who faces the challenges of survival in more "modern" times in Canton, China. Man Bill (Man Biao?), a master at Monkeyfist kung fu, confronts Man Pao, a relative about his lifestyle and different vision for the company.A young heir and his great uncle, a family betrayal, a government agent, drugs and foreign influence are all interwoven into the plot filled with old fashioned kung fu action and humor.I wanted to watch this movie because of the director, Lar Kar Leung a.k.a. Liu Chia Liang, whose film credits include: "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin", Chen Kuan Tai's "Executioners from Shaolin" Jet Li's "Martial Arts of Shaolin" and Jackie Chan's "Legend of the Drunken Master". I enjoyed the movie.