Red Trousers: The Life of the Hong Kong Stuntmen

I just caught Red Trousers against my own will when a martial arts fanatic friend of mine dragged me to the theater. And oh boy was I glad he did. Not only was Red Trousers uniquely made combining movie and documentary, but to refer to it as eye-opening is compeletly underselling it. The stuntmen in Hong Kong should be each be given an award for their dedication to an artform that is in every sense being digitalized everywhere else in this world. I checked out the Red Trousers website and was sad to see that the film is only in limited release throughout the country...however if you are one of the lucky millions living in the big cities nationwide, make sure you see it. This visually spectacular, stunning gem of a documentary deserves much much more recognition. The one part I liked the best (besides the absolutely breathtaking, bone-breaking sequences) were the interviews with children at various martial arts schools in China. The one-track focus many of these young children possess toward their goal and the torturous training methods really goes to show how easy kids in the U.S. have it. During his interview, Sammo Hung, star of Martial Law and hundreds of HK flicks, stated that during his childhood in those opera/martial arts schools, he had to do a one and a half hour handstand every morning before he was even allowed to brush his teeth. Congratulations to Tai Seng and Robin Shou for doing a great job presenting to us the fantastic world of stuntmanship.

Red Trousers is a movie that give you an insightful look upon the life of a Hong Kong Stunt person. Their dedication, and enthusiasm will guide you into the lives of these young men, women and children.

Robin Shou, puts on a great documentary which highlights his excitement which is caught in his personal interviews and stories among his cohorts.

These young men and women who dedicate their lives in both physical and mental attributes can fully be appreciated in this movie.

The ending pulls everything together where you can see the end product of hundreds of hours of blood, sweat and tears.

Go out and buy this DVD!!! http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=1101746

Red Trousers ROCKS! This documentary by Robin Shou and Tai Seng's maiden voyage into production is totally absorbing, shocking, and suprisingly funny. The entire length of the film is filled with "ohhs and ewws and ahhhs" from the audience. It's a real tribute to the guys who think wearing padding for a stunt means "you ain't got no balls". Hollywood stunts and all their special effects are childs play compared to what they do in Hong Kong. Also, the interviews of stunt vets such as Sammo Hung, Ridley Tsui and the children at the Peking art schools are so touching and shows what these people have sacrificed in the name of their art. The short film within is to facilitate examples within the documentary...very effective so don't try to follow the story too much. Just watch short movie within and remember how it was crafted. These men were definitely born with an extra alpha gene. One stuntman said "The first thing I think when I walk into any building in that I'm going to have to jump out of it". Another stuntman was tricked into falling onto a cement floor instead of a mattress for a more realistic reaction. Go check this film out if you can it's so worth it. Unfortunately it's only playing for 1 day in New York but it's showing around the country and I bet the DVD will be out soon.

Red Trousers is a fantastic work of art, intertwining a full-feature documentary with an action short. It transports the audience into a world of life-endangering stunts and uncovers the hardships and motivations that are the driving force for these Hong Kong stunt men. The documentary includes interviews with well-known martial artists such as Sammo Hung, Lau Kar Leung, and writer/director/actor Robin Shou as well as aspiring "red trousers" from a Peking Opera school in China, who all have heart-warming stories to share. "Red Trouser: The Life of a Hong Kong Stuntman" is a truly fascinating look at stunts as an art, a career, and a way of life.

The movie was really touching and it takes you to the other side of the action movie business. I always wanted to be an action star but after seeing this movie I need to work harder just like Robin Shou. I diffidently would buy this DVD and recommend other to watch it or own it. Cannot wait until Robin Shou next movie, I also like the movie background and the music, the movie according to the article was film in Hong Kong and China, one of my friend call me and told me the movie has already been shown in Asia on Discovery and everyone like it, I am still waiting for Discovery Channel to show this movie in USA. I hope to see Robin Shou in more action movie and perform more of his Kung-Fu in future Movies for Hollywood.