It's always fun to see Chan dip his toes into new waters and re-invent his persona, and his battle with Donne Yen in Twins Effect II is an example of exactly that in a sword-clashing duel of two martial arts legends. I've already done Jackie Chan's best fights and Jet Li's best fights, so with the domestic release of Dragon (), it's time to look at the best fights from the current king of Hong Kong action movies, Donnie Yen.. Right, right. As an outspoken person, I always questioned, Yen says. But I know that once You know what, Donnie? That isnt, he says, a criticism directed solely atJohn Wick. an old friend of Wick's who is speculated to . The film received a wide US theatrical release from Miramax, and remains one of the most successful foreign language titles ever distributed in the America market.Donnie returned to Hong Kong to choreograph the smash hit fantasy-horror-comedy 'The Twins Effect', and went on to enjoy his most productive partnership with a director. Exclusive: Donnie Yen on 'Raging Fire,' 'John Wick 4,' How Yuen Woo-ping Discovered Him, and More By Steve Weintraub Published Aug 29, 2021 Plus, Yen shares what it was like making director. At the end of the 50 movies, maybe the 48th, 49 moves, he strikes down with his sword. He was eventually forced to borrow money from loan sharks. Over time, he learned a few tricks to soften the blows. One thing I pointed out is he was a stereotype. In this movie, you were a singer. Its produced by Nayeema Raza, Blakely Schick, Daphne Chen, Caitlin OKeefe and Wyatt Orne; with original music by Isaac Jones; mixing by Sonia Herrero and Carole Sabouraud; and fact-checking by Kate Sinclair and Mary Marge Locker. Donnie Yen recently revealed that the production team behind "John Wick: Chapter 4" redesigned his character Caine after he spoke out against it being an Asian stereotype. Chinese kung fu star, Donnie Yen, is listed as a member of National Committee of CPPCC. Its more to illustrate what he has faced his whole career, and what he and other Asian actors are up against, even now. following the likes of Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee. Let me take a look." Yuen ended up signing Yen, then just 18 years old, to a three-year, multi-movie deal. And I think it really shows because the scenes that I have with Stephanie, she is looking for her mother in every universe. Doesnt smile, shared Yen, who suggested making Chirrut mwe blind. Everyone was just out there competing, like B-boys or skate crews, to do the coolest shit possible. And walk away. Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen recently recalled two different occasions when legendary martial arts actor Jet Li nearly blinded him. Donnie Yen. This is not uncommon. And Ang is like the most quiet spoken. You know, whats the value of life? Donnie Yen Ji-dan (Chinese: ; pinyin: Zhn Zdn; born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and action director. And Evelyn, who is I think it was the funniest when Evelyn realizes, what do you mean Im the worst failure of Evelyn Wang in all the universes? They make these [MINION VOICES]. And shes unrecognizable as Deirdre. Pokmon Detective Pikachu Sequel Finds Its Writer and Director, and More Movie News, Womens History Month TV and Streaming Guide 2023, All Rocky and Creed Movies Ranked by Tomatometer, RT Fans Crown Jurassic Park the Ultimate Steven Spielberg Movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once Wins the A24 Showdown, RT Users Crown Toy Story the Best Pixar Film Ever, The Most Anticipated TV & Streaming Shows of March 2023, Daisy Jones & The Six Stars Riley Keough and Sam Claflin on Making the Band, Copyright Fandango. Will ringmaster Mark Ellis give the W to the Drunken Master, the true Hero,Ip Man himself, or the mother-bleeping Dragon himself? And this is like five genres of film mixed into one bagel. Who is the ultimate fighter? Jacket, $2,800, vest, $590, shirt (vintage), and pants, $690, by Double RL. In 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story', Yen plays one of the Rebel warriors responsible for the theft of the Death Star plans, the adventure that, within the 'Star Wars' universe, leads to the events of the very first film in the series. The movie, which premiered at the London Film Festival, paid tribute to the great history of Hong Kong martial arts cinema.During the shooting of his ambitious, time travel themed action fantasy 'Iceman 3D', Yen was approached to revitalize the greatest brand in the history of Chinese martial arts cinema. And youll get new ones delivered directly to you. Im doing Tigers Apprentice. Im in the next Minions.. Why would you want me to do that? Because in 2020, Chinas film market became the worlds biggest box office. And then you pull back and you go, what the heck do they have at the end of their sleeve? Yen could regale you with stories of his scrapes for hours. The older I get, the more I kind of look into what Im about, Yen says. And Im like, I would bend backwards to talk to him. Donnie, can you come in and shoot a close-up? And we are very, very much part of you know, the Asians belong. One thing I pointed out is he was a stereotype. Growing up, Brad developed an innate love of movies and storytelling, and was instantly enamored with the world of adventure while following the exploits of Indiana Jones, Japanese kaiju, and superheroes. