Three of the most talented, cinematic physical performers of the 80's and 90's are arguably Sammo Hung, Jet Li and of course Jackie Chan. However, America's reluctance to accept them as more than cult figures has been baffling when you consider their screen presence and longevity in the world's third biggest and possibly most interesting movie industry.

Movies such as 'Encounter Of The Spooky Kind', 'Police Story' and 'Once Upon a Time in China' have long been considered classics by many the world over including such Hollywood hard hitters as Sylvester Stallone and Oliver Stone, with these three movies alone standing testament to the eclectic nature of Hong Kong action cinema. Stallone’s disappointing actioner 'Tango & Cash' is now famous for stealing a considerable chunk of the opening bus chase sequence from the aforementioned 'Police Story'.

Prior to the 90's, the only Hong Kong action hero to achieve success and critical acclaim in the U.S. was the inimitable (but often imitated!) Bruce Lee. The Little Dragon alone created a boom in the west’s interest in martial arts following 'Enter the Dragon', enticing young and old into newly created dojos from Arkansas to West Bromwich, while opening the floodgates for endless inferior chop-socky flicks featuring the likes of Jimmy Wang Yu, Bruce Li and eventually a young Jackie Chan.

It may have been Bruce's impact that has hindered some of Hong Kong’s finest when attempting to crack the American market, as they immediately draw unfair comparisons.

Sammo Hung who can be seen opposite Bruce at the beginning of 'Enter the Dragon' has starred in, directed and produced some of the finest work seen in Hong Kong and has recently been admired by millions in the American show 'Martial Law' prior to its cancellation. Unfortunately, it would appear that the recent interest in Hong Kong style action seems to have arrived a little too late. Now in his 50's, Sammo's talents as director, producer and action choreographer would appear to be his best ticket to American acclaim rather than as a performer. In my opinion, Sammo is more talented as both an actor/performer and director than the more famous Jackie Chan and Jet Li with amazing performances in 'Encounter Of The Spooky Kind', 'Eastern Condors' and 'Pedicab Driver', while showing true directorial ability in classics such as 'Prodigal Son' and 'Heart of Dragon'. It is surprising that directors such as Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark, although talented, have been allowed to take the helm of numerous American films ahead of him with little success.

Sammo was a "big cheese" in the East before Chan made his mark in films such as 'Drunken Master', 'Young Master' and 'Project A' and it was not until the groundbreaking success of the phenomenal 'Police Story' that Jackie began to carry more clout.

Sammo continued to direct Jackie in greats such as 'Wheels on Meals' and 'Dragons Forever', notable for featuring Chan's two best ever one-on-one fights opposite kickboxing champion Benny 'the jet' Urquidez. 'Dragons Forever' saw the clash of egos that would see them not work together for a number of years.

Jackie's American flops 'Battlecreek Brawl' and 'The Protector' as well as contractual obligations 'Cannonball Run' and 'Cannonball Run II' caused him to give up on the West, instead concentrating on his greater marketability back home to produce a string of successes such as sequels to 'Police Story' and 'Armour of God' before embarking on what many believe to be his finest hour (and a half!) reprising the role of Wong Fei Hung in 'Drunken Master 2'.

The character of Wong Fei Hung is a Chinese legend and can be seen here as a combination of the original 'Drunken Master' and the Jet Li highflying wire worked version from 'Once Upon a Time in China'. ' Drunken Master 2' contains more breathtaking action than ten Arnie films and features some sublime choreography and execution from both Jackie and co-director Lau Chia Liang. The final reel is the epitome of Chan's "gasp factor" as he battles super kicker and real life bodyguard Ken Lo. The film was recently released Stateside as 'Legend of Drunken Master' cashing in on Chan's success with American collaborations 'Rush Hour' and 'Shanghai Noon'.

Recently, Chan's films have carried more of a Western feel with some being filmed in English such as 'Rumble in the Bronx', 'First Strike', 'Mr. Nice Guy' and 'Who am I?' with 'Rumble in the Bronx' being a breakthrough film for Jackie gaining a nationwide cinema release in the U.S.

Jet Li has not enjoyed the consistent success at home as Jackie or Sammo, with a slow rise to stardom following his debut in 'Shaolin Temple', but may become a bigger star in America than both of them following his hit roles in 'Lethal Weapon 4' and 'Romeo Must Die'. He was also expected to feature in the upcoming 'Matrix' sequels to be choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping, who styled the action for Jet's best film 'Fist of Legend' as well as the original 'Matrix'. However, this now looks extremely unlikely, as both are being short changed paywise compared to the other stars. This is unfortunate as the first Matrix would have been less successful without Woo Ping’s training and choreography of Keanu Reeves et al, and the two sequels are likely to be extremely lacking without him.

While 'Romeo Must Die' was relatively successful at the box office, Jet seems far less assured in modern day actioners, lacking the screen presence he holds in more traditional, fantasy kung-fu flicks such as 'Once Upon a Time in China' and 'Fong Sai Yuk'. Films such as 'The Master' and 'Hitman' are disappointing when compared to his more traditional films, especially as they display less of his Wu Shu ability.

It will be interesting to see what hybrids of Hong Kong-American action will be next following the success of these Jade Screen stars, but it is clear that the U.S. cinema going public have now fully opened their eyes when it comes to the eastern influence. Traditional style films such as 'Drunken Master 2' and 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' would not have seen the light of day in a Californian cinema five years ago, but now they seem to provide entertainment for the public and inspiration for film makers while allowing stars such as Jet, Jackie and Sammo to shine in their own unique ways.

Written By Tony Ryan (23/04/01)