Comedy

The Legend of Drunken Master

Wong Fei-Hong (Chan) is inadvertently caught up in a fight between foreign exporters and those who don't want ancient Chinese artifacts to leave the country.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Release Date: 6-APR-2004
Media Type: DVD

Kung Fu Hustle (Widescreen Edition)

Stephen Chow (director and star of Shaolin Soccer) is at it again with his newest action-packed and comedic martial-arts adventure, KUNG FU HUSTLE. From wildly imaginative kung fu showdowns to dance sequences featuring tuxedoed mobsters, you've never seen action this outrageous and characters this zany! With jaw-dropping fight sequences by Yuen Wo Ping (famed action choreographer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix), KUNG FU HUSTLE will blow you away! In a town ruled by the Axe Gang, Sing (Stephen Chow) desperately wants to become a member. He stumbles into a slum ruled by eccentric landlords who turn out to be kung fu masters in disguise. Sing's actions eventually cause the Axe Gang and the slumlords to engage in an explosive kung fu battle. Only one side will win and only one hero will emerge as the greatest kung fu master of all.

Drunken Master

Though it wasn't Jackie Chan's first film, Drunken Master is the film that cemented his stardom. Jackie plays the rebellious son of a kung fu master. To teach Jackie the value of discipline, his father apprentices him to another master named So Hi, who has a unique "drunken" fighting style. Jackie chafes at So Hi's rigorous exercises and runs away--only to be brutally humiliated at the hands of a hired killer named Thunderleg. Chastened, Jackie becomes So Hi's devoted student. He soon discovers he will need everything he's learned when Thunderleg is hired to kill his father. In Drunken Master, Jackie is only beginning to cultivate his mixture of action and comedy; here the emphasis is on kung fu acrobatics. But the kung fu is astounding. The final fight is dizzying and amazingly choreographed by director Yuen Woo-ping (now famous as the fight choreographer for The Matrix). --Bret Fetzer

Jackie Chan's Who Am I?

Shot in English and budgeted higher than any of his previous Asian features, Jackie Chan's last film under his Hong Kong contract is an action-packed globe-trotting adventure shot with the American audience in mind. The spies and secret agent-laden plot is packed with car chases, explosions, gunfire aplenty, and of course Jackie's own brand of gymnastic martial arts. But the flood of his older films between his hits Rumble in the Bronx and Rush Hour had sated American viewers and Who Am I? wound up being sold directly to cable. It's our loss, for this mix of goofy slapstick and jaw-dropping action is his most impressive film since Drunken Master II. Playing a special forces agent (named, naturally, Jackie) struck with amnesia and adopted by an African bush tribe following a failed assassination attempt, he embarks on a quest to discover his true identity while armies of killers pour after him. After an explosive opening, the story gets momentarily bogged down in the kind of mugging humor that leaves most American audiences scratching their heads, but once Jackie kicks into gear the film is a high-speed action flurry that culminates in a furious battle atop a Rotterdam skyscraper. Jackie is at his most charmingly naive (he berates the villains, pleading "Why do you want to destroy when you can make things better?") and athletically impressive: the marvelous stunts--including a flight down the side of the skyscraper--and fight choreography make Rush Hour look like a Sunday drive. --Sean Axmaker

Rumble in the Bronx

This action-packed adventure film brings the international superstar to the mean street of America's toughest neighborhood. Performing all of his own stunts Hong Kong veteran Jackie Chan comes alive on the screen! Year: 1995 Director: Stanley Tong Starring: Jackie Chan Anita Mui Francoise YipRunning Time: 90 min.System Requirements:Starring: Jackie Chan Anita Mui Director: Stanley Tong Produced by Raymond Chow Roberta Chow Le; written by Fibe Ma Edward Tang; running time of 91 minutes; Closed Captioned. Copyright: 1995 New Line Dolby Digital 5.1 Original theatrical trailer Background information on the stars Standard version formatted from its original version to fit your screen Widescreen version presented in a "letterbox" widescreen format preserving the 2:35:1 aspect ratio of its original theatrical exhibition enhanced for widescreen TVs. English: Dolby Surround 5.1 French: Stereo Cast/Crew Bios Copy Protection Filmographies Interactive Menus Subtitles: English Spanish and FrenchFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: R UPC: 794043441028

Jackie Chan finally conquered America with Rumble in the Bronx. If the mildly contorted English dialogue sounds peculiarly foreign and disembodied (most of it is dubbed), and the mountains of Vancouver, BC don't convincingly double for the skyline of New York City, well, peculiarities like these actually contribute something to the movie's ingenuous charm. With his disarming smile and feline physicality, the compact Chan radiates star quality. But there's more to him than charisma: at his best, the actor combines the relentlessly escalating, hyperkinetic action set-pieces for which Hong Kong is famous; the rigorous martial arts training of his idol, Bruce Lee; and the grace and daring that distinguish Buster Keaton's physical comedy. Chan also shares some of Keaton's cinematic integrity, which dictated that you shouldn't cheat the audience by faking stunts, on the set or in the editing room. Like Keaton, Chan does his own stunts, and you can see that it really is him jumping off a bridge onto a speeding boat, or clinging to the dangling ladder of a helicopter as the hostile pilot tries to shake him loose by smashing him into the sides of skyscrapers. Not that it matters, really, but the plot of Rumble in the Bronx has something to do with Chan helping the woman who has taken over his uncle's neighborhood market when she is harassed by local hoodlums. What really matters is Chan, and he's in fine form. Rumble in the Bronx doesn't rank with his best work, but it's a swell introduction to a unique star. And those stunt outtakes over the end credits are as delightfully spellbinding as ever. "See?" Chan seems to say every time he breaks a rib or twists an ankle (which happens often). "I'm doing this all for you." --Jim Emerson

