36 Crazy Fists

[Endsang]

I've been meaning to check out more of Leung Siu Hung's on screen performances after watching 5 Superfighters, and I stumbled across this title. Cast looks good and I saw the intro on youtube which was just awesome.

Anyone seen it and care to comment on it? Any good DVD releases?

[Jstn]

Personally, I liked it. The end fight was fun, though; the rest of the fights were not jaw-dropping. Good movie, directed by Jackie Chan, if i'm not mistaken.

[AlbertV]

I dont know about good DVD releases, but it's actually a pretty fun film IMO. I liked it...the fight scenes were choreographed by Jackie Chan and he definitely used the skills of Leung Siu-Hung, Sammy Lau, Rambo Kong, and the always great Yam Sai-Koon in the film.

Actually the director was Chan Chi-Hwa, who was Jackie's good friend and collaborator during his days with Lo Wei. Jackie felt more comfortable with Chan than with Lo of course.

[KUNG FU BOB]

I really enjoyed the action in this film. Tony (Leung Siu-Hung) does a great job, and I wish he'd have starred in more films. The movie itself is enjoyable, but nothing special.

As for DVDs, they all kinda suck.

The Vintage DVD has a very weak looking picture (there are 3 movies on this one disc- including YOUNG MASTER and FANTASY MISSION FORCE), it's full-frame, English dubbed. There is an intro before the film proper, with behind the scenes footage of Jackie Chan, Fung Hark-on, and others teaching the cast the choreography. Very cool stuff. It's 6 mins and 42 seconds long. Including this footage, the film clocks in at 1:35:36.

The Brentwood DVD is washed out, but has a better picture than the Vintage version. The JC footage is not included on this version, but the opening sequence is letterboxed, and features some truly great looking moves. The rest of the film is full-frame, and dubbed. It clocks in at 1:28:46.

Here's a pic of Tony and I goofing around.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

This movie is really pitiful. The only things worth watching are the opening/behind the scenes which KF BOB mentioned, and the final fight with Yen Shi Kwan. And cool pic KF BOB!

[Chinatown Kid]

The only thing I like about this flick was Tony Leung, that dude could kick. I'm envious you got to meet him bob, I would have loved to compare kicks with him if I got the chance.

[KUNG FU BOB]

I was lucky enough to work with Tony a couple of times and we've remained friends. He's a super nice guy, and regardless of his age, his skills are still quite impressive.

I certainly wouldn't compare my kicks with his Chinatown Kid. But he probably would be nice enough to oblige you if you asked him.

If there's one moment I'll never forget, it's playing drunken boxing with him for a few minutes in the Denny's parking lot under a star-shot Arizona sky!

He also taught me a new move that I'd never learned with the nunchaku. Guess who taught him? Bruce! Their families were friends since he was little. Bruce considered him as a nephew. I got Tony and Phillip to sign my nunchaku for me.

Here are a few more pictures...

The first one is (left to right) Phillip Yiu (HK stuntman, gentleman, Chow Yun-fat's A BETTER TOMORROW 2 stunt double), me, and Tony.

Second one is Tony blocking out some action on set, while Bobby Samuels (another really cool cat) listens.

Third one, Tony graciously, and happily signs an autograph and poses for pictures with a crewmember's nephew (after working for about 16 hours in 110 degree heat). That's the kind of guy he is!

[Chinatown Kid]

That's really cool Bob. In what capasity did you get a chance to work with him? Are you involved in the film world? I know your an artist but I must have missed it if you had posted in the past about your involvement in film. Anyways the best fight performance where he delivered some marvelous kicks would have to be 5 Superfighters. Him and his brother are awesome kickers, I wonder who they studied under in TKD? I always remember Tony from The Tattoo Connection where he played the character of Ah Min, poor fella in that film was denied sex from his girlfriend for not spilling the beans on his fellow gang members for reward money, then finally gives in and rats it all to Jim Kelly. Unfortunately baddies Bolo and Chiang Tao catch him in the act and they kidnap him and take him back to the evil Mr. Liu played by Chen Sing and they all proceed to beat him to death. They had that fake blood smeared all over Tony's nose and mouth, it was really pitiful looking.

