''The Young Master'' () is a 1980 Hong Kong martial arts film starring and directed by

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

, who also wrote the screenplay with Edward Tang, Lau Tin-chi and Tung Lu. The film co-stars

Yuen Biao Yuen Biao (born Ha Lingchun; 26 July 1957) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist and stuntman. He specialises in acrobatics and Chinese martial arts and has also worked on over 80 films as actor, stuntman and action choreographer. He was one of ...

, Fung Fung and Shih Kien. The film was released on 9 February 1980. Notable for being the first film that Jackie Chan worked on for Golden Harvest, it is his second film as director. The film was produced by

Raymond Chow Raymond Chow Man-wai, (; 8 October 1927 – 2 November 2018) was a Hong Kong film producer, and presenter. He was responsible for successfully launching martial arts and the Hong Kong cinema onto the international stage. As the founder of G ...

and Leonard Ho.

Plot

The school attended by Dragon and his brother, Tiger is entered against a rival school in a

Lion Dance F Lion dance () is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume to bring good luck and fortune. The lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New ...

competition. The school needs to win the prize money to remain open but their star performer, Tiger, is seemingly injured when he falls from a ladder, leaving his brother, Dragon, to take his place. During the competition, Dragon realizes that his brother feigned his accident in order to take part in the competition for the rival school. The rival school wins the competition, but the truth emerges about Tiger's betrayal and he is exiled in disgrace. However, Dragon vows to bring back his errant brother so the pair can make amends to their master. Dragon sets off on his mission, but en route is mistaken for a criminal known as ''The White Fan'' by local police chief, Sang Kung along with his son and daughter. Meanwhile, Tiger collaborates with his employers (the rival school) by freeing a dangerous criminal known as Kam. However, Tiger is later framed for a bank robbery. To stop his brother from being arrested, Dragon promises to apprehend the escapee, Kam. ''The Young Master'' ends with a furious, brutal fight between Kam and Dragon, in which Dragon sustains substantial damage. At the beginning of the fight, it appears that Kam has the upper hand as he punishes Dragon with blindingly fast punches and kicks. However, after consuming water from an opium pipe given to him by a whimsical old man, Dragon becomes energized and defeats Kam. ''The Young Master'' ends with Dragon returning to his hometown, a hero (albeit one in full body cast from the many injuries he sustained).

Cast

as Dragon Lung *

as Sang Kung's son / Fourth Brother * Tien Feng as Master Tien * Fung Fung as Ah Suk * Lee Hoi-sang as Kam's Second Bodyguard * Fung Hak-kun as Kam's First Bodyguard * Wei Pai as Tiger * Shih Kien as Sang Kung *

Lily Li Lily Li () (born 14 June 1950) is a Hong Kong film and television actress. She is best known for her films '' The Wandering Swordsman'', ''Executioners from Shaolin'', ''One Foot Crane'' and ''The Young Master'', and television series ''The Br ...

as Sang Kung's Daughter * Hwang In-Shik as Master Kam * Fan Mei - Sheng as Bull * Yue Tau-ean as Cross Eye * Bruce Tang Yim-chan as Ah Chang

Production

Chan nearly suffocated when he injured his throat.

Music

The theme song played over the

closing credits Closing credits or end credits are a list of the cast and crew of a particular motion picture, television program, or video game. Where opening credits appear at the beginning of a work, closing credits appear close to, or at the very end of ...

, ''Kung Fu Fighting Man'' was the first song recorded and performed by Jackie Chan. He has since gone on to release many records, and has performed the theme songs on many of his films.

Versions

There are two main versions of the film; a 106-minute Hong Kong cut, and a 90-minute international cut. The original version of the film that Chan handed over to Golden Harvest was reportedly three hours in length.

Box office

In Hong Kong, the film grossed HK$1,026,283 (). In South Korea, it was the highest-grossing film of 1980, with 436,631 box office admissions in

Seoul City Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 o ...

, equivalent to an estimated (). In Japan, it was the 21st highest-grossing film of 1981, earning (). In Spain (where it released in 1982), the film sold 288,196 tickets, equivalent to an estimated (). Combined, the film grossed an estimated total of approximately in Asia and Europe.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Young Master, The 1980 films 1980 martial arts films 1980s Cantonese-language films Films directed by Jackie Chan Golden Harvest films Hapkido films Hong Kong martial arts comedy films Karate films Kung fu films 1980s Hong Kong films