drunken master

The expression "find a need then fill it" is a reliable business model for anyone looking to begin a career. And the most successful ideas actually create a need that wasn't there in the first place. Case in point, movie producers were desperate to fill the financial and creative void left after the death of Bruce Lee, parading a dozen or so candidates under ridiculously convenient pseudonyms (Bruce Lei? Really?!) in an attempt to keep the money flowing.

One of those suitors to the kung fu crown was Jackie Chan, who actually worked with Lee on small roles in The Chinese Connection and Enter the Dragon. Despite his physical skills, Chan wound up as just another also-ran, a square peg in the round hole left by Lee's irreplaceable charisma. But 1978's Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master showcased Chan's abilities not just as a fighter, but as a gifted physical comedian whose goal was to get a laugh...not just crush a larynx.

Kung fu and comedy had been combined before - a few standout Shaw Brothers films like My Young Auntie were already popular favorites - but Chan and director Woo-Ping Yuen took the genre to ridiculously entertaining extremes. Snake in the Eagles Shadow casts Chan as Chien Fu, a literal punching bag for the martial arts school run by a mean-spirited instructor who abuses Fu at every opportunity. But an elderly master of "snake-style" combat takes Fu under his wing and elevates his skills in preparation for a showdown with the evil "eagles' claw" faction, who would like nothing more than to stamp out their rivals once and for all.

In Drunken Master, Chan has a bit more of a character arc as Wong Fei-Hung, the cocky, entitled son of a political figure who disowns him after one too many scandals. Sent to train with a mysterious drunken beggar, Wong is put through a masochistic training regimen that culminates in his signature "drunken boxing" style, an elegantly comical series of punches and pratfalls that become more powerful with each swig of the hard stuff.

Classic kung fu isn't for everyone. But credit Jackie Chan for cracking the comedy code that made it so accessible he wound up eclipsing the very performer he was struggling to stand in for! The plots are a ridiculous loop of insults, challenges, fights and redemption, but the choreography is as clever and graceful as any movie musical (which Chan has often quoted as his major inspiration). From a juggling battle over a cup of tea to replacing nun chucks with chopsticks, Chan is so adept at incorporating everyday objects into his fight scenes you almost forget it was a genre dominated by swords, throwing stars and flying guillotines before he came along!

Twilight Time's 3000-copy limited edition Blu-ray is an unexpected treat, pairing both movies on one disc with a transfer that's simply amazing. Audio options include Cantonese, Mandarin and an English-dub track that has been criticized by some Chan fansites. But as a casual fan, there's nothing to complain about here other than some annoying voice-actor performances (on Drunken Master in particular), but that's part of the genre's charm. Extras include an isolated music and effects track, liner notes and audio commentary with film historians Ric Meyers and Jeff Yang.