Fantastical ingenuity, crazy comedy, outlandish practical effects, and hard-hitting martial arts are thrown together (to much success) in perhaps one of the best zany action flicks to come from the Golden Era 80s. ‘Taoism Drunkard’ is everything you’ve probably heard it is and barely dips in its mission to deliver physics-defying action and over-the-top comedy.

Director Yuen Cheung-Yan plays the titular drunkard, an almost cartoon-like-buck-toothed beggar who has a constant taste for wine and incredible kung fu skills. He’s tasked by a temple priest to round up a group of virginal young men (!) who can help fight against a tyrannical fighter causing havoc across the land: who goes by the (very apt) name, Old Devil (Yuen Shun-Yi). This leads to the chaotic drunkard crossing paths with young fighter Wu Shun (Yuen Yat-Choh), the two becoming a haphazard duo who, after much madcap mucking about, join forces to take down Old Devil.

It’s near impossible to encapsulate the actual plot of ‘Taoism Drunkard’ as it’s just really an excuse for the Yuen Clan to cut loose with a series of imaginative, foolish, and sometimes patience-testing scenarios and set-pieces while the main cast goof off, drink a ton of wine, and (at regular intervals) engage in scraps of impressive martial arts action. From an age where anything went, ‘Taoism Drunkard’ is a smorgasbord of awesome action, inventive practical special effects, and Hong Kong humour pushed to its limits. The comedy is often crude, in-your-face, and certainly of its time but there’s no doubting the cast’s commitment to being very, very silly. While it’s sometimes cringe, the comedy does give proceedings a zany zip that barrels the narrative along with a barrage of bonkers mischief (the main character’s Rat Car (!) is a highlight of outrageous absurdity!).

Featuring three members of the Yuen Clan (sons/proteges of ‘Drunken Master’s Yuen Siu-Tien) in front and behind the camera, ‘Taoism Drunkard’ is the (sort of) third instalment in their ‘Miracle Fighters’ series and is perhaps the pinnacle of their amalgamation of crazy period set comedy and bone-crunching action. While outlandish and uses copious amounts of dummy doubles to simulate fighters crashing through and into things, the fight action is fantastic, creative, and energetic. The three Yuen’s get ample opportunity to cut loose and the film is perhaps most infamous for the various fight scenes featuring the memorable Banana/Watermelon Monster (!). You’ve no doubt seen various images and clips of the legendary creature and there’s no denying it’s certainly eye-popping and hilariously entertaining when it pops up on screen to fight the protagonists.

One of the best flicks to jump on the Taoist fantasy action bandwagon after the big success of ‘Encounters of a Spooky Kind’, ‘Taoism Drunkard’ has lost none of its energy and absurdity, looking fantastic in this new spruced up Blu-ray from Eureka. There are some great commentary tracks from Hong Kong films experts Mike Leeder, Arne Venema and Frank Djeng packed with facts and anecdotes about the making of the film and its cast and crew.

The uninitiated may find it all a bit, well, weird but for Hong Kong movie fans ‘Taoism Drunkard’ is an absurdist gem showing the Yuen Clan at the top of their barmy creative game.