DRUNKEN MONKEY was made as a tribute to the glory days of the Shaw Brothers studio, reuniting some old faces with some new and youthful energy. It's a low budget film which feels a bit rough around the edges, and the choreography is never quite as slick as you wish. The biggest detraction are some long scenes without any action at all, substituting it instead for lame comedy involving mugging actors who definitely deserve less screen time. This was a labour of love for the great director, martial artist and choreography Liu Chia-Liang, who shines in all of his roles; this was to be his swansong excluding a role in the Tsui Hark movie SEVEN SWORDS.
The story is simplicity in itself, involving the corrupt members of a security team who use murder to achieve their ends, which lie in profiteering through smuggling. Liu Chia-Liang learns of the misdeeds and barely escapes with his life, before proceeding to train up a trio of young 'uns in 'monkey king' style. Wu Jing is the youthful hero and acquits himself well, and Gordon Liu has a small but pivotal role. Best of the lot is the inimitable Chi Kuan-Chun, still impossibly muscled some 30 years after his Shaw Brothers debut, and absolutely burning up the screen in style.
The story is simplicity in itself, involving the corrupt members of a security team who use murder to achieve their ends, which lie in profiteering through smuggling. Liu Chia-Liang learns of the misdeeds and barely escapes with his life, before proceeding to train up a trio of young 'uns in 'monkey king' style. Wu Jing is the youthful hero and acquits himself well, and Gordon Liu has a small but pivotal role. Best of the lot is the inimitable Chi Kuan-Chun, still impossibly muscled some 30 years after his Shaw Brothers debut, and absolutely burning up the screen in style.