''The Young Master'' () is a 1980

Hong Kong martial arts film Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. Action films from Hong Kong have roots in Chinese culture, Chinese and Culture of Hong Kong, Hong Kong cultures including Chinese opera, storytelling an ...

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 Fung Fung (; 1 December 1916 – 16 February 2000) was a veteran Hong Kong actor. He began his career as a leading man in 1946. An accident in 1949 left the left side of his face paralysed, but, while no longer able to attract leading roles, he ...

and

Shih Kien Shek Wing-cheung (1 January 1913 – 3 June 2009), better known by his stage name Shih Kien, Sek Kin, or Sek Gin or Shek Kin(), was a Hong Kong–based Chinese actor. Shih is best known for playing antagonists and villains in several early Hong ...

. 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 Leonard Ho (1925 – 17 February 1997) was a Hong Kong film producer. Ho formed Golden Harvest in 1970, with Raymond Chow, after leaving Shaw Brothers. The first film he produced was ''A Man Called Tiger'' from 1973. In 1989, he was nomina ...

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 Y ...

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 Tien Feng (born Tien Yu-kun, 4 June 1928 – 22 October 2015) was a Chinese actor, who appeared in hundreds of films in Taiwan and Hong Kong. He has acted with Bruce Lee in '' Fist of Fury'' (1972) and with Jackie Chan in '' Little Tiger of Can ...

as Master Tien *

as Ah Suk *

Lee Hoi-sang Lee Hoi-sang (born April 15, 1941) is a Hong Kong martial arts film actor and martial artist, known for his roles in ''The 36th Chamber of Shaolin'' (as Abbot Li Hai Sheng) (1978), '' Shaolin Challenges Ninja'' (1978), '' The Incredible Kung Fu ...

as Kam's Second Bodyguard * Fung Hak-kun as Kam's First Bodyguard * Wei Pai as Tiger *

as Sang Kung * Lily Li as Sang Kung's Daughter *

Hwang In-Shik Hwang In-shik (born September 13, 1940) is a Korean actor and hapkido teacher. He is known for his work in various Hong Kong martial arts films such as Bruce Lee's ''Way of the Dragon'', Jackie Chan's ''The Young Master'' and Angela Mao's ''Ha ...

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 a ...

, ''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 city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

, 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