Yuen Biao

[CrazyFrog]

Maybe someone should remove his birthdate of the thread title to avoid the appearance of a posthumous appreciation thread.

I just watched Iceman Cometh (read my review on the Reviews forum!Shameless plugging!!) and I have to say that was a lot of cheese to carve off before you got to the meat. But the meat was pretty good!

I think everyone here can agree that Yuen Biao deserves a little more to show for in his career- I think he has amazing physical skills (Olympic athlete tier), good acting chops, and is fairly charismatic and can lead a movie. It just is weird that he didn't find the same streak of luck and opportunities that Sammo and Jackie did. Perhaps he doesn't aggressively seek out those kind of things.

[shelliegal]

I think everyone here can agree that Yuen Biao deserves a little more to show for in his career- I think he has amazing physical skills (Olympic athlete tier), good acting chops, and is fairly charismatic and can lead a movie. It just is weird that he didn't find the same streak of luck and opportunities that Sammo and Jackie did. Perhaps he doesn't aggressively seek out those kind of things.

yea, i too think that it was just too bad and it's something i would've love to see more of. really love him in eastern condors. he looks great in there...different from his other roles somehow. i wish missing scenes from that movie can be found.

[AlbertV]

I think Yuen Biao is definitely underrated. He will always be seen as the Little Brother compared to Sammo and Jackie. I really think that he could carry a movie on his own. At least Jackie gave Yuen the chance to be lead choreographer on Shanghai Noon. I really like Above the Law, I feel this is my favorite of his films without Jackie or Sammo involved. His fight against Cynthia Rothrock is a classic as is his fight with Melvin Wong (who ironically is today, a barrister).

[sunroc]

I think Yuen Biao is definitely underrated. He will always be seen as the Little Brother compared to Sammo and Jackie. I really think that he could carry a movie on his own. At least Jackie gave Yuen the chance to be lead choreographer on Shanghai Noon. I really like Above the Law, I feel this is my favorite of his films without Jackie or Sammo involved. His fight against Cynthia Rothrock is a classic as is his fight with Melvin Wong (who ironically is today, a barrister).

I think so,too

[Gkunedo]

He stole the show in Avenging Fist but gotta be Prodigal Son or Above the Law FTW!

[Jstn]

In my opinion, his best is Prodigal Son

[Chinatown Kid]

He was awesome in Prodigal Son but I think his best physical performance was Knockabout. His modern action would be a cross between Righting Wrongs and Eastern Condors imo. Also love that fight in the Pepsi factory he has along with Jackie and Andy Lau in Twinkle Twinkle Lucky stars. That flip off the crate into a tornado kick followed by a spinning back kick is one of my favorite fight scenes of all time.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

He is amazing in Knockabout. Tht is also my favorite fighting performance from him.

For acting I go with Iceman Cometh, Deadful Melody, Sword Stained with Royal Blood and On the Run. I haven't seen License to steal or No Problem 2, but from the clips I've seen he is hilarious in those 2 movies.

[Tantheman]

Above the Law was the first HK movie I ever bought, it has a special place in my heart. Its so great. Definitely gonna get the DD version.

Morgoth, No Problem 2 is great, so funny and like a leap back in to the old school 80s flicks with all the references to classic Jackie etc. Highly recommended.

Really want to see License to Steal, does anyone know if its available?

I find it too difficult to name a favourite Yuen Baio film, some would be Prodigal Son, Above the Law and Knockabout.

I'm also loving his performance in Wing Chun, a nuanced and noble depiction of Leung Tsan. he also shows he's still got the physical skills here.

[One Armed Boxer]

Also Dreadnaught, Deadful Melody, Kid From Tibet, Righting Wrongs...

I got through watching 'Deadful Melody' for the first time last week, and I posted a review over at cityonfire.com. Check it out here -

http://www.cityonfire.com/deadful-melody-1994-review/

Is anyone else a fan of this?

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Deadful Melody is definitely an above average 90's wuxia. But for some reason, whenever Deadful Melody is brought up, I have to talk about Sword Stained With Royal Blood. It blows the doors off Deadful Melody. You seen this one OAB? I put it as the best wuxia ever made.

[fatcat]

I've always regarded Yuen Biao as one of my all time favorites, Prodigal Son being one of the greatest movies ever to me.

[One Armed Boxer]

Deadful Melody is definitely an above average 90's wuxia. But for some reason, whenever Deadful Melody is brought up, I have to talk about Sword Stained With Royal Blood. It blows the doors off Deadful Melody. You seen this one OAB? I put it as the best wuxia ever made.

