#Yuen Woo Ping

[fuforthought]

If you know me, you know I’m a fan of “covert” fight scenes. Scenes where two people are fighting but they’re both pretending that something else is going on. This one from Dreadnaught (1981) is one of the best.

By the way, the guy that choreographed this scene, later went on to choreograph The Matrix films, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kill Bill.

#Dreadnaught #Yuen Woo Ping #Fung Hak On #Kwan Tak Hing #Kung fu #Kung fu cinema #Kung fu movies #Martial arts #Martial arts cinema #Martial arts movies #Fight scene #Hong Kong cinema #Asian cinema #Hong Kong action #Fighr choreography

[kungfuwushuworld]

Donnie Yen - Iron Monkey 1993

#Donnie Yen #Iron Monkey #Yuen Woo Ping #kung fu star #kung fu cinema #chinese martial arts #kung fu #kung fu world

[boardsdonthitback]

Jet Li - Once Upon A Time In China II (1992)

#jet li #李连杰 #tsui hark #yuen woo ping #wong fei hung #黃飛鴻 #once upon a time in china #once upon a time in china movie #hong kong cinema #martial arts cinema #action choreography

[omercifulheaves]

Japanese posters for Jackie Chan’s The Fearless Hyena (1979), Drunken Master (1978) and Snake In The Eagle’s Shadow (1978) -- where they were known as Crazy Monkey, Drunk Monkey and Snake Monkey, respectively -- that were drawn by Lupin III creator Monkey Punch.

#movies #posters #the fearless hyena #drunken master #snake in the eagle's shadow #jackie chan #yuen woo ping #monkey punch

[twilightronin]

Drunken Master - Yuen Woo Ping 1978

#Drunken Master #Yuen Woo Ping #Jackie Chan #Yuen Siu Tien

[may8chan]

Drunken Master - Yuen Woo Ping 1978

#Drunken Master #Yuen Woo Ping #Jackie Chan #Dean Shek

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Drunken Master (Yuen, 1978)

Sometimes it's easy to see why a classic is a classic, and here, it's especially easy to see why this was Jackie Chan's breakout role. Certainly he'd been in enjoyable movies before this, and certainly there had been comedic elements in his work before this, but this is where the classic Jackie persona is crystalized. Where the precise alchemy of physicality and expressions and tics and self deprecation had synthesized. So for that reason it's pretty much essential viewing even if I wouldn't consider it my favourite of his work.

Having immersed myself in his earlier films over the last few weeks, I also think one of the reasons it resonates on this level is that it has a certain purity of form. It's a weird thing to say about a movie that's a highly episodic clothesline for action scenes that only introduces real dramatic stakes in the last twenty minutes or so, but there's a kind of pure action comedy sensibility at work. Every scene is an opportunity to show off some amazing fight choreography, all of which has the highly rhythmic verve one associates with Yuen Woo-Ping at this time (or in general) but can be distinguished into distinct fighting styles. One of the reasons the Beggar So character has such an impact, and has immediate credibility as a kung fu master despite his sadistic training regimes, is that he's introduced with a fighting style that has him moving unlike anyone else on screen, almost as if he's beholden to different laws of physics.

And on that note, I do think it's interesting that this came out the same year as The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, as it feels in some ways like the other side of the same coin. This feels shaggy and loose where the other movie feels precise, but both movies essentially turn training into story. The final confrontations feel almost secondary to the dramatic thrust of the material, and instead represent the culmination of the heroes' growth.

I do think this runs a bit long and some of the humour is clunky (I do not approve of Jackie's attempts at sexual harassment, even if the joke ends up being on him). And as this stars Hwang Jang-Lee, I was disappointed that he didn't quite get to demonstrate his reputation as a superkicker (see Hitman in the Hand of Buddha to see him defy gravity and bounce off enemies mid-air like a hacky sack). But at the same time, this surely deserves some points for things like towel fu, hammer fu, and Harlem Globetrotter style tricks with a jar of wine.

#film #movie review #drunken master #yuen woo ping

[ungoliantschilde]

D’Artagnan versus Febre, from the climax of “the Musketeer”.

Choreographed by the great Yuen Woo Ping.

Tim Roth played Febre.