PS, your a pretty big dude Bob, If I ever need a Bodyguard I'm gonna call you man!

[The Dragon]

KFB, that's really special man. I wish I could meet some of those guys.

[KUNG FU BOB]

My involvement in the film world has been minimal, but always exciting.

Here's how I met these particular guys:

While working part-time at a video store I picked up my nickname by always playing, recommending, and bugging my boss to order more Asian cinema. So one day one of the customers asked if I'd ever heard of Bobby Samuels, because he worked with the guy (right here in Philly) and said Bobby told him he'd been in some Chinese movies. He thought maybe he was just pulling his leg. So I said "Bobby Samuels trained under Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan's "Big Brother", along with Colin Chou from the Matrix films. He's a Hung gar kung fu expert, an accomplished stuntman, speaks fantastic Cantonese, and is the first (only?) African American to ever be accepted into the Hong Kong Stuntman Association. I have every movie that he's been in, and (jumping the counter and grabbing the DON'T GIVE A DAMN VHS I just forced my boss to get for the store) here's one of the films he's in." The customer was very surprised. I asked if there's anyway he could put me in touch with Bobby so I could get an interview for the book I'm working on.

A few days later Bobby called me up. He said he would be glad to do an interview, but that right now he was busy prepping for a film that he'd be doing choreography and stunts for here in the states. Of course I found the whole thing very exciting, and he asked if I'd be interested in coming down to meet at the hotel where they were going to have a production meeting. So that's where I met Bobby, Rick Hopkins (also a Hung gar expert, stuntman, writer/director/filmmaker, and the man that put on the Lo Meng show in Philly), and Michael Werhan (martial artist/stuntman/production house owner). We started talking movies, and ONG-BAK in particular (it had just come out underground), and they said they were going to be doing a western mummy movie with HK flavor choreography. We talked a little about the creatures movements, and I was shocked that they cared about my input. Bobby said "It sounds like you've seen more of these films than I have, and I've been in them!" LOL As professionals, they only seemed concerned with making it as good as they could, nothing else. They asked about my book, and I mentioned I had other books I'd worked on in my truck. They asked if they could see them, and when I opened the hatch to take them out they saw some weapons and training equiptment. Do I study, could I show them some of my moves they asked. Next thing you know I'm in front of the Holiday Inn performing a nunchaku free form. Bobby gave me one of the best compliments I've ever received! They were all very cool to hang with, and even posed for some pictures. I thanked them, said my goodbyes, and crossed my fingers that they wouldn't forget about the interview someday.

The next day Bobby called and invited me to come with them to Arizona to shoot the film! Michael helped me with all the details of where, when, et. I was in the midst of moving out of the city to my new, safer, more pleasant location, so I didn't really have the cash to fly nor the time to spare. But my ever supportive wife said "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, if you don't go you'll always regret it." She assured me she'd be fine, and we'd have enough time to get everything moved. My Mom and Dad and my publisher paid for the airfare! The guys personally hooked me up with everything else. They said I could take as many pictures as I wanted, get interviews, and even asked me to document the behind-the-scenes stuff.

I was picked up at the airport and driven to the Days Inn where the crew were staying. Out front of the hotel, a couple hundred feet away, were a Jack-In-The-Box and a Dennys. Beyond that, it was just desert and mountains. Beautiful country. The guys greeted me, and Bobby told me that he had the director bring Tony over from HK, and that he was going to defer the action director spot to him out of respect (always the honorable gentleman). I was introduced to Tony and his colleague Phillip Yiu (making his first visit to the USA) and we went to the Dennys for brunch and prep talk. Tony's English is good, though Phillip's was very limited (still better than my Cantonese! LOL). But this didn't distract from the fact that he is one of the warmest, friendliest human beings I have ever met. Rick told them I was an artist, and soon I was drawing pictues in a notebook Phillip keeps of the dangerous local animals. I would sketch them and write the English name, and he would write the Chinese name next to it so he could learn. We talked about cultural customs, movies, martial arts...

