Reviewed by: Gaijin84 Date: 10/14/2022 Summary: Donnie's first starring role with the awesome Yuen Clan... A showcase for a young Donnie Yen, Drunken Tai Chi is a top notch kung fu comedy from the Yuen Clan. Donnie plays Ching Do, a young, brash oldest son of a small family. His brother, Yu Ping (Yuen Yat-Choh) takes the majority of the abuse from his father and does all the work for their business while Ching Do generally plays about town and messes with bullies from rival families. A prank turns a powerful town leader’s son into a drooling mess and leads the father (Don Wong Tao) to hire an assassin to eliminate Do’s family. Although Ching Do escapes, both his father and brother are killed. He hides out with a local puppeteer (Yuen Cheung-Yan) who teaches him tai chi in exchange for working around the house. When he’s skilled enough, he takes on the assassin (Yuen Shun-Yi). Drunken Tai Chi is very much in the vein of Miracle Fighters and Shaolin Drunkard in that it combines quality and inventive kung fu choreography with slapstick comedy. There isn’t much “drunken” style of tai chi, it is more of a reference to Cheung-Yan’s character constantly drinking. However, the fights are absolutely great and Donnie Yen is superb in all scenes. Even the opening credits form is worth watching multiple times. This must have been a revelation for Yuen Wo-Ping to witness what he could do and the level he had achieved at the age of 21. It is no wonder they collaborated on another 7 films over the next decade. You also get to see Donnie popping and locking during a funny skit in which he plays a puppet. His final fight with the assassin “KIller Bird” (Yuen Shun-Yi), who is basically the killer from Dreadnought, is fantastic as well. Don’t miss this one, especially if you can find the original Cantonese with English subs. Well worth the search. 8.5/10 Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: Beat TG Date: 03/04/2010 Summary: The Beginning of Donnie Yen A simple way of describing this uniquely odd old school kung fu movie -- which also marked among the last movies of its' kind during the rise of contemporary action movies of the 1980s -- is that it's a fresh mix of old-fashioned goofball/slapstick comedy and creative martial arts choreography that you can find any pretty much any previous Yuen Woo Ping-directed kung fu gem. The movie actually was only a moderate success which did not do much for the traditional kung fu genre -- that was already drying up, with countless of similarly themed movies resuming the milking of the success that was SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW and DRUNKEN MASTER -- and was just made to be different, and introducing some new blood. The biggest revelation of the movie is, of course, the exposition of leading actor Donnie Yen debuting in his first movie, and only aged 19 when the movie began production in 1983. Donnie had previously just finished his training course at the Beijing Wushu Academy. From there he stopped by Hong Kong before flying back to the US and was discovered by Woo Ping, who was looking for the next big thing in MA action movies. As a testament to Woo Ping, Donnie had to work for him and his "Yuen Clan" on a movie before signing a movie contract. That movie was THE MIRACLE FIGHTERS where Donnie was doing stunt doubling duties for the Yuen brothers. The movie was a success, and Woo Ping ended up so impressed with Donnie's extraordinary MA skills and gave Donnie his approval. Donnie signed the contract, and off was his movie career which has gone forward less and more years later till this day. For a debut movie, DRUNKEN TAI CHI does wonders for Donnie Yen as the main performer. It's nothing new though, and pretty much consists of the basic aesthetics of a Yuen Woo Ping movie. The goofy humor, the pacing, the violence (reasoning behind it); the overall message. Although I enjoy Yuen Woo Ping's kung fu movies very much, most of his output contain this type of content making me wishful that he could've done a lot more serious movies at the height of his career as a director. Movies such as LEGEND OF A FIGHTER, TIGER CAGE, IN THE LINE OF DUTY 4, and IRON MONKEY clearly shows that Woo Ping can helm action movies without heavy comedy elements present. That being said, Woo Ping does a good job of applying his movie style onto Donnie's action performance and in his limited acting skills without making things awkward. Donnie Yen is wonderfully supported by Yuen brothers Yuen Cheung Yan, Yuen Yat Choh and Yuen Shun Yi, the late Lydia Shum (RIP), recurring old school kung fu actors Don Wong Tao and Lee Kwan, and Donnie Yen's fellow Chinese-Bostonian friend Mandy Chan who also made his acting debut with this movie. As usual in Yuen Woo Ping movies the comedy is tailor-made for the Yuen brothers, with Yuen Cheung Yan getting most of it, and for the most part his moments are pretty funny despite going towards overdone slapstick level of comedy after a while. Lydia Shum -- who was known for using her overly loud voice and screaming in movies to great comical effect -- is probably the one who delivers the best comedy performance in the whole movie, which is nowhere near as slapstick-ish or exaggerated like Cheung Yan's. Yuen Shun Yi -- who started out playing villains in minor or supporting roles, and occasional heroes as the lead actor -- continues the villain route here playing a ruthless killer showcasing his physical skills along with a strong antagonistic onscreen presence marking this particular performance one of his best ever done. The rest of the cast also provide some decent stuff in between the comedy and the action scenes assuring that the story flows and progresses with enough captivation to hold viewers' attention. A Yuen Woo Ping movie is of course all about the fight scenes, and they are numerous enough to not disappoint. The action choreography by Woo Ping and Yuen Clan are very fun to watch and features the usual routines of movements as well as fascinating training montages, and certain details that shows the fighting techniques effectively and compellingly. The best attribute of the action scenes though is the storytelling behind them. Somewhere along the story, the action scenes takes a big shift once Yuen Shun Yi enters the story proving to be an extreme adversary for everyone, with a hardened fighting style that is difficult to defeat. What is the opposite of hard? Soft. And what would be a perfect style to counter a hard one? Woo Ping has all the answers and pulls it off with conviction and to maximum effect. Donnie Yen -- at the time the movie went into production -- was just getting a hang of things in the Hong Kong movie industry, and wanted to prove himself. And to the point that he was so gung ho about it that he was willing to do most of his own stunts -- something he gave up on not long after the movie's release though. And his physicality is on full display doing all the fighting techniques and stunts. The way Donnie performs here is unique as he doesn't move like a typical taolu wushu practitioner or a Hong Kong martial artist-turned stuntman. It's like Donnie followed Woo Ping's instructions while putting a contemporary twist to the techniques creating a blend of old and new in his overall performance. This has always been Donnie's way of performing onscreen, and it's so attractive to watch. It's no wonder viewers over the years have come to appreciate his movies even to this day. Credits to the Yuen brothers, Don Wong Tao, and even Lydia Shum (and her stunt double) for being eye-catchy in their action performances too. My verdict is that the movie makes good use of Donnie Yen's mere athleticism as a taolu wushu practitioner -- the same forms-based wushu discipline (opposed to sanda wushu, which is based on full contact combat) that Jet Li excels in -- as well as his true martial arts abilities and knowledge -- gained from learning and training actual practical fighting styles after migrating to the US in his late childhood. But Donnie's talents could've been utilized for a more serious and fitting movie, as it's apparent that Donnie looked uncomfortable in some comedy scenes -- Donnie has went on record stating that Woo Ping's comedy style isn't to his preference. Nevertheless, the movie is a strong contender in Donnie's filmography proving to be a decent debut for him as well. Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Frank Lakatos Date: 03/27/2006 Summary: Excellent Yuen brothers movie This is the last old school/gimmicky Yuen movie and it is second best to Dreadnaught(1982) thanks to the use of Yuen Cheung Yan, who plays a maniac again. I don't like Donnie Yen as an actor, but he really gives a great performance in this movie, which matches the quality of the production, and Yen's action scenes are phenomenal as always. Great fight scenes and acting. The English dubb is excellent, and cheaply available on DVD. 4/5

