Zhui ma lao (2003) Reviews

• Enjoyable if not top notch

  ChungMo2005-08-27

  It's great to see Liu Chia Liang still making movies. He has real integrity to his kung fu choreography. This film moves at a good pace, has a few great scenes and ends without us feeling cheated. The cast is energetic and It comes off in spirit like one of Liu's lesser Shaw films. Like his lesser Shaw films, the plot is lumpy and the tone veers from goofy comedy to seriousness abruptly. And like many of his lesser films, the legendary Liu Chia Hui shows up in a supporting role. It would be great to have Liu Chia Liang direct Liu Chia Hui in a starring role again. What is clear is, however Liu makes his films these days, the Shaw style is gone. The camera work is very competent but doesn't compliment the fight scenes. There is an overuse of extreme wide angles. The actors are very well trained but only Liu Chia Liang has the physical snap that you saw nearly everyone have in the heyday of the Shaw studio. The fight scenes rely too much on editing, probably to cover for the fact that the actors don't have the time to train like at the Shaw studios. Too much Hidden Dragon style wire work. Enough complaints, we don't get enough of this style of kung-fu film anymore. Watch it, have fun.

• Great comeback for Traditional Kung Fu

  mikaelfodor2003-12-31

  The last traditional kung fu movie i remember is Tai-Chi Boxer from 1996 with Jacky Wu again in that movie. I've been looking forward to seeing more from the bad sighted wushu expert, and here it is a comeback from shaw brothers of all people. The name was promising for a start drunken monkey. So you immediately think that its gonna be a sort of mix between Lau Kar-Leung's Drunken Master 2 and Mad Monkey Kung fu, although its more the monkey though than the Drunk. Its great to see that Lau can still hold a kung fu fight sequence after around 40 years in the business. Jacky Wu also shows how he has progressed since Tai-Chi Boxer. The story keeps with the traditional kung fu themes, its great fun to watch and reminds one of what the Hong Kong film industry earned its name from. I really hope Shaw Brothers releases more. Its the most enjoyable Hong Kong movie i have seen for along time. I recommend it highly to anyone who enjoys kung fu movies and martial arts in general. If you don't it may not be your cup of tea but you could give it a chance anyway.

• Some parts are good... but... there is a big But !

  ifasmilecanhelp2007-09-11

  When I discovered that Liu Chia Liang did again a movie a few years ago, as a big fan of many of his movies, I was glad... Unfortunately, this is a melting-pot which is on my opinion (even I had pleasure to see it), a rather very weak one. Even with my greatest respect to LCL, not very excellent, even not very good nor funny ! Basically traditional Kung Fu and/or comedy, I can appreciate... An LCL did so fantastic ones, that frankly I'm disappointed... It's not because the weakness of the plot (almost never mind that, it's alike in many KF stories)... In the beginning, the movie looks like a dark "cowboy KF movie." OK... hum... why not ? The first fighting scene between LCL and his son Gordon Liu, as usual in LCL movies is... just perfect ! Fast, imaginative, concise, a good short fight sequence. Super, OK. A little further, with the next scenes, suddenly I wondered if I had not a strange Alice in Wonderland copy ! Did they make a surprising mistake ? Like if they had burned a part of a complete different film together after the first sequence ?! It looked to me like if I was in a complete other movie... So I checked out, and no, it seems the movie was a whole one... Incredible !!! To put it down bluntly, it follows with a stupid comedy part... and then some fighting again... Wow ! What incoherent parts put together... And so it went on... Some parts are good... and some belong to the low silly comedy. Still with my respect to LCL, I like him a lot, and Gordon Liu too, but unfortunately, this strange mixture is a big mess... In fact the only goods things in this movie are their faces and the fights. Fights like LCL used us, very creative, even if he, LCL, for instance, survives to everything, to remain in the story... (that doesn't bother me!) But the rest in just a bag of no interest... Mr Yaguy Tajima's comment put perfectly the finger on the holes of that Drunken Monkey 2002. I agree completely with what he wrote, and advise you to read it (dated 29 November 2005). But, as I said, I had pleasure to see again LCL and Gordon Liu together, but true, for KF buffs only, and even not sure... If you like the classical type, like me, please search for Return of the Master Killer (LCL 1980, KF comedy type), or one of my obviously preferred Shaolin Master Killer LCL 1978, more deep. Not knowing these two, if you liked Drunken Monkey 2002, you just will be enchanted of an incomparable higher level... those two, among many others, show what LCL is able to... I beg you, Mr LCL, please offer us another one, but not a silly one !!! Well, let's hope... 8 to 9*** for the fights, say 4 or 5*** for the rest ... 6*** all in all... and definitively not more !

• Was Wong Jing involved?

  lucifer2005-02-19

  Whilst the action scenes are first class, as one would expect given Lau Kar-leung is the man behind the film, sadly the rest of the film doesn't really hold up. The story tone jerks about a lot, which means you go from one extreme to another. For instance, the opening twenty minutes or so, which are somewhat dark and violent, are followed by some broad, over-played comedy scenes (see the rather attractive, yet highly annoying, Mother). If you've seen The Scorpion King/Operation Scorpio (with Lau Kar-leung) and Tai Chi Boxer/Tai Chi 2 (with Wu Jing), that scene may look familiar. Sadly, those films are about 10 years old now. The comedy plays like in a Wong Jing film. Only Wu Jing is shown really training, which means you have to trust that Lau Wing-kin has been training as well as painting, as he manages to fight against the odds at the end. Also, Shannon Yao appears to be there as (admittedly gorgeous) eye candy, as she's given nothing else to do. She also doesn't appear to have the same level of ability as Lau Kar-leung and Wu Jing which, like with Lau Wing-kin, leaves you a bit sceptical that she'd last long against the villains. However, as I mentioned earlier, the action scenes themselves are stunning. Gordon Liu and Chi Kuan-chun expertly add to mix in their respective good guy/bad guy roles and, despite being around 68 at the time, Lau Kar-leung can still wipe the floor with many of today's young pretenders. In all, provided you can stomach the rather bad comedy scenes, Drunken Monkey is worth watching. Hopefully Shaw Brothers can come up with something more consistent next time. Not bad for their first big martial arts release for nearly twenty years, but a big "could do better" seems appropriate.

• Entertains

  pig_712006-10-20

  Although this gets some heat for being sort of bland at times, it is still great to see Lar Kar Leung show us even as he ages he can still move around like he did 20 years ago. Although the comedy will sometimes fall flat on its face, the action alone makes the film worth seeing. Wu Jing should be getting more roles after last years Sha Po Lang, and his skills do not disappoint here either. It's great to see Kuan Chun Chi as the villain. I remember him from Eagles Claw (Tai Seng released this and is also a fun kung fu film), and even thirty years later the man is still ripped! It isn't 8 Diagram Pole Fighter, but Drunken Monkey is an entertaining film, but not up to the standards of Lau Kar's earlier Shaw Bros works.