Rarely do films manage to find humor in tension anymore, as the action comedy genre seems to only be carried on through Edgar Wright. There is a lot of dumb slapstick out there, but the legitimately inventive and death defying stunts that could be traced all the way back to Buster Keaton. Jackie Chan is one of the rare actors that seemed to have endless stamina and complete physical commitment to his visual gags and fast paced action scenes.
Fei Hung is a well intentioned but arrogant fighter who learned his technique from his father, a master of drunken boxing. Yes, you read that correctly. Jackie Chan wobbles around, moving as if he is about to fall over at every second during his fighting, while simultaneously performing completely ridiculous moves such as the "flirting woman" and the "wheelbarrow", making a fool out of his enemies, and occasionally himself in the process. Due to its comedic tone, a lot of sound effects that I would regularly find exaggerated blend right in, because the movie is just that. His father, the master, encourages passivity and restraint in fighting, while his mother, who also happens to be quite skilled, encourages him to fight every fight with all he's got. However, when his type of fighting is fueled by drinking loads of alcohol, this is a recipe for disaster, and despite always trying to help others, he is torn between the encouragement of his mother and the restrictions of his father.
Credit is certainly due to Jackie Chan for his physical performance, but much of the effect of the action scenes is due to the director, Chia Liang Liu. He knew that the way to direct Jackie Chan was with wide angle shots that only cut when necessary, to see the full view of his stunts and choreography. Also, our hero doesn't always win. We see him disowned by his father and beaten down by his enemies again and again. This allows us to feel that our hero is imperfect and it's possible that he could lose with each set piece. It also shows that what really makes him a hero is his perseverance and eagerness to get back up and try to improve despite being knocked down so often. This is what allowed for such creative, intense, and hilarious action set pieces as the fight against the crowds of men with axes, in which he ducks and dodges and uses wooden benches and tables and anything in his environment as weapons to defend himself, narrowly avoiding defeat each time. Or the fight in which he takes on several men at once, while simultaneously being thrown bottle after bottle of liquor and proceeding to pour each one down his throat. With Jackie Chan constantly pulling off this perfect balancing act, it's easy to ignore that the reason the English ambassador fires all his workers is never really explained, and his motivation for letting Jackie Chan and his friend go doesn't quite make sense, because those really are small complaints in what is really one of the rare movies that continues to genuinely surprise, impress, and entertain for its entire runtime.
Fei Hung is a well intentioned but arrogant fighter who learned his technique from his father, a master of drunken boxing. Yes, you read that correctly. Jackie Chan wobbles around, moving as if he is about to fall over at every second during his fighting, while simultaneously performing completely ridiculous moves such as the "flirting woman" and the "wheelbarrow", making a fool out of his enemies, and occasionally himself in the process. Due to its comedic tone, a lot of sound effects that I would regularly find exaggerated blend right in, because the movie is just that. His father, the master, encourages passivity and restraint in fighting, while his mother, who also happens to be quite skilled, encourages him to fight every fight with all he's got. However, when his type of fighting is fueled by drinking loads of alcohol, this is a recipe for disaster, and despite always trying to help others, he is torn between the encouragement of his mother and the restrictions of his father.
Credit is certainly due to Jackie Chan for his physical performance, but much of the effect of the action scenes is due to the director, Chia Liang Liu. He knew that the way to direct Jackie Chan was with wide angle shots that only cut when necessary, to see the full view of his stunts and choreography. Also, our hero doesn't always win. We see him disowned by his father and beaten down by his enemies again and again. This allows us to feel that our hero is imperfect and it's possible that he could lose with each set piece. It also shows that what really makes him a hero is his perseverance and eagerness to get back up and try to improve despite being knocked down so often. This is what allowed for such creative, intense, and hilarious action set pieces as the fight against the crowds of men with axes, in which he ducks and dodges and uses wooden benches and tables and anything in his environment as weapons to defend himself, narrowly avoiding defeat each time. Or the fight in which he takes on several men at once, while simultaneously being thrown bottle after bottle of liquor and proceeding to pour each one down his throat. With Jackie Chan constantly pulling off this perfect balancing act, it's easy to ignore that the reason the English ambassador fires all his workers is never really explained, and his motivation for letting Jackie Chan and his friend go doesn't quite make sense, because those really are small complaints in what is really one of the rare movies that continues to genuinely surprise, impress, and entertain for its entire runtime.