R E V I E W :   The Legend of Drunken Master  

THEATRICAL RELEASE | Reviewed 10/25/00 | Movie Review | Recommendation

Movie: plot, performances, production, rating

Despite a desultory and dispirited crowd of just 12-15 people in attendance (on a Wednesday evening at 8:15 pm) and an underpowered sound system, it was a joy to watch The Legend of Drunken Master on the big screen. The photography was always well-framed for the wide screen, and the action scenes came across so much better than my 32" television allows (especially in comparison to the picture quality of the crappy VCD I own).

I definitely missed the Wong Fei-Hung theme music, but the replacement score was at least Chinese-influenced and not too offensive. As for the English dubbing, it was not my preference. On the other hand, the VCD's burned-in subtitles are so often unreadable that it was nice to finally discover what some of the characters were saying.

This leads me to another problem, not to be blamed on the filmmakers. The theater where I saw it had the audio levels turned so low that when i ate popcorn I could barely hear the sound!!! This was very discouraging, and the theater's management was too incompetent to solve the problem. I wish I knew where the projection booth was located so I could run in there and jam the sound up, but the process would probably have robbed me of a third of the running time.

Because I could hear all the dialogue, though, some of the platitudes about 'saving China's culture for the children of tomorrow' sounded a bit stilted. Also, the minor wire work (to give extra 'oomph' to some of the falls and smacks) is more apparent on the big screen. Still, the film is so enjoyable that it easily overcomes these minor flaws.

Rated R for occasional blood and relentless fist-pounding.

Buy a ticket, wait to rent, or pass?

No question: run out and see it -- hurry!

 

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