Kung Fu Hustle (Full Screen Edition)

Stephen Chow (director and star of Shaolin Soccer) is at it again with his newest action-packed and comedic martial-arts adventure, KUNG FU HUSTLE. From wildly imaginative kung fu showdowns to dance sequences featuring tuxedoed mobsters, you've never seen action this outrageous and characters this zany! With jaw-dropping fight sequences by Yuen Wo Ping (famed action choreographer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix), KUNG FU HUSTLE will blow you away! In a town ruled by the Axe Gang, Sing (Stephen Chow) desperately wants to become a member. He stumbles into a slum ruled by eccentric landlords who turn out to be kung fu masters in disguise. Sing's actions eventually cause the Axe Gang and the slumlords to engage in an explosive kung fu battle. Only one side will win and only one hero will emerge as the greatest kung fu master of all.

Jackie Chan's First Strike

Action-god Jackie Chan does his best James Bond impression with this ecstatic sequel to the classic Supercop. The bare-bones plot has Chan in pursuit of international terrorists, but the narrative quickly gives way to an unceasing barrage of insane stunt work (including a nitro-fueled ski chase and a grandiose fight scene set inside a functioning shark tank). As with most of the aging star's recent films, there is more of an emphasis placed on big, impersonal (albeit impressive) stunts rather than the close-up combat that made him famous; but the end result is still a must-see rush for longtime fans, and a great introduction for newcomers eager to see what all the well-deserved fuss is about. The scene where Jackie takes on multiple goons while armed only with a ladder is one of his most jaw-dropping set pieces ever--and that's saying quite a lot. Be sure to stick around for the closing credits of gags gone awry, which graphically prove that Chan is truly the hardest working man in show business. --Andrew Wright

The Medallion

Action superstar Jackie Chan (Rush Hour 2 Shanghai Knights) combines his high-flying style with state-of-the-art special effects as he unleashes the power of THE MEDALLION the film Roger Ebert gives a big Thumbs up! Chan plays Hong Kong detective Eddie Yang who works with the beautiful Interpol agent Nicole (Claire Forlani from Meet Joe Black and The Rock) and the bumbling agent Watson (Lee Evans of Mouse Hunt) to try to rescue a boy from the clutches of the villainous Snakehead (Warlock s Julian Sands). But when a fatal accident ends his life Eddie is brought back to this world with the help of THE MEDALLION and is supercharged! Now empowered with superhuman strength Eddie sets out to thwart Snakehead s plan for world domination. Filmed on location in Hong Kong Thailand and Ireland. Jackie Chan has got the power and kicks THE MEDALLION into high gear.System Requirements:Running Time: 88 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396005020 Manufacturer No: 0502

The inspired pairing of Jackie Chan and British comedian Lee Evans (Funny Bones) gives The Medallion some extra oomph. Hong Kong agent Eddie Yang (Chan) flies to Ireland to track down a very bad guy named Snakehead (Julian Sands, Warlock, exuding his dependable oily menace) who has kidnapped a young boy with the power of life and death. When Eddie dies protecting the boy, the boy resurrects him with a magical medallion--and when Eddie comes back, he's got supernatural powers, much to the befuddlement of his former partner, Arthur (Evans). Along for the ride is Eddie's old flame, Nicole (Claire Forlani, Mystery Men), wearing tight outfits and delivering high kicks. Chan has lost the astonishing elasticity of his youth, but he's still spry enough pull some dazzling moves, and Evans is just amazingly funny. Between the two, The Medallion is far more entertaining than you might expect. --Bret Fetzer

Jackie Chan's Project A

Coast guard officer Dragon Ma (Jackie Chan) takes on harbor pirates with the help of co-stars Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: UN
Release Date: 6-SEP-2005
Media Type: DVD

For people who've discovered Jackie Chan through his American hit Rush Hour and want to learn what his Hong Kong movies are like, Project A is an excellent place to start. Chan plays a sailor in 19th-century Hong Kong; pirates have been terrorizing the seas for months, and all efforts to combat them have been sabotaged by the corrupt chief of police and a criminal gang, who are in cahoots with the pirates. But the plot is hardly the point--a Jackie Chan movie is about astonishingly acrobatic action sequences and breathtaking stunts, and Project A has plenty. Of particular interest is a bicycle chase that is more suspenseful than any car chase you've ever seen. Chan is joined by Sammo Hung (star of TV's Martial Law) as a shifty con man who comes through when the chips are down. Project A also features Yuen Biao, a frequent costar in Chan's movies, who's yet another astounding martial artist. But what separates Jackie Chan movies from other kung fu flicks is his sense of humor; every fight scene is punctuated by something--a clever use of a prop or sudden reversal of your expectations--that will make you bark with laughter. Sometimes it's just so exquisitely choreographed that the entire movie seems to float on a cloud of giddy delight. Purists may object to the movie being dubbed, but given the overall hamminess of the acting, it's not particularly intrusive. Jackie Chan is often compared to the classic silent comedians for his grace and timing--he lives up to it. --Bret Fetzer

Girls Unbutton