Shaolin Drunken Monk begins with Gordon Lui practicing Kung Fu in front of a waterfall, and more movies should start with Gordon Lui practicing Kung Fu in front of a waterfall, if you ask me. Anyway, Gordon is a badass who has kidnapped a warlord’s daughter. Nobody knows his name, so they just call him “The Bald-Headed Man”, which first of all, is rude as Hell. I for one won’t sit still for any follicle shaming. So, I say, go get ‘em, Gordon! Meanwhile, a one-armed guy is running around killing people too.
Things start off like gangbusters, but the pacing starts to drag once the longwinded flashback that explains everyone’s motivations takes over the narrative. I’m not saying this stretch of the film is necessarily bad. It’s just that it lacks the fun of the nonstop scenes of Lui kicking ass. The tragic out-of-left-field ending doesn’t quite stick the landing, either. At least the running time is a tight seventy-five minutes.
Even when the story stalls, there are still plenty of amusing bits to keep you entertained, like when Gordon’s teacher gets him drunk in order to practice drunken Kung Fu or when he uses his martial arts prowess to do the dishes. The many training montages are also amusing thanks to Lui’s unorthodox fighting methods. Other highlights include Lui doing battle with a guy who throws a razor-sharp boomerang, the one-armed guy fighting off a bunch of dudes in a restaurant, and a nutty scene where Lui uses a method of karate than can only be described as “Effeminate Fu” to flummox his opponent.
Gordon also does a badass move where he jumps high in the air, gets into the lotus sitting position in midair, and then lands on the bad guy. Imagine if Super Mario was a yoga instructor, and that will give you an idea of the level of awesomeness we’re talking about here. All in all, Shaolin Drunken Monk is a fun time. Any fan of Lui worth their salt ought to check it out.
AKA: The 36th Chamber: The Final Encounter. AKA: Kung Fu Warrior. AKA: The Drunken Monk.
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