Hey Morgoth! Wow, those are big words, the best wuxia ever!? To answer your question though, no, I've never seen it! It's a remake of the Shaw Brothers movie I presume? I'm curious to know what it is about it that you enjoy so much, and how does it compare to its brethren like 'Swordsman 2' & 'Butterfly & Sword'?

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Big words indeed. There are a lot of great great wuxias out there. But I think that Hero, Swordsman 2, The Sword, Avenging Eagle, Magic Blade... they all take a back seat to SSWRB. I don't think I've ever done an actual review of this movie. It's too hard for me to put into words just how special it is. But I'll do a quick review for someone who hasn't seen it before.

I've seen the Venoms SSWRB, and for me it was not memorable at all. There was some good choreography at the end, and that's all I remember. So I guess in that department, Chang Cheh and his Venoms are the winners. But that's not to say the 1993 version doesn't have good action. The action is good, and there's lots of it, but it's not the main focus of the movie. I've said it about 1000 times before here, but what makes SSWRB so great is the perfect blend of comedy and drama. There's a lot of comedy, but when it turns dramatic, the drama is top notch. Reminds me a bit of Legend of a Fighter in that aspect. When watching it I'll have a huge grin on my face because it's so damn entertaining, and then all of a sudden, a sad scene comes, and even after seeing it a 100 times before it still blindsides me!

The cast is good. Danny Lee is the standout. Him and Biao play off each other very well. You'll find a lot of other recognizable actors in small roles. Wu Ma shows up a couple times and I think he has the best scene of the movie (his blind reunion with Danny Lee). And Sharla Cheung really shines. I've always been a big fan of hers and I think this is her best role.

The final fight is a bit of a let down. For any normal 90's wuxia the final fight would have been more than satisfactory, but this movie deserved a bit more.

And the music, there's no way you can talk about this movie without talking about the music. This movie is in my DVD player A LOT, and the music is a big reason. There's only a few movies, like Legend of a Fighter and Avenging Eagle which have spent more time in my DVD player than SSWRB.

[the moose]

Big words indeed. There are a lot of great great wuxias out there. But I think that Hero, Swordsman 2, The Sword, Avenging Eagle, Magic Blade... they all take a back seat to SSWRB. I don't think I've ever done an actual review of this movie. It's too hard for me to put into words just how special it is. But I'll do a quick review for someone who hasn't seen it before.

I've seen the Venoms SSWRB, and for me it was not memorable at all. There was some good choreography at the end, and that's all I remember. So I guess in that department, Chang Cheh and his Venoms are the winners. But that's not to say the 1993 version doesn't have good action. The action is good, and there's lots of it, but it's not the main focus of the movie. I've said it about 1000 times before here, but what makes SSWRB so great is the perfect blend of comedy and drama. There's a lot of comedy, but when it turns dramatic, the drama is top notch. Reminds me a bit of Legend of a Fighter in that aspect. When watching it I'll have a huge grin on my face because it's so damn entertaining, and then all of a sudden, a sad scene comes, and even after seeing it a 100 times before it still blindsides me!

The cast is good. Danny Lee is the standout. Him and Biao play off each other very well. You'll find a lot of other recognizable actors in small roles. Wu Ma shows up a couple times and I think he has the best scene of the movie (his blind reunion with Danny Lee). And Sharla Cheung really shines. I've always been a big fan of hers and I think this is her best role.

The final fight is a bit of a let down. For any normal 90's wuxia the final fight would have been more than satisfactory, but this movie deserved a bit more.

And the music, there's no way you can talk about this movie without talking about the music. This movie is in my DVD player A LOT, and the music is a big reason. There's only a few movies, like Legend of a Fighter and Avenging Eagle which have spent more time in my DVD player than SSWRB.

I have to seek that one out. I have been meaning to get it for many years but never got round to it. Now you just sold me on it. SSWRB is just about the only Yuen Biao movie I never saw.

I highly recommend a movie of his from 1996 called Hero with Takeshi Kenashiro - really good and under-appreciated movie. I think Corey Yuen Kwei did the action too if my rusty memory serves my kindly.

[the moose]

And Sharla Cheung really shines. I've always been a big fan of hers and I think this is her best role.

