I watched 5 martial arts films this week.
The Raid - 8/10
The Raid moves at unrelenting pace, from one gory fight routine to the next. Marvelous and brutal choreography turn this film into a grimy, ballistic musical. These routines are not simply good because of the dazzling editing and widely varied repertoire, but also because they are lengthy and often tense. Fights are entirely rhythmic, weighty in its punches, and go on forever. It is an endless all-you-can-eat martial arts buffet at its fullest potential, only stopping the flurry of punches, stabs, and bullets to catch breath and move the plot forward.
It is a simple predicament: an Indonesian police force raids an apartment complex run by a big drug baron. The squad critically fails and has to fight their way out of the situation. The plot is run-of-the-mill and merely serves as a purpose for the performance art, but suffices nonetheless. The strongest aspect of the setting is the depressive, filthy tenement that adds another layer of dust to The Raid and the lack of frills to distract from its constant highlights.
The Raid 2 - 6/10
The Raid was, to my understanding, a smash hit for Indonesian cinema. Understandably so, for it was martial arts elevated to its highest level this entire decade. And so, The Raid receives a sequel in Berandal, which takes every aspect of its original up a bit.
This means even better, more stunning choreography. Creative techniques, an abundance of crafty and long routines, and more challenging opponents for our main character to shine against. Special effects are top notch and the set pieces are far more varied, notably with different backdrops for our fighters to utilize, but also in a large one-for-all scene at the beginning, or the exhilarating car chase that kept up pace for an absurd amount of time.
Berandal's plot is also significantly more ambitious, although to a fault. Redemption's simplicity was a strength, as it was tense yet never in the way of its martial arts. In attempting a more complex narrative, Berandal knocks speed out of the film. Uninteresting scenes of poorly developed characters meander for too long, for too little of a payoff at the end. The plot is something about the Indonesian mafia clashing with the Japanese mafia, with a third party adding fuel to the fire while our protagonist infiltrates as undercover cop. It is rather weak and a little confusing, but its biggest issue is sanitizing the predicament. Redemption gave us a bloody massacre in a filthy apartment complex, while Berandal gives us shiny clubs and restaurants instead. Part two tries to make up for it by upping the amount of gore and wince-inducing limb breaks, but the situation of it all feels less authentic and, despite its more difficult opponents, at lower stakes than its prequel.
Nevertheless still a marvelous martial arts film that rightfully treats the sports as forms of art, but loses itself a little bit in its ambition and attempts at incorporating more complex elements to a film that reveled in its simplicity.
Drunken Master - 7/10
After disgracing his family, rascal Jackie Chan gets sent to train with a sadistic martial arts master to learn about the power and beauty of alcoholism.
The screenplay is rather juvenile and Jackie Chan overacts a lot, which works really well during the comedic scenes but grates during its downtime. However, Drunken Master captures the essence and ideal pacing of a martial arts film with its simplistic story that merely serves as set up for its phenomenal fighting scenes. Arguably there is one brawl too many, but it is difficult to complain about that as the choreography is so masterful and constantly engaging.
The routines seriously are really good, very rhythmic and easy to follow whilst combining it with slapstick humor. They use swords, sticks, jars, heads, and chairs to vary between duels yet Drunken Master hits its peak in its finale which combines all of what Chan learned throughout the film to defeat a masterful performance by Hwang Jang Lee in a lengthy and surely one of martial arts' finest battles.
(Also I love its sound design, it's so exaggerated in the best possible way)
Drunken Master II - 4/10
Tale about an alcoholic tearing his family apart by getting wound up in a British cultural appropriation conspiracy and a steel mill communist uprising.
Using 1978's Drunken Master as comparison point is logical, yet feels unfair as II is not so much a sequel, rather a similarly drunken-boxing themed film with an eponymous, rascal main character portrayed by Jackie Chan.
Drunken Master II's plot is more ambitious, but is to the detriment of the pacing I praised its predecessor for. Dull story exposition serves as boring downtime whose greatest comedic moments come from hilariously poor English dubbing. At other times II attempts at being a familial drama, but tension is deflated as its meshed with comedy. Anita Mui does a lot to salvage these moments with her phenomenal performance, but Jackie Chan himself does not have the acting chops here to accomplish a subdued sense of humor, unlike his campy acting that sold the prior installment.
The lack of comedy incorporated in action scenes is a serious detriment, but what is worse is the lack of development Jackie Chan goes through. He meanders through the plot yet does not meaningfully change relative to the pictures first scene. Ken Lo's introduction is similarly lackluster, with him beating up our already wasted protagonist, until he disappears until the very final fight. Compare this to Hwang Jang Lee who appears in the first act, beats up Chan in the middle, and after the protagonist progresses beats up the villain in return. The victory is meaningful and cathartic because it confirms advancement.
Of course, complaining about a lack of character growth or weak narrative arcs is mere nitpicking when talking martial arts cinema, but the brawls are, yet again, less adequate than before. They trade in Jackie Chan's exceptional sense of rhythm and creativity for a greater scope, but fending off large groups of drab-colored enemies reduces the effectiveness of clashes and obscures the actual craftsmanship that went into the routines.
On the contrary, the final showdown showcases sensational legwork by Ken Lo in a lengthy set piece and serves as a powerful climax with the famous hot coal scene, but is not nearly enough to elevate Drunken Master II to the level of the original, which surpasses it in practically every facet.
Police Story - 7/10
Man rampages after being disillusioned with his manager and destroys a shopping mall to prove his innocence.
The behind-the-scenes are immense, not just because we marvel at Jackie Chan's incredibly high pain threshold, but also because his perfectionism is showcased quickly. There were three outtakes for that little pen trick he does; it is so marginal, unnecessary even, but those small intangibles culminate in a sense of fulfillment. Police Story is Jackie Chan's most ambitious and outrageous action to date.
That entire shopping mall scene choreography has been etched into my mind and deserves the praise it gets. Every punch is rapid and with force, each blow leading towards the next glass construction to break, the next goon thrown off an escalator, the next fancy trick to awe viewers. But that careful craftsmanship, that keen eye for perfection, is present throughout all the film. The chasing scene where Jackie hooks onto a speeding bus, or the entire brawl utilizing the cars, or even the fancy effortlessness he jumps over fences with. An abundance of overhead angles, repetition, and other nifty editing tricks elevate Police Story, but knowing Jackie Chan goes the extra mile for every stunt he does makes this his most splendid action yet.
Whenever Police Story does not awe viewers with kicks and punches, it is about a police force protecting a witness for the prosecution, but fails to do so as typical Jackie Chan comedy shenanigans ensue. Police Story contains a shoddy plot which obstructs the highlights too often with middling acting performances, but its humor is successful. Never laugh-out-loud funny, but executed in a confident manner.
Police Story is ultimately worth watching if you are intrigued by the memorable set pieces and martial arts mastery, and are able to compromise with a mediocre-to-bad narrative.