Dance of the Drunk Mantis on AllMovie

Famed choreographer and martial arts director Yuen Woo-ping follows up on his wildly successful Jackie Chan vehicle with this kung-fu comedy. Sam the Seed (Simon Yuen Siu-tien) is one of the finest drunken boxers around, in spite of his shambled appearance. He returns home after a prolonged jaunt about the country only to discover that his teenaged son is an incorrigible klutz, seemingly unable to master the simplest of kung-fu moves. Though Sam's wife begs him to teach the lad some of the finer points of fighting, he instead has his son practice a series of grueling and painful calisthenics. Meanwhile, Sam's archenemy and master of the Northern Drunk Mantis style of kung-fu, Rubber Legs, tracks him down and challenges him to a duel. Though Sam seemingly has his rival whipped in the beginning of the match, Rubber Legs soon has him on the robes with his unusual hybrid fighting style. Just when Sam is about to be sent to that great dojo in the sky, his son rescues him. While looking for herbs to help his dad recover, the lad meets the "Sickness Master" who knows just the fighting style that can beat Rubber Legs.