In a career that spans seven decades, Hong Kong action legend Sammo Hung has been through a lot, not to mention his body. So it was no surprise to see the 72-year-old using a cane on stage at the Tokyo International Film Festival Master Class. But as he captivated an appreciative audience, the confidence and humor that Hong displayed throughout his illustrious career in martial arts films shone through.
Born into an acting family, Hung began his career as a child actor at the China Drama Academy, a Peking Opera school in Hong Kong. He made his film debut in the early 1960s, when he was nine years old. A slightly grainy black-and-white clip from the film shows a fresh-faced boy named Hong, cooing among his gathered admirers. “The training in school is very rigorous. We learn all the basic moves. When you graduate, you can do almost any move,” Hong said.
One of his big breaks was opposite Bruce Lee in the opening scene of the groundbreaking 1973 film. Enter the Dragon. Li died that year death game The film was not yet completed, and in 1978, Hong was responsible for the fight choreography for reshoots.
“I didn’t really spend a lot of time with Bruce Lee. But I was very impressed by his clever film work,” Hong recalled. “I’m very sad that he passed away at such a young age. It shocked not only Hong Kong, but the whole world. His fans and those of us in the industry who respected him so much were devastated.
his 1978 Enter the Fat DragonA film he once again directed and starred in was released in Japan Moeyo de Bugon. In his introductory remarks, film critic and producer Jun Edoki explained that all of his subsequent films had “Debu-gon” (Debu-gon) in their Japanese titles.
Sammo Hung in “The Fat Dragon Crossing the River”.
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Inspired by his childhood love of ghosts and ghosts, Hong was also instrumental in the creation of the 1980s horror Kung Fu genre. “I’m always thinking about new elements that I can add to my action films,” he said. “During the golden age of Hong Kong cinema, I almost never took a break. I was still young and could move at that pace. Making movies was better than taking a break.
Although Hong did not reach the same heights domestically in the 1990s as he had in previous decades, he starred in two seasons of CBS’s martial law From 1998 to 2000, he became a rare East Asian protagonist on an American broadcast network show. Even though Hong’s dialogue was limited by his English skills, the show, which co-starred Arsenio Hall, was an unexpected hit.
Sammo Hung and Arsenio Hall in “Martial Law.”
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“The hardest part of it is the language. When people ask me what I want to change about America, I tell them I want everyone to learn Chinese so that it will be easier for me.
What follows is a clip of the iconic tabletop fight scene between Hung and Donnie Yen Ip Man 2 (2010). Hung was asked if it was difficult to film fight scenes with the athletic Donnie Yen, who is known for his martial arts prowess and interdisciplinary training.
Sammo Hung versus Donnie Yen in “Ip Man 2”.
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“It’s not hard to work with Downey, he’s very skilled and I’m very skilled. We can do a lot of these things at once. Donny is incredible, but I’m even more incredible.
