Drunken Master – Eureka Video (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1978
Director: Yuen Woo-Ping
Writers: Lung Hsiao, See-Yuen Ng
Cast: Jackie Chan, Siu-Tin Yuen, Jeong-lee Hwang, Dean Shek, Kau Lam, Linda Lin, Tino Wong, Hsia Hsu

Release Date: April 24th, 2017
Approximate running time: 111 Minutes 12 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 12 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese, LPCM Mono Mandarin, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Chinese
Region Coding: Region Free (Blu-ray), Region 0 NTSC (DVD)
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK)

"Jackie Chan plays Wong Fei-hung (a legendary Chinese folk hero who has also been portrayed on screen by Jet Li, Gordon Liu and Donnie Yen amongst many others), who is punished for his frequent troublemaking by being forced to study under the martial arts master Su Hua Chi (Yuen Siu-tien), notorious for his drinking as much as he is for leaving his students crippled. Wong proves himself an adept pupil, but his new skills are soon put to the test when his own father is targeted by a brutal assassin (Hwang Jang Lee, Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow)." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Definitive transfer from 4K digital restoration".

Drunken Master comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.1 GB

Feature: 34.4 GB

For this release, a brand-new transfer has been created from a 4K digital restoration, and the end result is one of the best-looking vintage Hong Kong cinema transfers that I have seen to date. And when compared to this film's previous home video releases, this new transfer greatly improves upon color saturation, black levels, and image clarity. Also, there are no issues with compression, and the grain remains intact.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Cantonese, LPCM Mono English), 4/5 (LPCM Mono Mandarin)

This release comes with three audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese, a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin, and a LPCM mono mix in English. All three audio mixes sound clean, clear, balanced, and robust when they need to. That said, the Cantonese and English language tracks sound fuller than the Mandarin language track. Included with this release are three subtitle options: English, English SDH, English/Chinese subtitles from the film’s Hong Kong theatrical release, and English subtitles for the Mandarin audio track. It should be noted that the Mandarin audio track was created for the shorter version of the film, and scenes that were not recorded in Mandarin are presented in English.

Exrtras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (4 minutes 27 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), a UK music promo (1 minute 29 seconds, LPCM stereo), a deleted scene (1 minute 48 seconds, LPCM mono), a segment titled Kicking Showcase (1 minute 34 seconds, LPCM mono), an interview with producer NG See Yuen (14 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Jackie Chan (21 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with filmmaker Gareth Evans (21 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with film scholar Tony Rayns (41 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Hong Kong film experts Ric Meyers and Jeff Yang, and a 20-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay about the film written by Michael Brooke, a section titled Poster Gallery and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Included with this release is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-ray included as part of this combo release.

Summary:

When discussing martial arts cinema, there is no denying Bruce Lee’s impact on the genre. And though there was a concerted effort to find someone to fill the void left by his untimely death, the majority of so-called successful actors are nothing more than "clones" of Bruce Lee.

By the end of the 1970s, martial arts cinema was at a crossroads. And what was once considered "tried and true" formulas were starting to wear thin. Fortunately, martial arts cinema was about to experience a resurgence that would finally free the genre from Bruce Lee’s long shadow.

And though there were a handful of films from this era that have left a lasting impact on martial arts cinema, there is one that stands taller than its contemporaries, and its influence continues to reverberate. Case in point: Drunken Master.

Drunken Master's premise appears to be another all-too-common story about a fighter who must drastically improve his Kung Fu in order to defeat an evil nemesis. And yet the end result is something that puts a much-needed spin on this subject. With comedy playing an integral role in this film’s success.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where Drunken Master does not excel. The narrative is meticulously constructed, and pacing is never an issue as key moments are given just the right amount of time to resonate for maximum impact. And when it comes to the fight sequences, they are all creative and well executed. The scene where the protagonist is badly beaten and humiliated by Thunderleg and a training sequence where the protagonist learns "Drunken Fist" Kung Fu are standout moments.

Performance-wise, the entire cast is very good in their respective roles. with the standout performance being Jackie Chan (Police Story) in the role of Wong Fei-Hung, a Chinese folk hero who has had numerous movies and television shows made about him. Before becoming Drunken Master Jackie Chan, he was one of many actors who were groomed to be a successor to Bruce Lee. In these films, he was essentially a Bruce Lee "clone," and these films were considered box office failures. His breakout film would be Drunken Master, a film that finally allowed him to incorporate more of himself into the roles he portrayed. Other standout performances include Jang Lee Hwang (Game of Death 2, Ninja Strikes Back) in the role of Thunderleg and Siu Tin Yuen (Heroes of the East) in the role of the Drunken Master. Finally, Drunken Master is a high point in 1970s martial arts cinema, laying the groundwork for where Hong Kong martial arts films would go in the 1980s.

Drunken Master gets a definitive release from Eureka Video, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer