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Jackie Chan, a global superstar of martial arts cinema, is famous not only for his fighting ability but also for his unique blend of physical comedy. Beginning his career in some of the best kung fu films, Chan soon realized that blending slapstick and funny dialogue with traditional martial arts would make him stand out from other action heroes. Chan’s signature style changed the game, making him an international superstar by elevating an entirely new genre of action-comedy. Jackie Chan's intense action stunts, mixed with his lightheartedness, made martial arts films more appealing to a wider audience.

His best characters, such as the straight-laced detective Lee in Rush Hour (1998) and the drunken kung fu master Wong Fei-hung in Drunken Master (1978), also showcase Chan’s ability to adapt to any role and perform basically any skill. Evading punches with a wide grin or taking a lashing headfirst while performing a split.

Mainland born Lo Wei was an actor whose film career flourished after migrating to Hong Kong. After directing “The Black Butterfly” for Shaw Brothers, he followed it up with “Death Valley” starring the same pair of male leads. He is best known as the director who launched the kung fu film careers of Bruce Lee in “The Big Boss” and “Fist of Fury” and also Jackie Chan in “New Fist of Fury”.

Master Chao Yun Yang (Lo Wei) of the Chao Manor in Death Valley is getting old and thinking of retiring. Since he has no children, he wants to give everything he owns to his nephew Chao Yu Lung (Yueh Hua), a righteous swordsman who wields a pair of deadly short swords. Before the opening credits roll, we see him easily dispatching a group of bandits and he even pays for their burial. Furthermore, he also picks up a cowardly lone traveler,...

Despite only having a short stint as a kung fu movie star, Bruce Lee had a tremendous impact on the genre, one that steered the direction of so many Hong Kong movie studios for years. For filmmakers, there was obviously a lot to learn from Bruce Lee's martial arts movies, but some did more than just take inspiration from the fighting in his films; a sizable number copied them directly through a strategy now commonly known as Bruceploitation.

Movies associated with the Bruceploitation era typically starred actors with stage names similar to Bruce Lee's, so much that the difference sometimes only came down to the spelling. This approach also extended to the stars' physical appearances, as several of these actors were cast based on their resemblances to Lee. Unsurprisingly, this unapologetic effort to capitalize on Bruce Lee's popularity certainly received its share of scrutiny. However, that's not to say that Bruceploitation movies weren't entertaining.

Jackie Chan is celebrated as one of the greatest kung fu film actors of all time. His classic kung fu movies have their own unique blend of physical comedy, complicated fight choreography, and elaborate stunts. They were not only full of action but were connected to the traditional martial arts to the skill, discipline, and incredible kung fu techniques. Though he went on to become an action star around the world, in his earlier kung fu movies, Chan captured the best of both worlds: the raw power of bare-knuckle fighting and the elegance of the old school martial arts.

What sets him apart from other martial arts actors is his gift for blending comedy with heart-pounding action. Whether portraying a mischievous, incorrigible student in Drunken Master or a sympathetic, bullied orphan in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, Jackie fully embodies the characters he is portraying and his films all have...

In 1985, Jackie Chan grabbed an umbrella and ran towards a moving bus. Here’s how Police Story changed action cinema forever.

There had never been an action scene quite like the one that appeared in the first few minutes of 1985’s Police Story. Jackie Chan’s plucky cop, in dogged pursuit of crime boss Chu Tao (Chor Yuen) engages in a wildly destructive car chase through a hillside shanty town, demolishing rickety buildings and detonating gas bottles in his wake. When Tao and his goons then make their escape on a stolen bus, Chan’s Sergeant Kevin hooks onto the back with the help of an umbrella, his body flung to and fro as the vehicle lumbers through traffic.

The scene is brilliant not just because Chan’s risking his neck by doing his own stunts. It’s not just brilliant on a technical level (the planning that went into...

For many around the world, there’s one name at the top of the action totem pole: Jackie Chan, and today marks his 70th birthday.

