Drunken Tai Chi
Encyclopedia
Drunken Tai Chi is a 1984
Hong Kong
martial arts
action film
directed by Yuen Woo Ping and starring Donnie Yen
in his first major role. Donnie Yen had signed a four-film contract after winning an open talent search hosted by Yuen Woo Ping, and "Drunken Tai Chi" was one of the contracted films. "Drunken Tai Chi" was the last film in its distinctive genre of kung fu
comedy
.
The title "Drunken Tai Chi" is misleading. The original title can also be translated as "Laughing Tai Chi." Both "Drunken" and "Laughing" refer to the character of the wine-loving, comedic Tai Chi master played by Yuen Cheung-Yan, and not to the Tai Chi style itself.
, though their father disapproves of Cheng practicing kung fu when he should be studying.
One day, a local bully with a nobleman father harasses the townsfolk, and Cheng fights, defeats, and humiliates him. That night, the bully and his partners in crime ambush Cheng and his brother, attempting to burn them with fireworks. The brothers turn the tables on the bully, but Cheng accidentally goes too far, inflicting permanent brain damage on the bully that renders him mentally disabled. The bully's father hires an assassin to murder Cheng and his family and friends. The assassin is a master of external martial arts. He murders Cheng's father, brother, and friends, and burns Cheng's home down, destroying the family fortune. Cheng escapes, but is left orphaned, homeless, penniless, and friendless.
Cheng stumbles across a puppeteer (Yuen Cheung-Yan) being assaulted by rival showmen. The puppeteer is successfully defending himself, but Cheng comes to his aid anyway and inadvertently destroys his booth by kicking one of the assailants into it. The puppeteer insists that Cheng pay for the damage. Cheng has no money, so he follows the puppeteer home to work off his debt. There, Cheng befriends the wine-loving, humorously eccentric puppeteer and his wife (Lydia Shum), but is sent away when he accidentally offends them.
It is revealed that the assassin is mute and is the single father of a young boy who lives at a nursery because his father is unable to support him. Despite this, the assassin and his son deeply love each other. The assassin makes a wooden horse for his son, but the other children mock it for looking amateurish. The assassin's son boldly stands up for his father.
Later, the assassin's son is kidnapped by street thugs, but is rescued and befriended by Cheng.
Despite this, the assassin continues to hunt Cheng, determined to finish his job. The assassin ambushes Cheng and almost kills him, but Cheng escapes again and flees back to the puppeteer's house, where the puppeteer and his wife were regretting having sent Cheng away. When Cheng returns, the puppeteer reveals that he is a master of T'ai chi, and he trains Cheng to counter the assassin's hard style with soft.
The nobleman who hired the assassin is about to have his birthday, and he contracts the puppeteer to give a performance at the celebrations. He demands an original performance, though, which the puppeteer doesn't have ready. Cheng comes to the rescue by using his physical skills to give an original performance. His costume prevents him from being recognized. After the performance, Cheng overhears the nobleman saying that he hired the assassin who murdered Cheng's family and friends and burned his home and fortune. Cheng reveals himself to the nobleman, who turns out to be a skilled external martial artist too. The nobleman attempts to murder Cheng, who fights back with a combination of Tai Chi and his former external style. During the fight, the nobleman is killed by his own insane son. Cheng flees back to the puppeteer's house.
The next morning, Cheng drinks some wine, then prepares to confront the assassin. However, the assassin finds him first, having learned his location. Cheng counters the assassin's hard style with soft Tai Chi and kills the assassin. Cheng then takes care of the assassin's orphaned son.
Hong Kong films of 1984
A list of films produced in Hong Kong in 1984:.-1984:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 1984 at...
Hong Kong
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
martial arts
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...
action film
Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...
directed by Yuen Woo Ping and starring Donnie Yen
Donnie Yen
Donnie Yen is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer, and world wushu tournament medalist...
in his first major role. Donnie Yen had signed a four-film contract after winning an open talent search hosted by Yuen Woo Ping, and "Drunken Tai Chi" was one of the contracted films. "Drunken Tai Chi" was the last film in its distinctive genre of kung fu
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
.
The title "Drunken Tai Chi" is misleading. The original title can also be translated as "Laughing Tai Chi." Both "Drunken" and "Laughing" refer to the character of the wine-loving, comedic Tai Chi master played by Yuen Cheung-Yan, and not to the Tai Chi style itself.