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, thenView saved stories. I know seven, eight is going to be the close-up. Yen demonstrates, throwing little blocks and jabs as if training at the wooden dummy. He got one of his producers to make an introduction, borrowed the money. Yen is next set to appear in the highly-anticipated John Wick: Chapter 4 with Keanu Reeves and Sleeping Dogs, an adaptation of the popular video game of the same name. When I didBlade II I had a horrible time, man. You know, inHero we did all the poetic shots and beautiful color and posingits been done, Yen says. From the parents, the grandparents the hierarchy, right? And you should see, Jamie and I, we look at each other and, wahaa! The characters are there, but its more about the love rather than just the playing around, the pranks that they would do on the poor girl poor Constance, and you know. And theres more. NEXT: Donnie Yen Should Front A xXx Spinoff Franchise. I think that is the superpower thats inherent in all of us. Her latest role is no exception she took on a part that was originally written for the actor Jackie Chan. You can sing in those. Talk tomorrow. He can stillgo. Of you as Bond? As you get older you feel it more and more., Another actor might have hung it up by nowor at least dialed back the physical side of things. Right. Meanwhile, Yen continued to produce quality martial arts films in Hong Kong, creating an international hit as the titular kung fu master in Ip Man. In t. And he was going to be the principal. Jackie Chan and Li have known each other for a long time. Youre not allowed to look at the camera. . After starring in blockbusters like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Disney's live-action Mulan, Yen will soon appear in John Wick 4 as Caine, an old friend of Wick's who is speculated to be an important aspect to the main character's story. And, while hes still known for his fight scenesno actor better understands or displays the balletic beauty of raw, human combathe no longer has to take shots in the face. Your body knows what its doing because its just extracted this key information. In China, Yen can play drug lords, animated monkeys, romantic leads, soldierseven sing. Theyre not serving Chinese foodbecause they never had authentic Chinese. Global fans will recognize him from the likes ofStar Wars spin-offRogue One, as well as this months fourth outing in the phenomenally successfulJohn Wick franchise. Typical master. Instead of coming across, and I'm supposed to block it like this, he comes across horizontally. Because I was running from Singapore, and then take the flight literally ran out of the set. Which is embodied by the everything bagel in the movie. And so your body is doing all these wild and wonderful and precise, graceful moves. auditor, who is fantastic. And then he said to me, oh, the Daniels came and pitched me the movie in China. He arrives at the Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill in London wearing a leather Alexander McQueen jacket and sweats, the brim of his baseball capblazoned with the motivational slogan You Can Do Itpulled low. But then, when it came to the late 70s and early 80s, it switched over to much more masculine dominated with you know, the Jackie Chan, the Jet Lee, the Donnie Yen. And thats what we all do. Although Jackie Chan beganto move away from making American action moviesin the mid-2000s, he still found time for a quick cameo in the first Twins Effect, which Donnie Yen co-directed alongside Dante Lam. Theyve been part of this community forever. In addition to Ip Man and Rogue One, Yen rose to fame by appearing in films such as Hero," Iron Monkey,". Throughout his career, Hollywood has never quite known what to do with himor, until recently, any Asian leading men, for that matter. He would spend countless hours developing hisfa jing, or explosiveness, practicing high kicks on the heavy bag until he knocked it down. On his phone, he has about a dozen group chats going, connecting him to the various departments, so that when he inevitably wakes up at 4 a.m. with ideas, he can make changes from afar. Of his 80-odd movies, most remain unseen by American audiences outside of hard-core martial arts fans