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Jet Li’s 1994 film Fist Of Legend caught the attention of the Wachowskis as they were looking for someone prolific in Hong Kong action styles for The Matrix. They contacted Yuen Woo-ping, who had earlier worked with the legend Jackie Chan in Drunken Master. Yuen was initially hesitant but eventually brought his expertise into the film.

Keanu Reeves and Hugo Weaving in The Matrix | Warner Bros.

After The Matrix, Yuen returned to work on the classic Chinese film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. However, he was soon called back to Hollywood and it was Quentin Tarantino who needed his slick action choreography in his films, Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2.

Martial Arts Legend Yuen Woo-ping Was Convinced To Do Stunt Choreography In The Matrix Yuen Woo-ping | Debbie Cerda, licensed under Cc By-sa 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Lana and Lilly Wachowski had a vision that most people couldn’t understand, when they were making...

Donnie Yen's Drunken Tai Chi remains his sole classic kung fu film in a career dominated by martial arts movies. Yen's range shines through in his varied martial arts projects, from wuxia to comedy to period pieces and more. Despite Drunken Tai Chi's success, Yen believes it was a one-time experience due to the evolving nature of the genre.

Donnie Yen's first and only contribution to the old-school kung fu movie genre is Drunken Tai Chi, a movie the actor starred in 40 years ago. In his long career in the industry, Donnie Yen has headlined a long list of movies, most of which being martial arts films. His work has yielded a number of films that are often hailed as some of the best kung fu films in recent decades, including the four Ip Man movies, Iron Monkey, and Once Upon a Time in China.

While all of...

Jackie Chan has plenty of movies, but there are a few non-Jackie Chan movies that feel like lost additions to his filmography thanks to their tone and style. For example, Tiger Cage 2, starring Donnie Yen, feels like a lost Jackie Chan movie with its stunts and Ong Bak and others pay homage to Jackie Chan's physicality with bone-crunching fights and free-running sequences.

While Jackie Chan has a lot of classic movies, there are also a lot of great martial arts movies that feel like lost additions to the actor’s oeuvre for a variety of reasons. Alongside Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan is one of the most influential martial artists in cinema history. The screen veteran’s earliest starring roles date back to the late ‘70s, when the popularity of Bruce Lee’s work led to a huge demand for martial arts movies. Chan starred in 1978’s Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow,...

With the onset of movie streaming platforms you can get a bit nostalgic for the days of roaming around the video store searching for something to watch and a little element of added mystery as to what you were watching, as the internet had yet to take hold. For many of those of us who lived that era, our introduction to the world of Hong Kong Action cinema was the documentary “Cinema of Vengeance”. Among the many clips it showed (and made you want to find the film in question) was “Tiger Cage 2”. When I did indeed track down a copy of “Tiger Cage 2” in my local HMV, it had bestowed on it's cover an image of Donnie Yen wielding a sword and a swift purchase soon made. At this time, any new movie was an adventure and little was I to know that I was about to...

The Film

The title of this film is confusing. I first saw it on a Hong Kong Legends DVD as In the Line of Duty. Hkl had released the first film in the series, Yes Madam, as Police Assassins, then skipped directly to this fourth entry. To be fair to them, it never made much sense to pretend that they exist as part of a series, despite the onscreen title for this one—Royal Madam IV: The Witness—again combining elements of the titles of the first two films.

However the title is styled, this one picks up with Cynthia Khan’s Inspector Yeung, who was introduced in the previous film, and would carry over into several more tenuously linked sequels. To begin with we find Yeung in Seattle, helping US Police. There, she and Luk Wan-ting, an immigrant worker moving boxes for a gang of drug smugglers, get caught...

Whether new or old, the best Donnie Yen movies showcase the actor's incredible fighting prowess and his equally captivating qualities as a dramatic performer. With over 35 years of experience in the martial arts movie genre and proficiency in multiple martial arts styles, Yen is already a legend. The martial arts actor's career only continues to grow, especially after his introduction to a certain iconic Hollywood franchise with John Wick: Chapter 4. As Yen's fans excitedly await his appearance in the highly anticipated film, they can also look back at some of the best films in his career so far.

Proficient in a number of different martial art styles, and inspired by the movies of Bruce Lee, Donnie Yen started his career in 1983 and has become one of the most accomplished martial arts actors in movie history. As fans will see with John Wick: Chapter 4, on top of his acting skills,...

Much like the Prom Night series, or in martial arts cinema the later additions to the Police Story franchise, the Tiger Cage films don’t feature ongoing characters or tell linked stories. The only real tie is that they share cast members and are all martial arts cop movies directed by Yuen Woo-Ping.

The Films

Tiger Cage is about an anti-drug team in the Hong Kong Police force in which there may be corruption, with potentially several of the task force members working with and supplying dealers. Simon Yam plays the head of the unit, while Jacky Cheung, Carol ‘DoDo’ Cheng, Bryan Leung and Donnie Yen are among the detectives he commands. The tone is largely quite serious, and that’s the film’s main downfall, because it’s not something that Yuen Woo-Ping does especially well. In particular, he’s prone to letting his cast overact. They’re having fun,...