Plot
Cheng Do (Donnie Yen) is the well-educated younger son of an unpleasant, miserly salt baron who pours attention on Cheng, grooming him to be a scholar, and ignores his hardworking elder son (Yuen Yat Chor). The brothers have a loving relationship with each other, despite some strain from their father's unequal treatment of them. Both brothers are skilled in external martial artsStyles of Chinese martial arts
Hundreds of different styles of Chinese martial arts exist, many distinctive styles with their own sets of techniques and ideas. There are themes common which allows them to be group according to generalized "families" , "sects" , "class" , or "schools" of martial art styles...
, though their father disapproves of Cheng practicing kung fu when he should be studying.
One day, a local bully with a nobleman father harasses the townsfolk, and Cheng fights, defeats, and humiliates him. That night, the bully and his partners in crime ambush Cheng and his brother, attempting to burn them with fireworks. The brothers turn the tables on the bully, but Cheng accidentally goes too far, inflicting permanent brain damage on the bully that renders him mentally disabled. The bully's father hires an assassin to murder Cheng and his family and friends. The assassin is a master of external martial arts. He murders Cheng's father, brother, and friends, and burns Cheng's home down, destroying the family fortune. Cheng escapes, but is left orphaned, homeless, penniless, and friendless.
Cheng stumbles across a puppeteer (Yuen Cheung-Yan) being assaulted by rival showmen. The puppeteer is successfully defending himself, but Cheng comes to his aid anyway and inadvertently destroys his booth by kicking one of the assailants into it. The puppeteer insists that Cheng pay for the damage. Cheng has no money, so he follows the puppeteer home to work off his debt. There, Cheng befriends the wine-loving, humorously eccentric puppeteer and his wife (Lydia Shum), but is sent away when he accidentally offends them.
It is revealed that the assassin is mute and is the single father of a young boy who lives at a nursery because his father is unable to support him. Despite this, the assassin and his son deeply love each other. The assassin makes a wooden horse for his son, but the other children mock it for looking amateurish. The assassin's son boldly stands up for his father.
Later, the assassin's son is kidnapped by street thugs, but is rescued and befriended by Cheng.
Despite this, the assassin continues to hunt Cheng, determined to finish his job. The assassin ambushes Cheng and almost kills him, but Cheng escapes again and flees back to the puppeteer's house, where the puppeteer and his wife were regretting having sent Cheng away. When Cheng returns, the puppeteer reveals that he is a master of T'ai chi, and he trains Cheng to counter the assassin's hard style with soft.
The nobleman who hired the assassin is about to have his birthday, and he contracts the puppeteer to give a performance at the celebrations. He demands an original performance, though, which the puppeteer doesn't have ready. Cheng comes to the rescue by using his physical skills to give an original performance. His costume prevents him from being recognized. After the performance, Cheng overhears the nobleman saying that he hired the assassin who murdered Cheng's family and friends and burned his home and fortune. Cheng reveals himself to the nobleman, who turns out to be a skilled external martial artist too. The nobleman attempts to murder Cheng, who fights back with a combination of Tai Chi and his former external style. During the fight, the nobleman is killed by his own insane son. Cheng flees back to the puppeteer's house.
The next morning, Cheng drinks some wine, then prepares to confront the assassin. However, the assassin finds him first, having learned his location. Cheng counters the assassin's hard style with soft Tai Chi and kills the assassin. Cheng then takes care of the assassin's orphaned son.
Cast
- Donnie YenDonnie YenDonnie Yen is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer, and world wushu tournament medalist...
– Cheng Do - Yuen Cheung-yanYuen Cheung-YanYuen Cheung-Yan is an actor, director, stuntman, and fight choreographer who has worked for many years in the Hong Kong film industry. During the 1970s and early 1980s, he worked with Yuen Woo-Ping and other members of the Yuen family on several films, some of them bizarre kung fu comedies such as...
– Puppeteer - Lydia ShumLydia ShumLydia Shum Din-Ha, also known as Lydia Sum , was a Hong Kong comedienne, MC, and actress known for her portly figure, signature dark rimmed glasses and bouffant hairstyle. She was affectionately known to peers and fans as Fei-fei...
- Puppeteer's wife - Yuen Yat Chor - Cheng Do's brother
- Yuen Shun Yi
- Lee KwanLee KwanLee Kwan , also known as Li Kun or Li Quinn, was a Chinese actor.He joined Shaw Brothers in 1957 and acted in Mandarin films. He later played supporting roles in Bruce Lee's The Big Boss and Fist of Fury. Later he became a film and television actor in Taiwan...