but are nonetheless classics of the genre: films likeIron Monkey,SPL, andFlash Point. Most of the people outside of China dont see it until they are there, Yen says. Yen previously played a blind character in another big-budget project: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The martial artist, who portrayed Chirrut mwe in the 2016 film, told GQ that he also asked for a redesign of his character after taking issue with him in early script drafts. And that was how my journey started. And Im like, no way. We literally spent the entire day coming up with moves, and then Yuen Woo-ping would say, Not cool enough. The entire day, without coming up with one shot., Those early films with Yuen provided Yen with a crash course in the art of making action movies. Ive witnessed all kinds of unimaginable things, Yen says, recalling tricky years when the phone rang less or when creative misfires doomed projects. In an interview with GQ, Yen, 59, shared that he spoke to John Wick: Chapter 4 director Chad Stahelski about making adjustments to Caine, a blind assassin whose first iteration allegedly employed several Asian tropes. And I think what, in 96, 97, when they were doing that, it was because I think the movement of where women were like, OK, I want to go and watch a Bond movie where Im not just sexualized, all right? John Wick: Chapter 4 is hitting theatres on March 24. Yes. So, I said, I would love to be able to try I think at that point in that period, the glory years of Hong Kong cinema, it was comedies and action movies that were the best sellers. Shanghai Knightsarrived during the peak of Jackie Chan's conquest of Hollywood and is widely regarded as one of his best Western action comedies, though it trades the Americanizedelement of Shanghai Noon for a trip across the pond to Victorian England. I kid you not, it was spilling like shower spray. Shes looking for the mother that she can connect with. It was very competitive. And perhaps if she was so successful in all that she do, like in the movie universe, she doesnt have a family. In 'Iron Monkey', Yen played the father of Wong Fei-hung, and its success prefigured that which he would later enjoy as another pugilistic patriarch in 'Ip Man'. You are engaged with that emotional thread connection that keeps going through it. Do you know theres auto-tune? And the women became the damsel in distress. When the cameras roll, the old Donnie Yen still kicks in. So, the movie borrows from, obviously, martial arts movies in a very cheeky way. A spy from another country. And blood was spilling. There was the Yuen clan, the Jackie Chan clan, and the Sammo Hung clan, Yen says. Why is everything so generic? Right, which the daughter is doing. The world class creative team gathered by producer Harvey Weinstein included legendary kung fu film director Yuen Woo-ping, acclaimed directors Peter Berg and Morten Tyldum (as producers), 'X-Men' series DP Tom Sigel as well as the Oscar-winning production, costume and FX designers from the 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Hobbit' film series.The film debuted in most international territories as a Netflix Original movie, making it the most widely seen wu xia of all time. And I almost chained up life. Yen's final reel duel with Sammo Hung is now regarded as a classic of the genre. Given that he was by now a serious practitioner of modern Wu Shu, his parents decided to send him to Beijing to train at the Chinese capital's famed Wu Shu academy.It was when Yen returned to Hong Kong en route back to Boston that he met the famed martial arts movie director Yuen Woo-ping.Donnie exploded onto the Hong Kong movie scene when he was cast in the lead role of director Yuen Woo-ping's 'Drunken Tai Chi'. Cinemagoers in China are being obliged to watch propaganda videos featuring some of the country's best-loved stars. While the more familiar faces of Jackie Chan and Jet Li are household names in America, the 48-year-old Yen still needs one real chance to show his stuff with a significant part in a Hollywood-produced blockbuster to add his name to the list. This is aJohn Wick movie. Jackie Chan and Sylvester Stallone have a long-running Hollywood friendship. Yes, poise. Donnie also received a Best Actor nomination at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Donnie Yen sobre los personajes asiticos: "Por qu siempre se tienen que llamar Shan or Chang?" . And its a science fiction. Theres a love story. The film brought Yen his first real attention as a thespian and he was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category at that year's Hong Kong Film Awards.Tsui Hark went on to produce a remake of King Hu's classic 'New Dragon Inn', which provided another showcase role for Donnie as the film's apparently invincible villain.Donnie was reunited