Jui kuen II (1994)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Chia-Liang Liu

Writers:

Edward Tang (screenplay) &
Man-Ming Tong (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 October 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy

Tagline:

He's got a secret weapon with a lot of kick.

Plot:

Returning home with his father after a shopping expedition, Wong Fei-Hong is unwittingly caught up in...

Plot Keywords:

Fight | Kung Fu Master | Father Son Relationship | Embassy | Philosophy

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Jackie Chan	...	Wong Fei-hung
Lung Ti	...	Wong Kei-ying, Wong's Father
Anita Mui	...	Mrs. Wong, Fei-hung's Step-Mother
Felix Wong	...	Tsang
Chia-Liang Liu	...	General Fu Wen-Chi (as Lau Kar-Leung)
Ken Lo	...	John
Kar Lok Chin	...	Fo Sang
Ho-Sung Pak	...	Henry
Chi-Kwong Cheung	...	Tso
Yee San Hon	...	Hing
Andy Lau	...	Counter Intelligence Officer
Wing-Fong Ho	...	Fun
Chia Yung Liu	...	Marlon (as Kar Yung Lau)
Siu-Ming Lau	...	Chiu
Suki Kwan	...	Chiu's Wife

Also Known As:

The Legend of Drunken Master (UK) (USA) (new title)
Drunken Fist II (literal English title)
Drunken Master II (Hong Kong: English title)
Legend of the Drunken Master (USA)
Sui ken 2
Zui quan II (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violent content.

Runtime:

102 min | USA:99 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (US version) | Mono (original version) | Dolby Digital (US version) | DTS (US version)

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Australia:M | USA:R (certificate #37367) | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | UK:12 | Canada:14A | Canada:G (Quebec) | Germany:16 | Norway:15 (video premiere) | USA:R

Company:

Golden Harvest Company

Trivia:

The fight at the end was originally to be Chan versus Ho-Sung Pak, but Sung Pak repeatedly strained his ankle. Instead, Chan had his personal bodyguard Ken Lo (I) train intensively (lots of stretching and fast kicking) for three months to take the part.

Goofs:

Continuity: The amount of sand in the drum that Fei-hung uses to extinguish the man on fire.

Quotes:

Wong Kei-ying: Water floats, but also capsizes boats.

Movie Connections:

Remade as The Matrix: Path of Neo (2005) (VG)

Kicks butt in any language.

I'm not completely convinced that this is this best kung fu movie of all time, but it's definitely in the Top 5. Being somewhat a purist, I was disappointed to see Jackie and others wearing wires in many of the sequences. However, the sheer energy and excitement of the fighting won me over. The use of wires adds to the humor and enhances the nature of the drunken style. It seems like the goal of this movie was to entertain, and it certainly achieves that!

I first saw this movie during the US theater release. I was impressed and bought it as soon as it came out on DVD. However, I was shocked by the lack of a Cantonese audio track. The English dubbing appeared to make the movie seem goofy, not funny, and I was getting sick of it. Eventually, I was able to get the original Hong Kong version on DVD. There are significant differences which make the original better. As expected, the humor level is much milder and not so queer. Also, the US version now seems to lack the ferocity of the original. The Hong Kong version uses the `traditional' low-quality sound effects for the fight sequences. This detracts from the realism, but it's an integral part of defining any true kung fu `classic'. The US version now appears to be more like sparring than fighting because the hits appear much softer. Also, the original musical score was better than the US release. Don't get me wrong: I am not Chinese, nor a student of foreign film -- I'm not even a major Chan fanatic. But, if you have a chance, please see this movie the way it was originally intended. I believe you will appreciate it even more.

Either way, I rate this movie a perfect 10 because I have not yet found a better fighting film.