Master of the Drunken Fist: Beggar So (2016)

If it was HBO Asia's desire to remake a 1970's kung fu movie and remove big chunks of the kung fu this is what it would look like. Beggar So seeks to be more than a martial arts film but doesn't have enough coherent narrative or charismatic acting to accomplish the task.

When watching this movie, it might help to do as I did, and reframe it as an episode of a drama because that was what it was closer to than a well-funded film. In comparison to old kung fu movies, the sets and costumes were more elaborate and on par with your average historical Cdrama. The story was as basic as any kung fu movie. The evil eunuch once again appears to wreak havoc on the good and innocent in his bid for power. In this instance, he took So's court position and wealth and nearly his life. Rescued by the Beggar Clan, So learned the Drunken Fist from a master. After several set-backs, So becomes Beggar So and confronts the Big Bads with his new found skills. Most of us could recite the basic structure in our sleep and HBO Asia doesn't attempt to reinvent the martial arts wheel. Mores the pity, kung fu films don't have to stay stuck in the past even if they are set there.

The acting was adequate for the most part. The dubbing for the women was atrocious and distracting. I actually watched it muted for a while and just read the subtitles.

Beggar So's narrative jumped around with characters appearing and disappearing without much explanation. It would go from more realistic to fantasy fighting. Plot elements like certain characters appeared and disappeared as well, popping up when convenient or disappearing when inconvenient.

An early fight showed promise even though the setting under a table was ludicrous. The table would have to be five feet high for what they were doing under it, but at least the fight was entertaining. The writer and director must have forgotten it was named The Drunken Fist because So sure did at times. Everyone seemed able to beat So for much of the movie. The final fight looked more like professional wrestling than drunken fighting. Despite the lack of consistency in the fighting choreography, Beggar So would have benefited with more fights to cover over the thin, very thin storyline.

Master of the Drunken Fist: Beggar So isn't unwatchable. It's a slightly below average made for TV martial arts movie, and that bar is not very high. I've seen much, much worse. If it was made in the distant past of the 1970's I would have graded it on a curve. Beggar So begged to have better acting and writing, thus my grade. Not a terrible watch if it happens to show up on TV but I wouldn't go out of my way to find it.

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