Dance of the Drunken Mantis (1979) Nan bei zui quan (original title)

Director:

Woo-ping Yuen

Writers:

See-Yuen Ng (writer)
Lung Hsiao (writer)

Release Date:

27 June 1979 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Comedy

Plot:

A year after training young Jackie Chan in the Drunken Fist, Sam the Seed discovers he has a son, Foggy...

Plot Keywords:

Kung Fu | Slapstick | Cult Favorite | Kung Fu Comedy | Physical Comedy

Cast

Siu Tien Yuen	...	Sam the Seed
Jang Lee Hwang	...	Rubber Legs
Linda Lin	...	Sam's Wife
Shun-Yee Yuen	...	Foggy
Corey Yuen	...	Rubber Legs' student (as Yuen Kwai)
Dean Shek	...	Moneybags (as Charlie Shek)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yuet Sang Chin
Ho Chiu Kei
Fa Yuan Li
David Wu	...	Pickpocket
Shi-Kwan Yen	...	Sickness Master
Brandy Yuen	...	Fake Sam Seed
Mo Yuen
Sharon Noble	...	Various Women (voice: English version) (uncredited)

Directed by
Woo-ping Yuen

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Lung Hsiao		writer
See-Yuen Ng		writer

Produced by
See-Yuen Ng	....	producer

Original Music by
Frankie Chan

Cinematography by
Hai Chang

Film Editing by
Hsiung Pan

Art Direction by
Yuen-Tai Ting

Costume Design by
Shui-Lin Lo
Kuo-lan Pao

Makeup Department
Shao-ping Kao	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Kuen Cheung	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lung Hsiao	....	assistant director
Wen Lo	....	assistant director

Art Department
Hsi-cheng Yang	....	props

Sound Department
Kuo-hua Wu	....	sound effects editor

Stunts
Yuet Sang Chin	....	stunt coordinator
Brandy Yuen	....	stunt coordinator
Corey Yuen	....	stunt coordinator
Shun-Yee Yuen	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Wei Lin	....	lighting technician

Other crew
Chuo-lun Ting	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Seasonal Film Corporation

Distributors

• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (video)
• Distribuidora Cinematográfica Internacional (DICINSA) S.A. (Spain)
• Ground Zero (2002) (worldwide) (DVD)
• Videoasia (2004) (worldwide) (DVD)
• World Video (2003) (worldwide) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Nan bei zui quan" - Hong Kong (original title)
"Dance of the Drunk Mantis" - Hong Kong (English title)
"Drunken Master Part 2" - USA (informal literal English title)
"South North Drunk Fist" - International (English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (DVD) | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | UK:12

Company:

Seasonal Film Corporation

Movie Connections:

Spin off from Drunken Master (1978)

Not a Jackie Chan movie folks...but still great!

The previous commenter was probably mistaking this for Drunken Master, which Jackie starred in along with Simon Yuen, who plays the same character here. Drunk Mantis was director/choreographer Yuen Wo-ping's attempt to make drunken lightning strike twice, replacing Jackie, who had gone on to more personal things, with charisma-challenged family member Yuen Shun-yee (a.k.a. Sunny Yuen), who, although talented, is no Jackie.

The film is further hampered by a less inventive plot, which calls on the villains to simply disappear through most of the second half because they'd just get in the way of the training sequences. Finally, the revelation of the drunken master's family and surprisingly well- appointed home comes as something of a shock, considering the persona created in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master.

Even so, from a kung-fu standpoint, the film is wondrous. The villains are superkicker Hwang Jang-lee and future choreography king Corey Yuan Kwai. Linda Lin Ying plays Simon Yuen's wife, who is as adept a fighter as her husband, while Yam Sai-kun makes a memorable impression as the drunken master's brother, who specializes in sick-fu (making me wish the film was titled something like Diseased Snake in the Mantis' Claw)! Yam, by the way, would grow up to become the memorable villain of The Heroic Trio and Iron Monkey.

Despite its drawbacks, this is still an exceptional old-school kung-fu movie.