Ma Chin Ku: One of the best of the shapes performers?

[BlackLamaFaction]

I have got to say I love this guy's abilities on screen. I have been watching a lot of shapes classics lately, and he pops up again and again. Almost always a bad guy but never the lead bad guy. However, he always puts on a hell of a show and has amazing fights against the likes of; Chang Yi, Li Yi Min, Leung Kar Yan, Cliff Lok, and Wang Tai Lang. I'm not saying he was the absolute best, I can think of quite a few who were better, but I have to say he was certainly on the same playing field as some of the greatest IMO.

Also while I'm on the topic, does anyone have any opinions on who were the best shapes performers?

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

True... his exchange with Mark Long and Lee Yi Min in 7 Grandmasters is the best bit of fighting in that entire movie, already packed with great action!

[The Dragon]

True... his exchange with Mark Long and Lee Yi Min in 7 Grandmasters is the best bit of fighting in that entire movie, already packed with great action!

Thanks for reminding me.. It's been some time since I've watched 7 GM... May check it out this week.

[popsjnr]

The finest shapes puller in my opinion, and the greatest let down considering how fast his career nosedived, would be Yuen Biao, mind blowing ability at acrobatics and able to convincingly perform vastly different styles-look at Knockabout for effortless touches of Hung Gar, Choy Lay Fut, Wing Chun and some of the most perfect Monkey style ever...

Just a tragedy how crap his later movies were..

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

.Also while I'm on the topic, does anyone have any opinions on who were the best shapes performers?

Personally I think Ko Fei was one of the best! Plus he could also do weapons convincingly and the 80's kickboxing style.

Tsui Siu Keung is another..... their fight in The Challenger is off the charts.... hell, even David Chiang looks like a right beast in that one!

Alan Chui was good. Wilson Tong. Meng Yuen Man. Lee Yi Min. Jack Long. Cheng Tien Chi.... I could do this all night:smile:

[AbeRudder]

Brandy Yuen was one of the best shapesmen back in the day for mine, unfortunately he was mostly a double or had a minor role. His work on dance of the drunk mantis, crystal fist and dreadnaught (doubling kwan tak hing for the ko fight) is legendary, he had a really distinct way of moving, was super quick and a ridiculous acrobat to boot. Other top guys would be LKL, philip ko, jackie, yuen biao, sammo, ricky cheng, alan chui, chin lung and jacky chen among others.

[BlackLamaFaction]

Personally I think Ko Fei was one of the best! Plus he could also do weapons convincingly and the 80's kickboxing style.

Tsui Siu Keung is another..... their fight in The Challenger is off the charts.... hell, even David Chiang looks like a right beast in that one!

Alan Chui was good. Wilson Tong. Meng Yuen Man. Lee Yi Min. Jack Long. Cheng Tien Chi.... I could do this all night:smile:

I agree with all of these especially with Ko Fei he would probably be my top choice or close to it. Also what AbeRudder said about Ricky Cheng and LKL.

I also have to mention Chai Kai, Chang Shan, and Sun Jung Chi

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

I also have to mention Chai Kai, Chang Shan,

Their encounter (With Cheng Tien Chi) in Seven Steps Of Kung Fu is hands down one of the best two on one fights ever! Damn that white haired general is one resilient bastard!

Makes you winded just to look at it!

[popsjnr]

Ref above poster aberudder

I am pretty sure it's Yuen Cheng Yan not Brandy Yuen doubling Kwan Tak Hing si-fu in Dreadnaught as he clearly does in Magnificent Butcher's calligraphy fight.

