| Although one of its aka's was Drunken Master 2, Yuen Woo-Ping's Dance Of The Drunk Mantis is more of a reunion, with only Simon Yuen reprising his role and big star Jackie Chan did not or could not participate again. It's really unavoidable for the film to not live in the shadow of Drunken Master but it can can easily be judged on its own terms, and the judgment is of positive nature.
We get more of an insight into the family dynamics around Beggar So (Simon Yuen) and how he bonds with his adopted son (Yuen Shuen Yee). Basically the template of master-student training then takes over and quite an overabundance of exaggerated comedy, mainly from Yuen Shuen Yee. He proves that he was not going to break out as a leading man in this genre and to add to the damage, Dean Shek has an unbearable act as a banker with his own set of morals. Thankfully the kung fu is of high quality, going more of an intricate route but is nonetheless accessible and entertaining. This aspect especially flies when Yam Sai Koon's ailing character enters the frey and puts Yuen through his type of training. Other highlights includes a complex duel between Beggar So and Rubber Legs (Hwang Jang Lee) and the finale, ending on quite a darkly comedic note. Also appearing is Linda Lin, Corey Yuen and Chin Yuet Sang. |
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