Reviewed by: mrblue Date: 09/25/2003 Donnie Yen's first film role. The film is similar to Yuen Woo-Ping's Drunken Master, in that Yen plays a ne'er-do-well who turns serious and stars learning martial arts from a crazy old master after he gets his ass beat. Most of the film has a really silly vibe going through it -- Yuen plays a puppeteer who uses his puppets to beat up on people and Donnie loses a fight early in the movie to a fat woman. And even though the film is supposed to take place a couple of hundred years ago, modern BMX bikes can be seen and one scene has Yen breakdancing. However, the martial arts sequences are done well and make the film worth watching at least once for fans of the genre.

Reviewed by: Inner Strength Date: 04/30/2002 Summary: Average Though usually I favour these comedy kung fu films, this one is not so good. Unlike most of the ones made in the 70’s, this one concentrates a lot more on jokes instead of a story, let alone Kung Fu! Unfortunately though, most of the jokes are stupid and ruins the film. You can expect the usual ‘fat jokes’ involving Lydia Shum as usual too. Still it’s not too bad if you’re in the mood for watching mindless fun (like a mixture between Magnificent Butcher and the Lucky Stars!). Perhaps the most weird scenes of the film (and very stupid) is Donnie Yen doing the ‘Electronic Boogaloo’ (if you know your hip hop you will know what I mean!!) Not sure how easily this one is available these days though, but if you do find it, it's worth checking out I guess. Rating: [2.5/5]

Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 05/27/2001 Summary: Semi-old school, most enjoyable DRUNKEN TAI CHI - I like the film - it has a really nice explanation of the principles of Tai Chi, and some interesting Yuen clan action sequences that are a curious blend of old school choreography with wires & gimmicks & some nasty speed up. Donnie Yen has never looked more like a chipmunk than he does in his debut either, which may or may not be considered a selling point, depending on taste :-)

Reviewed by: hellboy Date: 09/10/2000 Summary: get drunk and watch it! This movie skips back and forth from serious to comedic at an exhausting frenetic pace but DTC is never tiring. It's a period piece but you would never guess that from all the BMX freestyling and breakdancing going on in the film. It's great! A lot of fancy moves from Donnie Yen which really show us his true acrobatic skill. I watched the dubbed version and I lot of the comedy came from the translation itself. "Goddamn" and "bastard" appear in DTC with more frequency than usual for a dubbed old school kung fu film. 8/10 Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: hokazak Date: 12/09/1999 Funny "Yuen Clan" period piece comedy in the tradition of the original "Drunken Master" (also directed by Yuen Woo Ping). This is the film that launched the career of American-born Chinese martial artist Donnie Yen - one of the best in the business, in my opinion! Yen had been training in Wu Shu in Beijing (with the same group that Jet Li trained in) and on his way back stateside he auditioned with Yuen Woo Ping, and history was made... This film has all sorts of amusing gags and outrageous stunts...

Reviewed by: hkcinema Date: 12/08/1999 Great Yuen Woo-Ping kung fu film of the early 80s, fast-paced andcomedic. It's also undoubtedly one of Donnie Yen's best films. There is a particularly memorable "breakdancing" scene and the Taiji is pretty good, at least by cinema standards. One memorable scene, of many: the deranged, spoilt son sticks a sword in his father's neck, and his father's last words are: "You're not allowed to skip school any more!" [Reviewed by Iain Sinclair]

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