I have to get to work now. But if you guys want to hear more, let me know.

Here's more pictures:

1. (left to right) Mike Werhan, Rick Hopkins, Me, Bobby Samuels.

2. I pay the price for asking Bobby too many questions. LOL

3. Bobby and Mike checking out pictures of my art.

4. Mike still has good form without stretching, sleeping much the night before, or having any coffe yet.

5. Standing between the resturaunts out front of the hotel with my stunt double.

[Chinatown Kid]

Do I want to hear more? Oh hell yes lol! But that's great Bob and I'm happy you got a chance to have such a great experience. When I was younger I would have loved to hook up with people involved in the MA movie industry and for sure tried to break in somehow as a stuntman, extra or whatever way I could have got my foot in the door. Opportunities like that just weren't around were I lived though, I'm 18 years in my job now working toward a 30 year retirement so can't leave now, 12 more years and I can retire!

[KUNG FU BOB]

So the movie was about a truckload of prisoners that escaped and wind up in a strange old town with some treasure and seven restless mummies. It was going to be shooting in this old west town- a permanent set that's been in a heap o' movies like the Kurt Russell flick TOMBSTONE.

We all piled our equipment and bags into a big van and were driven the forty or so minutes out to the location. During the ride there's music, joking, and talk about the job ahead. But when you arrive (via a looooong stretch of unpaved road), you step out of the van and it's like you're in a different century. The sun was beating down mercilessly and the temperature was 110 degrees. Ahead of us was the main street, lined on both sides by weathered wooden shops and hotels. To our left was a huge barn, and piled up out front of it, and leaning against it, were a significant amount of coffins. There were a few tumbleweeds, but no wind to move them. You could here horses snorting from nearby, and see huge hawks flying overhead. The guys told me they had to meet with the director and that I should take a look around. Seeing something like this in a movie is one thing, walking around on your own through deserted saloons, churches, and general stores is a surreal, slightly eerie, little adventure. I feel like I must have had a smile on my face the entire time as I explored. It was like something I'd imagined as a kid, but real, and all around me. When I climbed the dusty, creaking stairs to the second floor of the saloon I looked down and imagined all the cinematic shoot outs, bar fights, dancing girls, and poker games that had unspooled right below me in that very spot.

When I went back outside I saw that some trucks had arrived, and a group of big, rugged guys in period garb were ambling down the street. I introduced myself and they explained that they were a group known as the Tombstone Regulators. They would take care of the horses, do some stunts, provide firearms, and help out with authenticity. They worked on all the movies that shot there, and would do shows for tourists in between movie shoots. They all carried real, loaded rifles and pistols, and sported appropriate facial hair, clothes, and accessories. They were polite, but seemed a tad wary of me- this "big city" stranger. Soon enough though we would be working hard together, and laughing even harder. A cool bunch of guys to be sure.

Now I'm a big nature freak (some would say a freak of nature), and I love rambling around in the woods and checking out wildlife in my area. So that was another big plus for me about being in Arizona. Five minutes out of the van and I'd already seen a roadrunner, several lizards, and a tarantula! Not all of the critters were friendly though. We were warned to beware the tiny yellow, and clear looking scorpions which are extremely venomous. Also, there were plenty of rattlesnakes. One seemed to especially liked sunning himself right on the steps outside of the makeshift "mess hall". Yikes. One of the Tombstone Regulators whipped out his pistol and blasted the stubborn reptile. I didn't want to be adverse, but asked "Uh, couldn't we just relocate them if they're hanging around in the wrong spot?" I was told that rattlers are territorial, and even if it was driven miles away and released, it would return to that very same step a day or so later. Amazing. Another "animal incident" occured when a few of us were getting gear out of one of the vans. A dozen or so thumb sized hornets started coming after us kamikaze style. Bobby jumped in the van, and the rest of us ran for the nearby barn. The winged demons seemed angered by the van and circled it like vicious little monsters. Bobby sat in the van looking around with this incredulous look on his face. Then just like that, they flew off.