If you only know him as a goofy martial arts comedian from the Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon series, then consider this a wake up call. Because when Jackie did things His way on his home turf, he churned out some of the best action movies you’ll ever see.

Many would point to Drunken Master II as Jackie’s magnum opus. Fair enough, that is an all-timer, but for an example of his best modern day martial arts action, mixed in with some crime drama and his signature comedy, one of his absolute best outings is 1985’s Police Story.

In the 1970s, Jackie Chan soared to fame internationally once he was finally able to break out of the shadow of Bruce Lee. When Chan...

"New Fist of Fury" launched Jackie Chan's career as a leading man, showcasing his martial arts skills and professional relationship with director Lo Wei. "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow" established Chan's unique comedic fighting style, allowing him to relax in his performance and showcase his talent. "Shinjuku Incident" marked a departure from Chan's usual roles, showcasing his dramatic range and versatility as an actor beyond physical comedy.

Jackie Chan is a brilliantly talented actor, but only a few of his movies can be considered defining moments in his career. The Hong Kong national began performing as a child, appearing in small roles since the age of 5, and has since spent an incredible sixty-two years developing and honing his acting skills. While many will know Jackie Chan for his martial arts skills, he's proved his versatility as an actor and has a wide range of abilities as a performer.

In his long career,...

Vintage martial arts film fans rejoice as the 70s classic, The Shaolin Plot, is set for a 2K restoration release on Blu-ray. The Mvd Entertainment Group has just released a trailer for Arrow Video’s new physical copy release of the Sammo Hung film. The Shaolin Plot comes from director Huang Feng (director of Lady Whirlwind & When Taekwando Strikes), the father of modern Kung Fu films and a mentor to John Woo (Face/Off) and Stanley Tong (Rumble in the Bronx). The cast features Sammo Hung, James Tien and Cassanova Wong.

The release details read,

“In 1977, fight choreographer Sammo Hung made one last film under his mentor, director Huang Feng before graduating to the director’s chair himself with The Iron-Fisted Monk. That film was the rarely-seen martial arts ensemble thriller The Shaolin Plot, which sees the pair reunite with Hong Kong heavy Chan Sing (New Fist of Fury). Prince...

Whether you’ve heard the term or not, chances are you’ve seen an exploitation film somewhere in the wild. From sharksploitation megahits like Sharknado, to culture-defining classics like ozploitation’s original Mad Max, or carsploitation’s Death Race 2000, the quality of these carefully marketed mockbusters – built entirely around audience trends with huge, eye-catchingly stupid titles – has always been up for debate. But it’s rare there’s a moral dimension too; after all, no one owns the copyright on cars or sharks or post-apocalyptic bikers. It’s a little different when the genre being exploited though, is an actual person.

Bruce Lee is arguably the most famous and accomplished martial arts performer that’s ever lived. Despite a tragically truncated filmography, cut short at just four features, by his sudden death in 1973, he had co-birthed the entire kung-fu genre, which continues to live and thrive half a century on.

A couple of days into the new month and we've still got time to let you know what is coming to the Arrow Video Player in August.    Subscribers will get two currated selections from League of Gentlemen's Reece Shearsmith and filmmaker Roger Avery. There is the classic Jackie Chan flick New Fist of Fury. It is the action icon's first leading role, from the original film's director Lo Wei.    Arrow Offers Classic and Cutting Edge Cult Cinema   August 2023 Lineup Includes a Lost German Gem, Reece Shearsmith Selects, Revenge, Paul Joyce Docs and More!   August 2023 Seasons:   Revengeamatics, Reece Shearsmith Selects, Access All Areas: The Documentaries of Paul Joyce, Renegade Cops, Roger Avary Selects, This is Torture!   Arrow Video is...