Craig Lines Jan 4, 2017

He's currently starring in Star Wars: Rogue One, but there are some fascinating horrors to be found in Donnie Yen's back catalogue...

After his recent show-stealing turn in Rogue One, it felt like the right time to write a little about Donnie Yen, one of my favourite actors. From his incendiary breakthrough performance in Tiger Cage (1988) to the acclaimed Ip Man trilogy (2009 - 2016), Yen's body of work has earned him a reputation as one of the all-time greatest martial arts stars and action choreographers. His high-energy blend of fighting styles has been hugely influential on the genre both in the east and west, and his charismatic performances have kept him popular with fans for decades.

However, while his kung fu films have been written about extensively, there's not quite as much about his brief forays into my other favourite genre: horror. He's arguably been on...

Devoted fans of Asian action cinema already know Donnie Yen from his many martial arts movies, but for everyone else, his upcoming role in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will serve as a grand, if delayed, introduction. Yen began his entertainment career as a stunt double in 1982, quickly graduating to star status two years later in Drunken Tai Chi. His abilities as a martial artist were abundantly on display in movies like Tiger Cage, In the Line of Duty 4, Once Upon a Time in China 2, Iron Monkey and Wing Chun. He moved to television in the mid-1990s and then nabbed supporting roles in Hollywood; look for him in Highlander: Endgame, Blade II and Shanghai Knights, the latter opposite Jackie Chan. Unlike Chan, however, Yen has never been known for his comic abilities and it...

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Written and Directed By:Adrian Castro

Produced By:Maria Tran

Dop:Justin Gong

Fight Choreographer:Trung Ly

Cinematographer:Justin Gong

Make-up Artist:Taylor Davis

Tiger Cop is a fine example of the classic 1980’s Chinese Martial Art genre. If you are fans of Yukari Oshima, Moon Lee and Cynthia Rothrock then this right up your street. Tiger Cop is two sets of extravagant trailers which pays homage to them movies and stars which brought us hard-hitting fight scenes over the years.

Maria Tran plays the new inspector on the force and right away she gets into trouble when introduced to her new partner. It’s a very well choreographed fight scene showcasing Maria’s hand to hand combat, the art of blocking and some very nice kicks. Maria really mixes it up, when watching the fights it takes me back to watching movies such as Angels, Outlaw brothers, Yes Madam and more.

Selected Filmography

Drunken Tai Chi

In The Line Of Duty 4

Once Upon A Time In China II

Sha Po Lang

Ip Man

Kung Fu Jungle

Donnie Yen has been involved in some of the best Martial Art/Kung Fu movies of the past 30 years. As his army of fans around the world continues to grow; Donnie continues to break new boundaries with movies such as Sha Po Lang, Flash Point, Ip Man, Iron Monkey, and the brand new Kung Fu Jungle.

Donnie Yen is always trying to make each movie better than the last, developing fighting styles which suits the mood of the characters involved in the movie.

His latest movie Kung Fu Jungle, recently held a world premier in London and the audience loved it, with many saying “It’s one of Donnie’s best ever movies”.

Donnie has concreted his place in World cinema forever and his legacy...

Cast:

Donnie Yen, Wang Baoqiang, Charlie Young, Louis Fan, David Chiang, Michelle Bai

Director:

Teddy Chan

Release Dates:

30th October 2014 (Hong Kong)

31st October 2014 (China)

I have been waiting a while now to see Donnie Yen flex his skills in a different style of movie, finally the moment has arrived. Kung Fu Jungle is the latest from the Martial Arts supremo, following recent vehicles such as Iceman Cometh and Special ID, fans wanted to see more from there idol.

The trailer is packed with with lots of Martial Art sequences and even showcases the famous Wing Chun wooden dummy (something every Kung Fu movie fan loves). There is also a scene where Donnie is fighting with a sword, which looks like a nod to his fight in the movie Tiger Cage. Kung Fu Jungle seems like it’s more on par with classics such as Sha Po Lang and Flash point,...

This is my top 10 favorite kickers in Kung Fu cinema. It is just my personal opinion as there are many great performers out there with amazing ability also. I hope everyone likes my top 10 and please feel free to leave comments at the bottom of the page.

10.Jean Claude Van Damme

Jean Claude is one of the best kickers i have seen out of the Asian movie market. His jumping spin kicks are brilliant, hitting with speed and power, which would take anyone’s head off. Van Damme was also a former member of the Belgium Team that won the European Championships in 1979 in Brussels.

Some of Van Dammes best kicking skills can be watched in movies such as No Retreat, No Surrender, Bloodsport, Kickboxer, Lionheart, Double Impact, The Quest and so on. He recently starred as the main villain in The Expendables 2, which he did a great job,...