Ok, I’ve got to admit it.  I love action movies.  In staying true to this week’s theme, I must admit that cool explosions and fight scenes become more fun after a few drinks. Suffice to say, when the two are combined it’s like heaven for me.  Hence Jackie Chan’s The Legend of Drunken Master is one of my favorite movies, and arguably his best film.
 Don’t get me wrong, there are no explosions in the film.  It’s a comedy really--to the backdrop of Jackie Chan kicking some serious ass for two hours!!  The film is completely mindless in every way.  If it has a plot, I couldn’t tell you a thing about it.  The only purpose of the script is to take us from fight scene to fight scene, each more elaborate than the one that came before.  The first fight occurs under a train, then moves to a small hut.  When the evil Chinese dude asks Jackie why they’re fighting, he says “Because you hit me!!”  I don’t need more of a reason.
 Of course Jackie saves the best for last, and rightfully so.  In the end he fights some guy whose legs move so fast you can hear them move through the air.  Luckily Jackie doesn’t take any of his sh*t, and fights back with everything he has.  The choreography is so amazing here that you can’t help but say “Wow!  Look at those little dudes go!” as they duke it out (speaking of the Duke, I don’t think anyone would argue that John Wayne would kick both their asses at the same time no prob).
 I’d be remiss not to mention the humor of the film, mostly from when Jackie gets drunk and becomes a better fighter.  The expressions on his face are classic, bordering on being extremely sick and extremely pissed and wanting to kick some more ass.  Jackie rules!  Anyway, his mother is also very funny as the typical scheming and manipulating woman, always deceiving her husband and getting away with it.  As funny as it is, I wish Jackie’s dad would have been a little less gullible and a little more interested in kicking some ass with Jackie.  Hey, they should co-star in the new Indiana Jones movie.  The further adventures of Jackie and Dad.
 In all sincerity, the film does have some of the most elaborate and fun fight sequences ever seen on film.  Chan does his own stunts, which is completely remarkable considering the danger he places himself in (He falls backward in burning coals in this film-how many ‘Hollywood’ stars would do that?).  In my opinion, Chan ranks right up there with the best physical performers the stage and screen have ever seen.  Unfortunately, right now I believe he’s in about the same class as Danny Kaye-good, but never considered great.  In my opinion, he’s the Fred Astaire and Charlie Chaplin of what he does.