Donnie Yen’s first and only contribution to the old-school kung fu movie genre is Drunken Tai Chi, a movie the actor starred in 40 years ago. In his long career in the industry, Donnie Yen has headlined a long list of movies, most of which being martial arts films. His work has yielded a number of films that are often hailed as some of the best kung fu films in recent decades, including the four Ip Man movies, Iron Monkey, and Once Upon a Time in China.

While all of the above films involve martial arts, they speak to the range of experience Yen has when it comes to the genre. Yen has tried his hand at wuxia, comedy, period pieces, and vigilante action. He’s even made a few martial arts cop movies, such as Tiger Cage 2, not unlike the kinds Jackie Chan was known for in the 1980s and 1990s. Yet surprisingly, Donnie Yen’s association with what is arguably the most popular martial arts subgenre is severely limited.

Drunken Tai Chi Was Donnie Yen’s Only “Classic” Kung Fu Movie

Serving as his acting debut and first starring role concurrently, 1984’s Drunken Tai Chi was a special movie for Yen in more ways than one. In addition to launching his career, Drunken Tai Chi also stands out as the only Donnie Yen movie that can be fairly classified as a kung fu movie in the traditional sense. As Yen explained in a 1999 interview, Drunken Tai Chi was a “kung fu fighting movie,” which is in stark contrast to his work in movies like Once Upon a Time in China [via Drunken Fist]. In a lot of ways, Drunken Tai Chi was akin to movies like The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and Drunken Master, which prioritized the action scenes and the choreography over everything else.

This description is what defines the kung fu movies of the 1970s and early 1980s. It’s in contrast to more modern movies, which employ other elements. When comparing Drunken Tai Chi to Once Upon a Time in China, Yen talked about how the latter offered “the whole package,” incorporating a music score, drama, and more. This is consistent with the approach taken by other martial arts movies of the modern era (including those starring Yen), which further demonstrates how unique Drunken Tai Chi is from the rest of his filmography.

Why Donnie Yen Didn’t Make Any More Movies Like Drunken Tai Chi

Drunken Tai Chi being on its own has a lot to do with the timing of the film’s release. In Yen’s view, Drunken Tai Chi was “the last of its kind.” The movie arrived at a time when the genre was beginning to evolve. As Yen pointed out, Drunken Tai Chi – like most old-school kung fu movies – took nine months to shoot, which represents one of the areas filmmakers needed to change. But though Donnie Yen lamented on the grueling filming process, he claimed he was “fortunate” to get that experience, and it’s easy to see why, considering that there was never another Drunken Tai Chi for Donnie Yen.

Source: Drunken Fist