The Young Master (1980)

This is my third favourite film because of the Bruce Lee films (first being Way of the Dragon, Fist of Fury and Game of Death, second being The Big Boss and Enter the Dragon) but enough about Bruce for a moment, I'll just talk about how great this film is among the classic kung-fu c**p. The two fight scenes where Whang Ing-Sik appear in have got to be two of the greatest to grace the cinema screen, much different to the classical style of choreography back then, and scenes that would please even Bruce himself. The fifteen minute fight scene at the end of the film is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, because of the way Whang kicks (using his left foot which most right-footers usually neglect to use during combat) and the hilariousness of when he flying side kicks Jackie Chan and the other guy, and the latter just flies for miles. The rest of the film is moderately funny, with the emperor's pipe scene with Shih Kien fighting Chan and the appearance of Yuen Biao with the stool. Amazing stuff all round

Fmovies: Young Master is a very early Jackie Chan film that shows a huge sign of things to come. Mixing in great kung fu action with physical comedy, Young Master is well worth viewing for any Hong Kong action film fan. Sure, the plot isn't worth talking about and all the jokes aren't funny (the set-ups are very obvious most of the time) but you watch Jackie Chan films for the action, which this film has in spades.

Some of the fighting sequences do have very noticeable choreography when compared with the more polished flow of more recent films, but this is a small gripe for a film over two decades old. For a kung fu film you can do much worse than Young Master. It is always great to see Jackie Chan in full f(l)ight!

This is a really mixed bag of a movie. To begin with, it is very episodic, and the transitions between the episodes are confusing - even allowing for re-editing in different re-release prints. The opening episode appears to have been an attempt at homage to the Shaw Bros. style (sets, lighting, camera angles), and one suspects that Sammo Hung had a hand in it, since he had demonstrated a grasp on the Shaw style in a couple of his own early films. But once the opening is done, so too the Shaw style effects, and we're suddenly in Lo Wei territory at the Buddhist temple. Later, Chan borrows from Yuen Woo Ping quite heavily - the final fight is somewhat reminiscent of "Drunken Master", and apparently intentionally so. (It is probable that Yuen himself was on hand for consultation.) Sadly, these wildly different episodes never gel together to present us with one whole narrative; the grand finale feels like an artificial tack-on, it doesn't seem to resolve anything.

There's quite a lot wrong here: There's no explanation of why Chan's character - still an adolescent student - suddenly transfigures himself into a 'kung fu genius' (to borrow a phrase from Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle"); the school, once left behind, is never seen nor heard from again until the final credits - any dramatic input it could make to the story is thereby lost. The fascinating (and brilliantly performed) episode with the Inspector and his family also gets left behind and unresolved. The use of bong-water from an opium pipe as an elixir granting increased strength is completely artificial and unbelievable - a college fraternity in-joke; the use of wine in "Drunken Master", by comparison, is derived from myth, and based on an real martial arts tradition.

The one definitive term for this approach to movie making is: self-indulgence. Chan, at the time a recognized star in Asia, who felt he could do no wrong, is simply coming up with what must have appeared as good ideas and patching them together to give himself a star-vehicle and showcase for all his talents - he even sings the title track.

All this noted, it must be admitted that, as an episodic showcase, the film is actually very entertaining. Once you allow that the story is really irrelevant to the comic bits and fight scenes, these can be enjoyed on their own terms - the fight scene with Chan dressed as a beggar is really quite remarkable, and the visit to the inspector's house is very funny.

one more note on the release prints: I have seen a standard English-dub print and a Chinese print with subtitles; the weird thing is that the English print actually includes brief but important moments cut from the Chinese print, and would actually be preferable except that it re-arranges one important comic moment in such a way that all the humor is lost, and seems also to compress the violence so has to reduce its impact. Hopefully we'll one day get the definitive print of this; until then, best to see both prints so you know what you'd miss if you only saw one.

The Young Master fmovies. In my opinion, whether Young Master is good or not is very difficult to tell. It cannot be compared to Drunken Master, which I'd say is Jackie's finest hour but how well does it stand off then? The negative sides of the film are:

1. The plot - We all know that the plot is far from essential in Kung Fu-movies, but there is something about this movie that really bothers me.. I can't really tell what, but the production was haltered several times and it really shows in the finished print. There is just a dull feeling throughout the movie that has nothing to do with the comedy or anything.. I wonder if anyone else feels the same way. Besides, letting Jackie be a top-notch fighter in the beginning just to become the underdog fighter who basically wins by pure luck or by using the surrounding is not very clever.. of course, this has to do with Jackie wanting to change the tone of the action halfway through the production..

2. - The misuse of the actors - Honestly, they have Wei Pei and especially my all-time favorite Yun Biu in the movie.. and what do they do? They really waste their talent.. Wei Pei doesn't get a chance to shine, and to be honest, this is probably Yun Biu's worst appearance in a movie ever. Sure he handles the bench really well.. and no, he doesn't have to do the tumbling and flipping all the time to be impressive.. but the fight with Jackie leaves me so unsatisfied

3. The camera work - it really lame.. no one can say anything else.. I sometimes believe that I could have done a better job myself..

4. The end fight - I've read other peoples' comments about this movie.. and everyone seems to appreciate the end battle with Ing-Sik Whang. I beg to differ.. It's not good.. sure Ing-Sik shows some good kicking.. but Jackie gets to show nothing.. nothing.. not even in the end, when the fight basically looks like a common boxing match.. really.. did Jackie write this was his 9th favorite fight??

And the good parts:

1. The lion dancing - really good scene.. very beautifully performed

2. Some of the humour - yes, sometimes it really works.. and it's intentional :)

3. Yun Biu - He is just too cool to ignore

4. Yun Biu making a move with the bench - This is one of my favorite "kata" ever performed.. it's right after Jackie also grabs a bench at Yun Biu's home.

6. The fan fight - reason alone to watch this movie.. it's probably my favorite Jackie Chan fight ever.. be sure to watch the uncut version though! This is one of the few times that the bad camera work actually boosts the fight scene.. I just love the rhythmic dancing and the beautifully performed movements with the fan.. and the way it ends.. there is just a certain touch to it that is hard to describe.. but I guess this is the kind of fight you either love or hate..

So in all.. the movie itself is pretty bad.. but some scenes really raise the entire film and make it a superb way of spending 106 minutes.. (the uncut version where the final fight is even looonger)

Jackie Chan's directorial debut is a highly enjoyable action comedy. The film uses comedy more than action, although when Chan mixes the comedy in with the action, it is very effective - pure nonsense and child-like but very funny in places. The storyline is basically set-pieces to show off the fighters skills, and physique especially our man Chan. Highlights include a hilarious scene involving Chan and two bank robbers, a fight with a wooden stool against "little brother" Yuen Baio, and an end fight scene with a new Hwang Jang Lee, this fight however is too long, and relies on the comedy too much. Like all early Chinese films the ending is rapped up very rapidly. Still, there is much to enjoy here, and is a must-see for Jackie Chan fans. ***/*****

Chan's directorial debut is a surprisingly assured piece of work, easily confirming why Chan is the most talented superstar in the world today. As you'd expect, the fight sequences are breathtaking to watch, amazingly inventive and beautifully choreographed. Similarly, the joky historical story is typical Chan: he plays a blundering fool out to find his brother who has turned to the dark side. Mistaken identity mishaps ensue. The film concludes with a gobsmacking TWELVE MINUTE one-on-one fight sequence: totally unheard of in Hollywood, yet in Chan's hands it it totally watchable and works very well. Yet another hit from the Jackie Chan fun factory.