with director Yuen Woo-ping for 'Iron Monkey', a film which brought Yen's acting and action skills both into focus. They are not in my life. Maybe now it can happen. And Im like, but they dont talk. It was only a matter of time before this happened. Guillermo was a total gentleman. I have, yes, success and fame. Yen was on the set of Tsui Harks now classic 1992 sequelOnce Upon a Time in China II, filming the kind of action scene they really dont make anymore. The film was released in North America by The Weinstein Company's Dragon Dynasty label, and remains its biggest hit.Yen also attracted rave reviews when he played an honorable general in 'An Empress and her Warriors' and an offbeat ghost-buster in Gordon Chan's 'Painted Skin'.Yen took his career to a new level when he accepted producer Raymond Wong's suggestion that he play Bruce Lee's teacher, 'Ip Man', in an eponymous film relating the life of the great master. But in Hollywood? Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. More News. The film, about an amnesiac warrior returning to his home village, has become a bona fide cult classic.As director, Donnie followed 'Legend of the Wolf' with a very different venture, 'Ballistic Kiss', an urban thriller about a conflicted assassin. In this movie, and his follow-up features for the company ('In the Line of Duty 4', 'Tiger Cage 2'), Yen showed off his own unique form of contemporary screen combat, a form that included elements of rapid fire kicking, Western boxing and grappling moves.Having established a worldwide fan base, Yen moved on to star in a string of independent Asian action features before director Tsui Hark tapped him to co-star in 'Once Upon A Time In China 2'. . Yen co-starred in action films with Jet Li and Jackie Chan and continued to play the leading role in many martial arts and action films including Tsui Hark's "Seven Swords" (2005) and crime . Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen recently recalled two different occasions when legendary martial arts actor Jet Li nearly blinded him. Its these floppy things. As a kid from Hong Kong, let alone one whod spent the previous six years in America, he barely fit in. Each studio was determined to outdo its rivals for the most elaborate action sequences and flat-out dangerous stunts. Yes. He received his first full action directing credit on the Michelle Yeoh, kung fu drama 'Wing Chun', in which he also starred.Yen further developed his style of choreography in the high pressure world of Hong Kong television, where he created the action for his hit series 'Kung Fu Master' and 'Fist of Fury', and as a low-budget film-maker, when he directed, starred in and choreographed the movies 'Legend of the Wolf' and 'Ballistic Kiss'.It was after Yen had helmed his first two Chinese features that Hollywood made its first serious bid for his services. Jaycee chan was great, he comes across very humble , Jackie chan had a small role in this film just like donnie yen which was a disappointment but none the less still enjoyable. Its hard to do, Yen says. And one of the things that was interesting to me is Ive never seen you in something so silly, which is, I think fantastic. And you know, you carry it with you everywhere you go. Its a movie its about the Chinese culture. Donnie starred opposite screen legend Chow Yun-fat in the film, which smashed box office records in Mainland China.Showing his versatility, Yen went on to play a kung fu master facing challenges in the modern era in director Teddy Chen's 'Kung Fu Jungle'. Its very, very limited. Jackie Chan's 20-Year Quest to Share the Screen With Lifelong Friend Jet Li Finally Came to Fruition After Legal Barriers . As a result, there is certainly a sense of fulfillment here as Chan and Yen go head-to-head in Twins Effect II (released in the West ofBlade of Kings). Yen's duel with Jet Li brought his skills to the emerging Mainland Chinese theatrical audience, and paved the way for Donnie to become the country's biggest action star. Youve got to do this, you have to do that. Ihated it. Yen would escape by watching kung fu movies, spending two dollars to catch Bruce Lee double bills at the cinema downtown. It is very easy to walk away and just turn a blind eye because then you are not involved emotionally, physically, or you know, any way. There will always be more people like Michelle, he said. Oh, if I was James Bond? After premieres in New York and Los Angeles, the film enjoyed great acclaim from the American critics, and won a prize at that year's Taurus Awards, an event held to celebrate action in cinema.After working on a number of independent features, Yen went on to enjoy huge success on the small screen when he accepted a lucrative offer from Hong Kong's ATV to film a series based on the Bruce Lee classic 'Fist of Fury'.