The Questions | Contest Main Page

Martial Arts Movies

Actors:

Identify the actor:

Personalities/Bio

A possible Chinese Pee Wee Herman, this actor/director got his start doing children's comedy (where he had a cult following of adult viewers). He is best known for his comedic roles and plots where his winning formula seems to be portraying either a bumpkin with some wildly special ability or an arrogant slicker who finds his conscience. His 2001 worldwide (at least among Kung Fu fans) hit was horribly butchered by Miramax for its limited US theater release.
Stephen Chow
Little Pao-Pao (a childhood nickname) was originally trained in Chinese opera. This actor/stuntman/choreographer/director had a slow start, but made a name for himself in Yuen Woo Ping's Drunken Master. He eventually broke into the U.S. market with Rumble in the Bronx.
Jackie Chan
A director not well known to the martial arts cinema audience, he returned to China for the first time since 1994 to create the stunningly beautiful 2000 release starring Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun Fat, and relative newcomers Zhang Ziyi and Chen Chang.
Ang Lee
Considered by many fans to be the first actor with speed commensurate to the legendary Bruce Lee, this actor/director met President Nixon at the age of 11, his first hit was Shaolin Temple (1983). He broke into the U.S. market playing villain in one of the Lethal Weapon films. He has a divot on the tip of his nose.
Jet Li
This Green Bay Packers fan was featured as "The Hip Nip" in standup comedy and made his first on-screen appearance in 1967. He made also appearances in M*A*S*H and Happy Days.
Pat (Noriyuki) Morita
The real names of some of this actor's imitators in knockoff films: Ho Chung Tao, Vyacheslev Yaksysnyi, Huang Kin Lung, Kim Tai Chung, Chan Wai-Man and Jackie Chan.
Bruce Lee
Better known for his standard roles in American Action cinema, it's not widely known that this actor/blues and folk singer is also an Aikidoist.
Stephen Seagal
An extremely influential director in the scene, he seems to prefer comedy and has expressed interest in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Singin' in the Rain style musicals. Despite these aspirations, he's still better known for two-fisted gunfights, though true fans insist that he should be best known for a scene involving Chow Yun Fat dancing in a wheelchair.
John Woo
Another director, this one is also producer, writer, action director and composer. He arguably gave Jackie Chan his big break, helped develop Michelle Yeoh's career (directing a film she starred in that has a central theme of tofu), and has recently made a big splash in America as a much sought-after action director/choreographer.
Yuen Woo-ping
Leader of the "Seven Little Fortunes" (a school performance group that included Jackie Chan, Yuen Baio, and others), this actor/action director/producer/director has specialized in humor and satirical treatments of the big hits. In 1998, he came to America for 44 episodes (not all aired) of a television series, but most of his notable directorial work came in the 80's. He's also known for cooking lunch for his own staff, including special meals for those with restricted diets.
Sammo Hung
"Queen of Kung Fu cinema", she passed on an offer to appear in The Matrix movies. She is the highest paid actress in Asia, was crowned Miss Malaysia (and Miss Mooba) and named one of the most beautiful people in the world by People magazine. She has starred in films alongside Chow Yun Fat, Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan, and Chinese Olympic champion Li Ning.
Michelle Yeoh
Having arguably obtained some of his notoriety in the 70's while working with the legendary Bruce Lee, this Anglo star still builds his career around his martial prowess, especially in the Christian world of celebrity.
Chuck Norris
This actress who is non-martial, has featured opposite Jackie Chan in the 80's, but never felt she really knew the craft of acting until she started working with director Wong Kar-Wai. While in the 90's, she starred in an English language role (she has a British accent) in a film directed by a Frenchman, she's won her 3 Best Actress awards in Asian language films.
Maggie Cheung
Uncredited (?) actresses in a cameo part of Shaolin Soccer: They played the Double Handsome Dragon team captains.
Karen Mok
Due to a number of legal and tax-related shenanigans, this fictional name and person was used by many different Directors and Producers including Joseph Lai, Ratno Timoer and Wu Kuo-jen as well as by the shenanigan perpetrator, who shall remain nameless in this question. This fictional person directed quite a few movies after his fictional death.
Thomas Tang

Name the Style

In Jet Li's English language release, The One, the villain uses this Chinese style related to Tai Chi Chuan.
Hsing Yi
In The One, the hero uses this style, also related to Tai Chi Chuan
Ba Gua
In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Li Mu Bai's sword style.
Tai Chi Chuan Sword Style
In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the Police Detective's art (with the circular blades).
Ba Gua
Bruce Lee's signature style.
Kung Fu: Jeet Kune Do
In Stephen Chow's Shaolin Soccer, the style that is the trump card that wins the match (and by all rights should be winner in all Chinese films).
Tai Chi Chuan
In Akira Kurosawa's films, the martial art that most of the samurai display against multiple opponents (including his favorite, actor Toshiro Mifune).
Iaido

Name the film

Ramen Western, impossibly long fistfights, Japanese truckers and a search for the perfect bowl of soup.
Tampopo
Two insane American cops, the Triads, counterfeit foreign currency and Four Fathers.
Lethal Weapon IV
Loaned out Hong Kong undercover cop, slapstick comedy, drugs and arms dealing, insane stunt motorcycle driving by a castmember, and fights involving durian fruit.
Supercop
Dominant woman hero, tofu store (sweet and salt), tofu fight,
Wing Chun
Derived from Dashell Hammett, ronin, ghost town, gang war, lightning draw. Extremely influential.
Yojimbo
Long Japanese series, blind massuese, Yakuza, gang war.
Zatoichi Series
Mighty Steel Leg, down and out coach, egg juggling, miles high kicks, amateurs playing dirty tricks with hammers and wrenches, bent post, an Evil Team.
Shaolin Soccer
French corrupt cop, a hooker from North Dakota, accupuncture death (and sedation), big guns, found weapons and an international conspiracy. Ultraviolence.
Kiss of the Dragon
The Real World is blue, the imagined world is green, Neo, red or blue?
The Matrix