Review: Dance of the Drunken Mantis (1979)

Directed by: Yuen Woo-ping
Starring: Siu-tien Yuen, Hwang Jang Lee, Linda Lin
Written by: See-yuen Ng, Lung Hsiao
Music by: Frankie Chan
Country: Hong Kong
Not currently available on physical media
IMDb

When you’re a fan of kung fu movies, there are a few things you have to accept: They’re formulaic, poorly dubbed, and the humor is juvenile at best. The formulas exist so that more effort can be put into the fight scenes. I can deal with poorly dubbed movies in any genre. The most difficult thing to get through is the nearly insufferable humor. Yuen Woo-ping is a master choreographer and a solid director, but fun choreography isn’t enough to overcome the goofy, annoying humor in Dance of the Drunken Mantis. The movie features the character who trained Jackie Chan in Woo-ping’s previous movie, Drunken Master. His name was Beggar So in that film but for some reason he’s Sam the Seed this time around. Early on, his character finds out he has an adopted son named Foggy. Foggy is aware of Sam’s legendary drunken style of kung fu and wants to be trained in the style. His father puts little effort into training Foggy because he doesn’t believe he is capable of learning it. In one scene, Sam tells Foggy he can’t learn it because he’s “dumb and also stupid.” After a life-threatening encounter with the film’s villain, Rubber Legs, Sam the Seed is bedridden. Looking for medicine, Foggy randomly meets and is trained by his uncle, Sickness Master. Foggy’s skill is taken to a new level and he can now face Rubber Legs. Jackie Chan’s charisma and insane talent as a martial artist are enough to elevate Drunken Master and Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow to the beloved status they deserve. Siu-tien Yuen is the lead in Dance of the Drunken Mantis and he’s abysmal. He’s decent in the fight scenes but he’s awful at comedy. To make things worse, there’s also a handful of stereotypical comic relief characters that you’ll find in dozens of kung fu movies. Apparently, characters with dirty or missing teeth were hilarious in Hong Kong in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Then there’s the Three Stoogesesque attempts at slapstick humor and none of those moments work in this. Even the majority of the fight scenes are played for laughs. There’s still some choreography that is interesting to watch. Woo-ping is so good at having his characters use props in inventive ways and there are some exciting and pretty amazing acrobatic moments. The final fight between Foggy and Rubber Legs is really good but it’s too late. The 78 minutes leading up to the final fight couldn’t be saved by one really strong fight at the very end. For diehard kung fu fans and Yuen Woo-ping completists only.

Overall rating: 3 out of 10