#D’Artagnan #Febre #the Three Musketeers #the Musketeers #Sword Fight #Woo Ping #Tim Roth #Movies #Fight Scene #Art #Direction #Youtube #Yuen Woo Ping

[beautifilms]

Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy (2018) dir. Yuen Woo-ping

#master z: the ip man legacy #master z the ip man legacy #yuen woo ping #zhang jin #liu yan #chrissie chau

[baddawg94]

Thunder Leg (Hwang Jang Lee) kicks the crap out of Freddy Wong (Jackie Chan)

1978’s Drunken master

Directed by Woo Ping Yuen

#jackie chan #yuen woo ping #woo ping Yuen #hwang jang Lee #drunken master #tae kwon do #Drunken Fist #martial arts action #chinese martial arts #chinese action film #chinese martial arts cinema #chinese action movie #hong kong action cinema #hong kong cinema #hong kong movies #70s cinema #70s movies #70s nostalgia

[artasianinspiration]

(via GIPHY)

#giphy #jet li #li lianjie #yuen woo ping #tai chi master #tai chi #kung fu

[fuforthought]

Jet Li takes on Mike Lambert in Unleashed aka Danny the Dog (2005)

Yuen Woo Ping’s on choreography duties.

#Danny the dog #unleashed #jet li #Mike lambert #fight scene #Yuen woo Ping #Kung fu #Kung fu cinema #Kung fu movies

[kungfuwushuworld]

DRUNKEN MASTER  IN BLACK & WHITE 

#Jackie Chan #drunken master #Hwang Jang Lee #Yuen Woo Ping #kung fu #chinese martial arts #kung fu star

[boardsdonthitback]

Donnie Yen - Iron Monkey (1993)

#donnie yen #甄子丹 #iron monkney #iron monkey movie #鐵馬騮 #少年黃飛鴻之鐵馬騮 #yuen woo ping #hong kong cinema #hong kong action #martial arts cinema #action choreography

[omercifulheaves]

Drunken Master (1978)

#movies #posters #drunken master #kung fu movies #jackie chan #yuen woo ping #wong fei hung #golden harvest #beggar so #yuen siu-tien

[ogradyfilm]

Recently Viewed: Dreadnaught

[The following review contains MINOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!]

Although the Criterion Channel’s description neglects to advertise it as such, the 1981 kung-fu horror-comedy Dreadnaught belongs to Yuen Woo-ping’s loosely connected Wong Fei-hung series. Whereas the original Drunken Master featured the historical figure turned folk hero as a mischievous student (portrayed by the inimitable Jackie Chan) and Iron Monkey explored his childhood (as the son of professional badass Donnie Yen), this film depicts him as a wise old mentor—played, appropriately enough, by Kwan Tak-hing, who starred as the character in approximately seventy-seven movies (according to the notoriously reliable Wikipedia’s undoubtedly accurate count, anyway).

The plot (minimalistic as it is) revolves around Mousy, a meek, cowardly youth constantly terrorized by local thugs, corrupt cops, and… adorable puppies. Since it’s his job to collect on overdue bills for his sister’s struggling laundry business, his timid demeanor is a significant problem; thus, at the insistence of a sympathetic friend, he seeks tutelage under the esteemed Master Wong. The perceptive teacher quickly intuits that his reluctant disciple is a naturally gifted martial artist; he merely lacks the confidence required to effectively utilize his innate skills. When a convoluted sequence of events makes him the target of a deranged, bloodthirsty assassin, however, necessity might yet transform our pussycat of a protagonist into a courageous lion.

Yuen’s greatest talent lies in his ability to convey story and characterization through fight choreography, and Dreadnaught certainly delivers in that regard; every punch calls back to a narrative seed introduced in an earlier scene—a deliciously satisfying display of setup and payoff reminiscent of Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. During the climactic showdown, for example, Mousy discovers that his family’s trademark “two-fingered grasp” technique is useful for more than just drying clothes; his firm grip strength—developed from years of wringing out wet fabric—gives him an unexpected advantage whilst grappling with his savage opponent… until his foe simply rips off the tattered remnants of his shirt, at least.

That deft juggling of tones—effortlessly transitioning between humor and suspense—elevates Dreadnaught, compensating for its relatively superficial flaws (particularly its uneven pacing). Yuen is justifiably renowned for his contributions to The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but I hope that more of his work as a director becomes (legally) available in the West; while his movies may not be conventionally “prestigious” or stylistically polished (compared to those produced by, say, King Hu), they are consistently entertaining.

#Dreadnaught #Yuen Woo-ping #Yuen Woo Ping #Wong Fei-hung #Wong Fei Hung #Kwan Tak-hing #Golden Harvest #kung-fu film #kung fu film #kung-fu cinema #kung fu cinema #Criterion Channel #Criterion Collection #Criterion #film #writing #movie review