Stumbled across some new posters and pics from the upcoming Jackie Chan/Jet Li movie The Forbidden Kingdom:
I like the look of these posters, (Here’s a link to the poster that features both of these martial arts legends.) and, of course, there’s nary a sign of Michael Angarano, the American kid stuck in ancient China who’s undoubtedly the real “hero” of the film.
Smart marketing, but I digress.
There’s something else I’d like to draw your attention to in regards to these two posters: the captions below the title.
Now, “The Silent Monk” isn’t terribly exciting. Early on in the film’s development, Jet Li’s character didn’t have a name listed on imdb (the Internet Movie Database) and was referred to exclusively by the moniker, “The Silent Monk.”
(A familiar pose to all the Jet Li fans.)
What is intriguing, though, is Jackie Chan’s caption.
“The Drunken Immortal.”
Now we’re on to something here.
If you’re a martial arts enthusiast like myself, and you’ve yet to see either of the two Drunken Master films starring Jackie Chan (The sequel was released stateside as Legend Of The Drunken Master), then you ought to go check them out immediately. Both Drunken Master films are kung fu movie classics that really raise the bar in terms of inventive choreography and sheer athleticism. Drunken Master 2 is my all time favorite Jackie Chan film.
Zui Quan (literally “water fist”), or Chinese Drunken Boxing, is a form of Chinese kung fu where the moves resemble the unpredictable, off-balance stumbling of someone who’s had a bit too much to drink. It’s loads of fun to see in action and looks amazing when performed by someone like Jackie Chan who’s both a skilled martial artist and a talented physical comedian. (Jet Li has also performed a little bit of Drunken Boxing in a few of his films, Shaolin Temple being one of the most famous.)
Here’s a clip taken from youtube for those of you unfamiliar with the style:
(Ah, Jackie in his prime…)
Could it be that Jackie Chan will once again show off his Drunken Boxing skills in The Forbidden Kingdom? If so, viewers are in for a real treat.
Here’s a pic I found from The Forbidden Kingdom with Jackie in one of the classic Drunken Master-type poses.
Another good indication: the style of Drunken Boxing that Jackie Chan’s character Wong Fei Hung uses in the Drunken Master series of films is called Eight Immortals’ Drunken Boxing. The Eight Immortals are famous mythological characters who figure prominently in Chinese folklore and in one legend are credited as the founders of this unorthodox fighting style.
If Jackie’s character is, in fact, a “Drunken Immortal,” then it stands to reason we’ll see at least a little of this somewhat unusual, highly entertaining fighting style.
Here’s hoping…
The Forbidden Kingdom arrives in theaters April 18th.
Tags: Drunken Boxing, Drunken Immortal, Drunken Master, Drunken Master 2, Eight Immortals' Drunken Boxing, Jackie Chan Jet Li, Legend Of The Drunken Master, The Forbidden Kingdom, The Forbidden Kingdom Movie Posters, Zui Quan
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