Viewer Comments:Drunken Monkey
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While not as bad as other reviews led me to believe--it still does have more than a few flaws, such as a middle part which seems to drag on forever--it is bookended by excellent fights in both beginning and end thanks to Lau Kar Leung and Gordon Liu. I also liked the relationship between Leung and newcomer Stephanie Yao. Alas, the rest of the cast wasn't up to the rather lofty expectations I had for the first Shaw Brothers movie in years. While it wasn't the worst kung fu movie I have seen, it still left a lot to be desired.
A ridicolous plot can always ruin a movie, and that is what you get in "Druken Monkey". The fight scenes were dull, and nothing about these fights was original. Do yourself a favor and avoid this title.
Excellent movie, wish there were more like this.
For the collectors out there, avoid this title. It is a BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!
Yes, it should be a great movie since you have Lau Kar Leung, Gordon Liu and Wu Jing in it, and drunken kung fu and monkey style.
Well briefly:
- The story = not interesting at all. The movie is not relief on that for sure…
- The acting = except Lau Kar Leung and Gordon Liu, the acting is just dull.
- The funny parts = completely silly and boring.
- The action parts = there is action, but most of is without sense, shame.
- The fights = only one is worth watching and lasts ± 5 mins, the final fight is ordinary, the rest is very boring.
| This Lau Kar Leung movie features very little wirework and more old school kung fu. The script is not great--it has too way much goofy Canton comedy and 'makes no sense storyline' about a monkey, chuan po; and it bogs down in places- but overall it is a real treat to see the old Master Lau Kar Leung back in action. He is fantastic.
Also great to see Lau Kar Hui ( Gordan Liu ) working Hung fist again in a classical type KF film with his usual skill.
Wu Jing is in it as well- a very skilled martial artist- with to much silly kid stuff to contend with in this script.
Great costumes and sets
Great kung fu old school action
Great players with real martial arts skill
Great settings and camera work..
Script- not so great
I like the movie- if you are a old school kung fu fan you will enjoy it as well...
I hope Lau Kar Leung will make many more films! Great to see him again in "Drunken Monkey 2003".
Send him some good scripts! Pangolin |
This is a tough one to rate. Lau Kar Leung and Gordon Liu (in a small role) are outstanding and fun to watch. The younger cast mates are trying but this movie just seems to drag too much in the middle to be considered anything more then average.
-William Giordanella (see my profile)
| AGREE? | READER COMMENTS | AUTHOR |
| Y | I concur. This movie was hailed as the first real martial arts movie of the millennium done in old-school style. It was a huge disappointment. I thought the choreography was lackluster. It should have been great, combining monkey & drunken kung fu. | Mad Monkey |
Very nice to see Lau Kar Leung do that much kung fu--he is not young. Very good movie, and it is brand new: 2003.
Lau Kar Leung and Gordon Liu in a movie called "Drunken Monkey"?! This should be fantastic!
Well, maybe my expectations were too high. Lau Kar Leung and Gordon Liu are both excellent. The younger stars are fine too. The fights are great. The pieces are all great. The sum of the parts, however, seems a bit lacking.
Sadly, this is probably Lau Kar Leung's weakest film. The whole look of the film looks "modern" and certainly not "old school". Even the great Shaw sound effects and editing are absent.
Good kung fu flick. I like Jason Wu, he was so fast. Well the story will make you sleep, so keep your remote handy. Only watch the last 2 fights, it's worth your every penny!
Liu Chia Liang is back! All I can say is that he is "The Living Kung Fu". He can still hold his own at his age! Truly a master worth watching over and over.
This film is above average. The story seemed hurried and could have used more development in areas but you can only squeeze so much in the short amount of time...it's not a TV series--though that would be interesting. The performance from Master Liu is outstanding esp. at his age! The performance from the actor from "Tai Chi Master 2" was good also.
Cracking action, as you'd expect from Lau Kar-leung, but the story didn't work for me. Wong Jing-style humour, and a lack of character development nearly ruined it for me.
The action, however, is top class. Lau Kar-leung still rocks at what must have been 68, Gordon Liu has a great cameo, and Wu Jing shows why Wushu stylists are among the best film fighters around.
-John Firth (see my profile)
http://www.myspace.com/johnafirth
Pure class, this one! Starts off quite slow but gradually picks up pace (as with a lot of old skool flix). Lau Kar Leung's monkey fist is superb! Has something for old skool fans and new wave fans alike. If you like your action fast and furious with a good storyline, check this one out--puts Shaw Bros. back on the map!!!
| The greatest kung fu director that ever lived is back! He beat the changing times, the audiences affection for wire-work extravaganzas, and even cancer! Now Lau Kar-Leung (Liu Chia Liang) is back, working with his old employers. You may have heard of them... Shaw Brothers Studios?!
Lau asked for another chance to show that he can still direct (and perform) outstanding kung fu. He does not disappoint. When I saw “Drunken Monkey”, it was without English subtitles, hampering my ability to understand the intricacies of the plot, but not my enjoyment of the film. It has all the old school ingredients: great chivalrous heroes, bloody betrayals, the old master in hiding, enthusiastic young pugilists that want to learn the revered "monkey" style, and awesome training sequences. At the beginning, I thought Lau's kung fu looked a little slow, a little tired. But he was only downplaying his abilities so that after he "trained harder" we could see a great jump in his power and speed. In fact, he seems to have slowed less over the years than our beloved Jackie Chan. His whirlwind fight with Lau Kar-Fai ("Gordon" Liu Chia Hui the Master Killer) is fantastic! The movie has some comedy but seems to be played pretty straight. There IS wire work, but it's kept to a minimum, and what's there (with a few exceptions) is spectacular. In terms of believability, the shots of the monkey stylists jumping through the trees puts the bamboo forest scene from “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” to shame. The end features Lau and his three students (including a beautiful young woman) facing off against the main villains in an unforgettable showdown. A must see for all kung fu fans. Of course, I ordered the DVD as soon as HKFlix put it up for sale and can't wait to see it again (I've watched it five times already) with subtitles! The studio promised Lau that if the film did well, they'd let him direct “The Hung Fist”. Another kung fu film, this one centering on Master Lau's family art (directly passed down to his family from Wong Fei Hung's student Butcher Wing!) of Hung Kuen. SARS kept people from seeing “Drunken Monkey” in theatres, but hopefully will still be a big hit that paves the way for more of "Pops" film magic. |
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