Drunken Master II

For my review and behind the scenes look I chose Drunken Master II, directed by Lar Kar-Leung. I chose this movie because it is not only on the Time's 100 greatest movie lists but also because it's one of my favorite movies of all time. The choreographers, Jackie Chan and Lar Kar- Leung, use explosive moves and great technique to not only highlight different fighting styles but they also stays true to their form and method which is hard to find with a lot of martial arts movies today. I will be analyzing two different fight scenes within the movie. My first fight scene is the one underneath the train to the farm house.

"Underneath the train - farm house"




Within this fight scene Jackie Chan faces off with an old legend in the martial arts movie industry, Lar Kar-Leung, who also directed the film. Here we see the styles of the Chinese spear
(Qiang) vs. the Chinese sword. The scene starts with both Jackie and Lar beneath the train fighting. Jackie utilizes quick maneuvers and the compact spacing to neutralize Lar's long ranged weapon, the spear. The moves that are performed within this sequence are extremely dangerous for 2 main reasons the speed at which the spear thrusts are done and the closed spacing. Jackie then finds a Chinese sword which is extremely flexible. This sword is primarily used for slicing because it is pretty much a huge flexible razor. This sword may seem weak compared to that of a Chinese "Jian" or straight sword but is extremely quick, sharp and versatile when is comes to fighting. The basic deflecting techniques used by Jackie in the fight scene are common technique while using this weapon because it allows the practitioner to also deflect but also to counter quite quickly. After the weapons are thrown to the side, Jackie utilizes the style of Drunken boxing. Drunken boxing is a type of martial art that relies on acting just as much as power to be a successful fighter. By acting I mean that most of the moves come from what would seem as "unstable" stances and awkward positions such as attacking while you have your back to your opponent. These type of techniques are only effective if opponent can be lulled into a sense of superiority or safety. This style is especially popular for martial arts demonstrations because it relies on acting so heavily.

"In the Restaurant"



In this scene Fu man chi (Lar) and Feng Hung (Jackie) take on the dreaded "Axe Gang". The axe gang has actually appeared in a more recent movie, Kung Fu Hustle. This fight scene is so extraordinary because it not only involves a massive fight scene but it stay creative. With a lot of movies, massive fight scenes may appear all the same or just a bunch of punching. But here it's quite different. Lar and Jackie utilize not only the first level but also the second level of the building. This is very important because it allows viewers to see massive action on the top and bottom of the screen. Also while watching this I remember seeing a similar type of scene in Matrix reloaded when Neo fights off all the Mr. Smiths, though with his fight scene it was all CGI. And for that exact reason, this figth scene is amazing. The onslaught of opponents thrown at Jackie and Lar make the fight scene fast paced and extremely action packed. Jackie utilizes simple things such as benches and tables to fight off countless opponents. And at one point Jackie uses a broken bamboo stick to take on the majority of the axe gang. This creative and unorthodox type fighting make this movie and scene exceptionally good. This movie is one of the best movies I have ever seen in my life. Truly this movie has earned its position on the top 100.