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When Jackie Chan was lent out to a humble studio in Seasonal Films, no one expected him to become a breakout star as a result of Snake in the Eagle's Shadow. After all, he was a struggling actor who starred in a string of commercial and critical failures from New Fist of Fury to Killer Meteors and everything in between. Perhaps fate extended its helping hand to a deserving individual. Chan had to fight tooth and nail to even have an opportunity, and his hard work would soon pay off as he rose to martial arts stardom.

Bruce Lee fights many memorable villains in his filmography, with many of them being incredible martial artists themselves. While Bruce Lee began as a child actor in Hong Kong, he began to rise to greater prominence in the late '60s with his role as Kato on The Green Hornet. Bruce Lee later achieved greater notoriety through his roles in movies like The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, and The Way of the Dragon, though he sadly passed away before the release of 1973's Enter the Dragon, which launched him to worldwide fame.

Bruce Lee's five martial arts films have elevated him to become the greatest legend of the martial arts movie genre. Of course, achieving such status is impossible without overcoming some very challenging and formidable villains, and those faced by Bruce Lee are highly revered martial arts masters themselves. Here are the 13 martial artists who portray the villains of Bruce Lee's filmography.

None of Bruce Lee's movies have been revisited on the big screen more than Fist of Fury. Enter the Dragon is without question the actor's most popular film, but Fist of Fury has a unique legacy unrivaled by any of Lee's other movies. Since it hit theaters in 1971, the story has served as the foundation for several more martial arts films.

Released in 1971, Fist of Fury was the second of five kung fu movies Lee worked on in his lifetime. In the film, the actor played Chen Zhen, a Chinese martial artist who rises up to fight the Japanese after his master dies. The patriotic symbolism attached to Lee's character made Fist of Fury an impactful film in the Hong Kong movie industry. In response to its success, filmmakers found more to do with Chen Zhen and the struggle faced by the people in the movie. Of course, this...

Having worked with Bruce Lee on “The Big Boss” and “Fist of Fury” was one of the great achievements in the career of Hong Kong director Lo Wei, as it propelled the actor’s reputation as well as the filmmaker’s. However, while shooting the latter, he also collaborated with one of the future stars of the martial-arts-genre, as Jackie Chan did some of the stunts on “Fist of Fury” and left quite an impression with Wei who followed his career, until he was certain Chan could be the next star on the horizon. Since he also saw something of the charisma and talent of Lee in Chan, it was perhaps logical to make him star in “New Fist of Fury”, a somewhat loose sequel to the 1972 original. While it is not on the same level as the former, it has a few qualities worth mentioning, especially in the second half,...

In 1978, Yuen Woo Ping and Jackie Chan sent shockwaves through the martial arts movie industry with Drunken Master. Up until this point, Chan had been starring in low budget films for director Lo Wei and, like many other performers, often been forced into the box of trying to be ‘the new Bruce Lee’ (most nakedly with New Fist of Fury). Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow had hinted at how this new collaboration with Yuen Woo Ping would allow Chan to be himself, and it made him a star. Drunken Master made him a phenomenon, and suddenly it was the film that the industry was trying to replicate.

Sammo Hung had been a director in his own right since 1977’s Iron Fisted Monk, and working at a furious pace, and it’s not hard to imagine some jealousy at how his younger kung fu brother had suddenly somewhat eclipsed him being the fuel for Knockabout,...

Robert P. O’Brien is an American self-taught artist/illustrator that works in various mediums, creates shirt designs for 36styles.com and helps run the Kung Fu Fandom Forum hosted by that site. Nicknamed “Kung Fu Bob” because of his love of that cinema genre, in recent years he has created a lot of new, original artwork for DVD and Blu-ray film releases, in addition to book and CD cover art. In 2020 he recorded his first audio commentary for 88 Films’ release of Jet Li’s The Master and also joined Hong Kong cinema expert Brandon Bentley for a commentary on 88’s Blu-ray for New Fist Of Fury.

We speak with him about how he begun martial arts, drawing how he combines the two, the procedure he follows every time he deals with an artwork, his work with 88 Films, Midori Implus and Arrow, and many other topics.

How did...