[shapes]

I agree with Abu, Brandy is top notch, one of the very best shapes men, he created most of the shapes used by woo pings group, in his own words when i interviewed him "Woo ping is not as fit as the rest of us as, a child he was ill so his kung fu is not as good as mine or his brothers, I also trained in eagle claw, the others did not know real kung fu, so most of the shapes were designed by me, I taught JC the drunken form in DM" he went on talked about his work on Crystal fist (rated Billy highly) he talked in length about Buddhst fist he even showed some moves-Sick!- his toughest job was in the jar in miracle fighters "I hated that it was so hot with that white paint and i could not get out of the jar had to sit there between takes, i kept hitting my chinon the jar neck", he also said he did a lot of creature work as a child on the black and white movies. "I would play toads, bears and aliens, I did a lot of creatues on super inframan for shaws"

I told him, you were the best stuntman in Hong Kong at that time, he did not deny it as they are normally quite modest, he just said "who told you that, well it was true"

After he directed the master of zen he became a monk, he turned his back on movies and his family and now runs a temple. he said Yuen woo ping tired to get him to come back to movies but he refused

I told him Cory Yuen was also in Hollywood he said he had no clue about that as he has no interest in films anymore, massive talent he has.

[rdenn]

shapes thought you was going to reveal the uk nickname for brandy yuen "deaf man":xd: so i take it that was him doing doubling for Kwan Tak Hing while doing that digusting exchange with philip ko at the end of dreadnaught

[odioustrident]

All the more reason to find Ghost Lover from 1992!

http://www.hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=9196&display_set=eng

[The Dragon]

Shapes, would you post a pic of him?

[shapes]

袁振洋 Brandy Yuen Jun Yeung

signing miricle fighters sleeve, he chucked all his movie stills and vids out when he became a monk, most of his followeres did not know about his shapes filled past

Eagle claw - Lau Fat Mang school

[popsjnr]

Cool pix of deaf man there o mi to fu

But I would put money on his brother Cheng Yan doubling Kwan Tak Hing in Dreadnaught!!!

[AbeRudder]

Shapes you're a legend! Thanks for the info, great stuff.

[The Dragon]

Shapes you're a legend! Thanks for the info, great stuff.

True that! Thanks, Shapes!

[18JadeArafats]

Hear hear! That's badass. Thanks, Shapes! Miracle Fighters is one of my favorites, and a great one to introduce to non kf movie fans as well. Highly entertaining.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

I can't beleive there's a Ma Chin Ku thread. Respect Black Lama. Ma Chin Ku was fierce. He should have had a lot more good roles with how awesome his skills were, but he didn't have the right look I guess.

[BlackLamaFaction]

I can't beleive there's a Ma Chin Ku thread. Respect Black Lama. Ma Chin Ku was fierce. He should have had a lot more good roles with how awesome his skills were, but he didn't have the right look I guess.

No Doubt Morgoth..... I thought he needed a little bit of a shout out. I was just watching Crippled Kung Fu Boxer last night. Him and Choi Wang were lunatics in that film. I always laugh at Ma Chin Ku's line just before the first fight..

"Don't Say we didn't warn you....... Cause We'll Kill Yaaaa !!!!"

[Kwok Choi]

I can't beleive there's a Ma Chin Ku thread. Respect Black Lama. Ma Chin Ku was fierce. He should have had a lot more good roles with how awesome his skills were, but he didn't have the right look I guess.

I see what you mean Morgoth but honestly there are a couple of other less talented guys that don't look as good as Ma who had at least one or more leading roles eg Tsai Hung in The Condemned, Chen Hung Lieh in Duel Of Karate ( and others ) but one of the most unexpected was Wong Ching in Not Scared To Die. Beats me why Ma Chin Ku did not get a leading role if someone was brave enough to cast Wong Ching.Even Ching Ching ( baldy in Incredible Kung Fu Mission ) managed to grab a few,

[BlackLamaFaction]

Does anyone know what name Ma Chin Ku is billed under in Shaolin vs Tai Chi? On the Vengeance Video box they give 4th billing and the Action Director credit to Ho Hsing Nam but I couldn't find this name listed as one of his AKA's on HKMDB. Does anyone know if this is his real name or another alias he uses?

[shapes]

Xiao Kao Shan = 小高山

[BlackLamaFaction]

Cool.. Many Thanks