The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Boy Erased
Ant-Man and the Wasp
American Vandal
Log in with Facebook
OR
By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango.
Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password.
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Tomatometer Not Available...
——
Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.
All Critics (16) | Fresh (13) | Rotten (3) | DVD (3)
The unparallelled balletic skill of Chan and his co-stars is simply astonishing.
Martial arts genius aside, it's the film's warm-heartedness that has really given it its staying power, charming generation after generation of fans. This is a simple story told well, and it gets results.
Worth watching for the slapstick-like kung fu Chan made famous-it's here martial arts kicked back to Chaplin and Keaton, fusing Eastern acrobatic-fighting with those two Western silent-movie master-clowns (there are also echoes of the Three Stooges).
It's an undisguised star vehicle for the likeable Chan and his incredible acrobatic skills, and even viewers who couldn't care less about which fighting style the combatants are using will enjoy watching him be put through his paces.
II was better, but this is great too.
From the viewpoint of tracking Jackie Chan's career, this movie is a milestone.
Chan's breakthrough film is crudely made, but his own charm and athleticism make this worth a look.
Not unlike the silent films of Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd, or for that matter, the best pictures of Hong Kong's Seventies kung fu films, the genius of Drunken Master lies in its kinetics. Pure entertainment, and a true chop-socky classic.
This is the film where Chan's confidence in his unique mix of comedy and martial arts, his gracefully choreographed slapstick-kung fu fighting style and natural athleticism, really began to blossom.
it is pretty silly but jackie chan is amazing. love the training sequences and especially the keep-away fight. it's like watching a dance film!
Super Reviewer
A relentlessly silly, ridiculous, familiar martial-arts yarn of a talented young kung fu artist (Jackie Chan) who is trained by an elder master in the correct ways in how to fight. Although it is overlong and gets tedious at times, this movie still succeeds for what it is just because of Chan's irrefutable likability and fantastic stuntwork. As said, it is super corny and you can't take it seriously at all, but it does relatively well for what it is trying to be. Skipable, but still worthwhile in parts.
im usually more into the epic or serious kung fu films than the comedies, but jackie chan's kung fu comedies are the cream of the crop and this is easily one of the best kung fu films ever. the training sequences are some of my favorites for any martial arts film, and chan's aerobics and constant movements are impressive. the film effectively blends 3 villains and features tons of fight scenes. truly excellent.
A hint to some: When you practice standing meditation in qi gong, make sure to drink a small amount of Chinese fermented rice wine before you start. Once you have begun meditation, picture in your mind what is called in this movie "Monkey" style. I hear for some of us, this can be the key to the world of martial arts.
You know I've heard it said that Jet Li went the martial arts side of performance, while Jackie Chan went the acrobatics route. Well, that may be true, but it surely does not mean that Jackie Chan cannot pull off some amazing kung fu.
And it's Jackie Chan, so why haven't you already seen it : )
There are no approved quotes yet for this movie.
200 Essential Movies
Chosen by RT staff!
200 Freshest Movies
The best-reviewed since 1998
30 Great Scenes
30 great scenes in Rotten movies
Best of Netflix
Movies and shows to binge now
More News & Features
View All