Sure there are plenty of films from this ilk involving tournaments, trials, contests etc but Woo-ping Yuen's Drunken Master has a great sense of heart to go with it. The theatrical slapstick, campy tone of the film makes for a very tongue-in-cheek journey with slide whistles and fart jokes in abundance. The way the fighting choreography infuses comedy and its environment make them more reminiscent of a musical than a martial arts film, and the OTT English dub dialogue is also worth a look-see (makes it twice as hilarious although the language is surprisingly harsh for a slapstick). Typical of most films fuelled by training montages we start with a wayward youth, Wong Fei-hung; the cocky village rascal (and you'll never guess what he's severely lacking in... DISCIPLINE). Fei-hung is great at fighting to the point of arrogance, dishing out the banter and trying it on with the ladies, but of course one day he puts a beat-down on the wrong guy, gets frisky with the wrong girl (his unacquainted cousin) and ruffles the feathers of the wrong people. The right of passage comes from Fei-hung's journey from selfish youth to dedicated man. In order to take charge of his actions and do what's right, accepting responsibility in a world of adulthood he must persevere through So's intense training. His attitude to jump at the easy fights and run from the hard ones is severely tested; constantly trying to escape consequences for his actions and avoid hard work until circumstances require him to step up and be more, for the sake of others (namely his father). Mastering the fighting style of the drunken gods is ironically based on (you guessed it) appearing to be so drunk and uncoordinated you can barely stand upright. The movements are gracefully sloppy, including what could be considered the ultimate nipple-cripple (or 'purple-nurple' if you're in the states).
Film Graduate, tea chugging, whiskey sipping metal head. Love of films, video games and a perfectly healthy appreciation for comic books. Black Bolt is the greatest superhero and Rock Me Amadeus is the best song ever made. No, don't argue.
