Rat-faced kung fu master Drunken Taoist (Yuen Cheung-Yan) creates chaos at the Taoist temple on Dragon Tiger Mountain. Riding around in his little rodent-shaped car (!) he destroys a sacred statue. His enraged elder (Hsiao Hou-Tao) demands he redeem himself by finding a virginal young man to take over as top monk. That virgin happens to be Chiu (Yuen Yat-Choh), a happy-go-lucky kung fu hero who along with his Granny (Yeun Cheung-Yan again, this time in drag!) tends a secret chamber where all sorts of wacky death-traps and the amazing Banana Monster protect a sacred seal. Much to Drunken Taoist's dismay, Chiu has a cute girlfriend named Shiu Fang (Jue Hoi-Ling) and is clearly uninterested in staying a virgin. On top of that a vengeful sorcerer called Old Devil (Yuen Shun-Yi) targets the family and hatches a scheme employing sexy female bandit Starry Devil (Hilda Liu Hao-Yi) to steal the seal.
Taoism Drunkard was the third in a series of wild and wacky martial arts fantasies conceived and choreographed by the Yuen Clan, coming after the seminal Miracle Fighters (1982) and Shaolin Drunkard (1983) and followed later by the likes of Young Taoism Fighter (1986). The Yuen Clan were not actual siblings but rather adopted the Yuen name in tribute to their master: actor and choreographer Simon Yuen who memorably played Jackie Chan's sifu in Drunken Master (1978), directed by the most famous clan member Yuen Woo-Ping. He of course went on to stage the action in The Matrix (1999), shaping the style that defined Hollywood fantasy action films for at least a decade. Between them the Yuens tailor-made star vehicles to suit the scrap-happy talents of Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, Yuen Baio and Donnie Yen but the so-called Miracle Fighters series remains their most distinctive achievement.
These were manic live action kung fu cartoons full of colourful characters, crazy creatures and flat-out insane action sequences. The set-up is always the same. Lithe and likeable Yuen Yat-Choh plays the put-upon hero, Yuen Shun-Yi the scowling, snarling, sometimes drooling supervillain and good old Yuen Cheung-Yan does double duty as a pair of squabbling old Taoists. Yet while there are reoccurring motifs the team manage to tweak the formula into something a little different each time. Here, despite a less compelling plot too often bogged in sit-com antics, the action remains intricate and inventive offering interesting insights into Cantonese culture, Taoist lore and strange family traditions often dealt with an irreverent attitude. The heroes are rascals, drunks and tricksters out to outwit their elders rather than stoic students who obey the rules. Virginity is a big theme here as sex disrupts Taoist magic so there is a fair amount of sexual frustration. Drunken Taoist wants to keep Chiu pure but can't resist the amorous advances of Shiu Fang's sister (Lo Pi-Ling) who, in a sub-plot, has been advised by the ghost of the dead husband that hooking up with the chaste old geezer will guarantee her happiness.
A hectic pace never lets up flinging gore (including excellent makeup effects when Old Devil withers Starry Devil into a shriveled old crone), slapstick, ingenious gadgets and amazing acrobatic action in a bid to entertain at all costs. Most cherished by fans are those scenes with the Banana Monster who looks like a big bowling ball with eyes, a steel-trap mouth and cool robot tentacles, although the body-popping kung fu turtle man (Tsui Oi-Sam) and Chiu's ventriloquist trick with his abdominal muscles come a close second. As an actor Yeung Cheung-Yan started out at Shaw Brothers in the early Sixties and remains active to this day. His varied directorial output includes kung fu comedies (Lucky Diamond (1985) with Anita Mui, Coup de Grace (1990) with Michelle Reis), ghost comedies (Funny Ghost (1989), Here Comes a Vampire (1990)), crime thriller Dark Side of Chinatown (1989), cult horror film Wizard's Curse (1992) starring perennial Taoist sifu Lam Ching-Ying and more recently Kung Fu Man (2013) a vehicle for Tiger Chen, star of Keanu Reeves' chop-socky tribute film Man of Tai Chi (2013). Remarkably he also choreographed the action for Charlie's Angels (2000) but, hey, nobody's perfect.
