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)
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)