She was the only reason I watched the entire 'maidens of heavenly mountain' aka demi gods and semi devils. Even though it featured Maggie Cheung and Bridget Lin. Cheung Man was the real star of the movie. But what a bomb of a movie - Utter shit.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

I'm not a big fan of Hero with Biao. But I/m gonna rewatch it soon. Haven't seen it in years and I found it at a used store for $1. I figure for that price it's worth another try.

[the moose]

I'm not a big fan of Hero with Biao. But I/m gonna rewatch it soon. Haven't seen it in years and I found it at a used store for $1. I figure for that price it's worth another try.

Oh well, I thought it was a splendid film. Maybe give it another chance...

[KenHashibe]

80's-tastic! If you couldn't tell already, I'm a Yuen Biao fan. He also sang the theme song for The Champions in English for the Japanese version of the movie. Honestly, I'm totally for Yuen Biao as a singer. His singing isn't the best, but the songs are ultra catchy. To be completely serious, I've listened to Kung Fu Star over and over before. His English is noticeably not very good. He even said so himself.

pW6WsnGZ0J0

Oh well. I never really understood why Japanese theme songs for Hong Kong movies were in English. The soundtracks to Jackie Chan's movies were in English for their Japanese releases. The theme song for Shaolin Temple 2 is funky too. If you want to find some more rare soundtracks, you should check this YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/seoulpower1965/videos

Some of these songs are awesome. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm just going to listen to You Can Believe for a few hours.

[the moose]

Wow, It's not that it's surprising because it isn't really. But Biao singing in english and the 80's backing music all Alan Tam style is pretty WFT. Anyway this definately calls for a gif

[thankyouforfu]

But I think that Hero, Swordsman 2, The Sword, Avenging Eagle, Magic Blade... they all take a back seat to SSWRB.

I've seen the Venoms SSWRB, and for me it was not memorable at all. There was some good choreography at the end, and that's all I remember. So I guess in that department, Chang Cheh and his Venoms are the winners. But that's not to say the 1993 version doesn't have good action.

Man, I feel like an idiot. I had no idea there were two versions of SSWRB. I've had the Venoms version for years and I really enjoyed it, but I've occasionally seen the green cover of the Yuen version and something didn't click right in my head. Oh well, I've remedied the issue and just purchased the Yuen Biao version right now!

[Yang Wu Liang]

She was the only reason I watched the entire 'maidens of heavenly mountain' aka demi gods and semi devils. Even though it featured Maggie Cheung and Bridget Lin. Cheung Man was the real star of the movie. But what a bomb of a movie - Utter shit.

Opinions eh?

This is one of my favourites although I haven't watched it for a bit, I love all those smoke machines, blue filters and wires (and the ladies of course).

I can't really agree with Morgoth's glowing praise of SSWRB either, it's a run of the mill 90's wuxia imo, not a bad watch but certainly no masterpiece (no offence Morgoth!)

Best Yuen Biao film? Zu Warriors, easy.

The Wing Chun TV Series with Nicholas Tse is well worth checking out to see him in something (slightly) more up to date.

[Asmo]

Oh well. I never really understood why Japanese theme songs for Hong Kong movies were in English. The soundtracks to Jackie Chan's movies were in English for their Japanese releases.

Might have been that English was more marketable over there than Cantonese, at the time.

I'm aware of Biao having released albums, but am only familiar with the theme song from "The Champions".

[One Armed Boxer]

I can't really agree with Morgoth's glowing praise of SSWRB either, it's a run of the mill 90's wuxia imo, not a bad watch but certainly no masterpiece (no offence Morgoth!)

Best Yuen Biao film? Zu Warriors, easy.

Damn, I ordered 'SSWRB' based on Morgoth's recommendation, so if it's anything less than the greatest wuxia ever made I'm going to be highly disappointed!

For Yuen Biao's best movie though, 'Zu Warriors'.....really!?

[Morgoth Bauglir]

For Yuen Biao's best movie though, 'Zu Warriors'.....really!?

Easily:xd:

Maybe I set my expectations too high, but Zu Warriors didn't do anything for me. I'll have to watch it again some time. I think maybe I expected more fighting.

I may be the only person who considers SSWRB a great movie. I think jmungus is the only person who came close to agreeing with me. I don't ever see people talking about this movie so I'll be happy to here your guys thoughts on it OAB and thankyouforfu. Yang Wu I wouldn't mind hearing more from you also. You rate it higher than a lot of people who have posted their comments over the years. I remember one person called it the worst movie ever.