For most of this experience, I was snapping shots, alternating between my 35mm and digital cameras, shooting my own video footage, and also shooting with Mike's camera for the guys' own documentation of the gig. After seeing some of my footage, Phillip asked if I would mind also shooting him doing his stunts with his video camera! At one point another crewmember pleaded that I shoot some footage for her personal recollection footage too. There was one night when I had two cameras on tripods, one in each hand, and one pinched between my neck and shoulder!

After the meeting Bobby explained that they the crew were going to redress the inside of the barn to look like an underground tomb, and that this would be where most of the stunt team's work would be accomplished. But first, the production team had to cover the roof with black tarps so that the sun wouldn't shine down through the ceiling into the shots. It was already like a sauna inside the barn, so I couldn't imagine what it would be like covered in black material with no ventilation!? As I was pondering this, Tony walked past me into the barn and immediately started brainstorming. He pointed to different areas and told Bobby, Rick, Phillip, and Mike what he had in mind. They were going to need to rigg up some pulleys for wire stunts and had to choose the perfect spots for them. Tony took a few steps forward and basically sprinted up the wall, pulling himself up to the rafters for a better look. This took place in about two seconds, and was like the stuff I've been watching Jackie Chan do my whole life in films. He hung there- by one hand- for a minute to look around. Then effortlessly pulled himself up to sit on a beam for a more thorough inspection of the ceiling. I turned without a word and looked at Bobby. He smiled knowingly, and raised his eyebrows in a "Yes, he just did that" expression. And he didn't do it to show off, he was totally immersed in the job. For him it was as natural as an actor turning the page of a script.

To be continued...

PICS:

1. Here's the main street.

2. Phillip and Tony "Rafterman" Leung talking shop in the upper level of the barn.

3. A few of the coffins and the "hornet haven" van.

4. A local resident...

5. Tony doing what an action choreographer does.

[Asmo]

Very cool, thanks for the stories and pics!

[Chinatown Kid]

Yes very interesting Bob, please continue when you have the time.

[Cognoscente]

It's weird to think that there was a rock band named after this movie.

[DragonClaws]

On 6/23/2021 at 3:44 AM, Cognoscente said:

It's weird to think that there was a rock band named after this movie.

 

I saw them play Live at the 2010 Download Festival at Castle Donnington.

[Cognoscente]

I remember that festival. That was when Rage Against the Machine played.

[DragonClaws]

14 hours ago, Cognoscente said:

I remember that festival. That was when Rage Against the Machine played.

 

Thats the one, their performance had to be stopped twice due to the crowd getting too wild up front.

[Yihetuan]

On 6/23/2021 at 3:44 AM, Cognoscente said:

It's weird to think that there was a rock band named after this movie.

I wonder how many musical acts named themselves after kung fu & martial arts movies? Maybe someone compiled a list already? The most famous of course is Wu-Tang Clan but just off the top of my head, in the heavy metal genre there are a few bands like The Flying Guillotines (from Germany?), a Texas band The Fatal Flyin' Guilloteens, Five Finger Death Punch and another metal band named Dim Mak.

Edited July 1, 2021 by Yihetuan

[Cognoscente]

There's a British one called Iron Monkey.

[DragonClaws]

12 hours ago, Yihetuan said:

Five Finger Death Punch

 

I also caught these guys at the same festival.

[thundered mantis]

the movie itself I don´t remember quite well, but the final bout is up there with the best independent classics. A top 20 for me.

There´s a HD chinese streaming source for this one, I think @NoKUNGFUforYU was gonna made a custom for this one? I´d be on the line...

 

[thundered mantis]

Damn I wrote the first lines without reading about Kung Fu Bob story. So AWESOME!!!!!! Thank you a lot for sharing