WHEN people ask me what I think of Jackie Chan, I usually said I like him best when he was a young, somewhat rather awkward actor making the best of his Beijing Opera training as a drunken kung fu chap.

Yes, there's no denying that Chan was quite captivating when he rolled and flipped incessantly back and forth on a rough terrain, making a fool out of a supposedly master of a deadly and obscure Chinese art of wushu.

What springs to mind at this juncture is Drunken Master which came out in 1978, precisely 30 years ago when Jackie Chan was a mere strapling 24-year-old.

Those of us who had the opportunity to see Drunken Master would remember this Jackie Chan, not so much the Jackie of Forbidden Kingdom or even Jackie of the other flick which he did with Jennifer Love Hewitt.
I believe that film was The Tuxedo (2002).

Anyway, back to Drunken Master. Chan plays Wong Fei Hung, a notable character in the Kung fu hall of fame as far as most Chinese are concerned.

The plot is rather thin, as some critics may conclude because it's about a young, clumsy man who has to master the art of drunken kung fu from an equally drunk old vagabond. But the art is deceptively simple but just as equally deadly.

 So after many cups of wine and other forms of alcoholic beverages, the body springs into action and the cinema audience is delighted with the antics of this very nimble and agile exponent who is constantly red in the face.

Who else but director Yuen Woo Ping could have pulled off such funny and yet entertaining acts of kung fu. Actually, Chan's mentor in the movie almost stole the show from him.

 He was Siu Tien Yuen. In real life he was 66 years old and the father of director Yuen
Woo Ping.

Some of the stunts pulled off by Chan and also Woo Ping were nothing short of spectacular. Even 30 years later, a kung fu movie goer would be thrilled by a young Chan going through the paces that demanded of him in the role as Wong Fei Hung.

The nemesis of Fei Hung in Drunken Master is Jang Lee Hwang. I believe he is a genuine Korean who used to be a Taekwondo instructor in the Korean Army.

And you know they don't employ amateurs there. So Jang proved to be quite a formidable opponent for Chan in many of the fighting scenes.

Even if you don't appreciate Chan's wriggly movements, you can't help but notice that Jang's powerful kicks were quite lethal and in real life could knock any opponent out instantly.

This film is a few minutes short of two hours but it is an unadulterated kung fu movie of many thrilling kicks and punches. Even at such a tender age, I enjoyed it immensely.

 I still do when I recall all those scenes in which Fei Hung (Jackie Chan) somehow miraculously managed to survive all the deadly blows by Korean Jang.

If you are a kung fu fan who loves a touch of comedy to the usual routine, this one is right up your street.