Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

This is one of the more famous films Chow Yun-fat has starred in. Originally, Jet Li was supposed to have the main role, but there personal reasons and a scheduling conflict and he couldn't do it. So the role went to Chow Yun-fat instead

Summary

-When a young Chinese warriors steals a sword from a famous sword maker, she escapes and falls in love with a mysterious man and together they embark on a romantic adventure

Cast

-Chow Yun-fat: Li Mu Bai

-Michelle Yeoh: Yu Shu Lien

-Ziyi Zhang: Jen

-Chang Chen: Lo

-Sihung Lung: Sir Te

-Pei-Pei Chang: Jade Fox

-Li Li: May

-Suying Huang: Auntie Wu

Did You Know?

-Michelle Yeoh spent a year prior to filming this movie so she could learn to fluently speak Mandarin

-The actors in this film did all of their own stunts. Any wires holding them up were removed digitally

-The title of the film refers to a Chinese mythology quote referencing "hiding your strength from others"

-When Ang Lee approached Michelle Yeoh, he told her this would be like the 1995 film Sense and Sensibility, only with martial arts

-During filming, Michelle Yeoh had torn her ACL and had to be flown to the United States to have it repaired. She returned to filming at different times to film the non-action scenes until her knee had recovered

-The swords and other weapons were made in Taiwan. Ironically, Taiwan is the country Ang Lee was born in and the swordsmith who made the weapons was actually Lee's neighbor in Tainan, Taiwan

-During an interview with TIME Magazine, Chow Yun-fat described speaking in Mandarin as "It's awful". He had to do 28 takes of shooting on just the first day alone because he had great difficulty speaking Mandarin

-All four of the main stars of the film spoke Mandarin with different accents. Chow Yun-fat spoke it with a Cantonese accent, because Cantonese is his primary language. Michelle Yeoh spoke it with a Malaysian / English accent, Ziyi Zhang spoke it with a Beijing accent and Chang Chen spoke it with a Taiwanese accent

-In the opening scene showing Ziyi Zhang, the embroidered dress she wore took two months to make. It required four highly skilled embroiderers

-The action choreographer on this film is Yuen Woo-ping, who is responsible for choreographing the fight scenes and is also responsible for the choreography in the 1999 film The Matrix and its follow-ups

-While it appears that Ziyi Zhang's character is highly skilled in performing martial arts, in real life she had never undergone any formal studies of martial arts. She used dance techniques to learn her moves as if they were a dance instead of a fight

-As part of her training, Ziyi Zhang also learned calligraphy

-Chow Yun-fat was shown a mockup of what he would look like with a shaved head before he agreed to cut his hair down to the scalp

-The scenes filmed in the Gobi Desert were interrupted by rain constantly

-Jet Li was originally offered the role of Li Mu Bai, but had made a strict promise to his wife Nina Li Chi that he would be with her through the pregnancy of their first child

-This is the first martial arts film for Chow Yun-fat

-Director Ang Lee found the intensity and stress of this movie to be so high he had once again resumed smoking

-Michelle Yeoh didn't speak Mandarin at all. Chow Yun-fat speaks it, but his primary language is Cantonese. Yeoh had to have help from Mandarin-speaking crew members phonetically. Her Malaysian accent can be heard throughout the film. Native Mandarin speakers thought Chow Yun-fat's accent was overdone and strained

-Jet Li was offered the role of Li Mu Bai, but instead he chose to appear in the 2000 film Romeo Must Die instead. Hong Kong singer / actor Leon Lai was offered the role, but turned it down. Finally it was offered to Chow Yun-fat, who accepted it

-Ironically, the film was released in the year 2000, which, in Chinese astrology, is the Year of the Dragon

-For the English language dub, there was extra care taken to ensure that the voice actors' roles and wording matched the original lip movements almost exactly

Unleashed (2005)

This 2005 film stars Jet Li as Danny, a man with the mindset of a little boy, who was taken from his mother and raised to be a vicious attack dog for a London loan shark

This is one of my favorite movies. Jet Li is one of my favorite actors

Summary

-A boy is stolen from his mother by a loan shark and raised to be a vicious attack dog. He escapes his master and attempts to start a new life with a blind piano tuner and his daughter

Cast

-Jet Li: Danny

-Morgan Freeman: Sam

-Bob Hoskins: Bart

-Kerry Condon: Victoria

-Vincent Reagan: Raffles

-Dylan Brown: Lefty

-Tamer Hassan: Georgie

-Michael Jenn: Wyeth

-Phyllida Law: Distinguished Lady

-Carole Ann Wilson: Maddy

-Jaclyn Tze Wey: Danny's Mother

Did You Know?

-Initially, Morgan Freeman's character Sam was not meant to be blind at all. He had heard about a piano school where the students were blind. The school had a high reputation and the scholars had developed their hearing. Freeman was inspired to make his character blind because he felt it would be easier for Sam to "see" the child in Jet Li's character Danny, not the brutal killer he was forced to become

-At the start of the movie, Bob Hoskins actually cut Jet Li's hair, as his character would have done

-During a break in filming, Bob Hoskins, still wearing his white suit covered in fake blood, went to a local Starbucks for coffee. Customers recognized him and he spent 10 minutes signing autographs before going back to the set

-In addition to being a highly skilled martial artist, Jet Li is also a highly proficient piano player. He has showed his proficiency of playing the piano on numerous occasions. There are videos online of him playing the piano beautifully

-In the supermarket fight scene, one of the shoppers in the background is executive producer Luc Besson, who was on set that day visiting

-The role of Bart, played by Bob Hoskins, was originally intended for Albert Finney. But he dropped out to do the 2003 film Big Fish. Other actors considered for the role of Bart included Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir Michael Caine and Brian Cox, all of whom turned down this film

-The dog collar Danny wears is an actual prototype of a dog collar designed just for this movie. It includes a retractable chain that Bart keeps under his control to keep Danny under control

Cradle 2 The Grave (2003)

This movie stars hip hop legend DMX and Jet Li as a street thief working with a Taiwanese secret agent to recover not only the thief's daughter but stolen black diamonds that someone is determined to weaponize

Summary

-After a jewel thief steals what seems like innocent black diamonds, his daughter is kidnapped by a weapons dealer. In order to get her back, he must work with a Taiwanese secret agent who is pursuing the black diamonds

Cast

-Jet Li: Su

-DMX: Anthony Fait

-Anthony Anderson: Tommy

-Kelly Hu: Sona

-Tom Arnold: Archie

-Mark Dacascos: Ling

-Gabrielle Union: Daria

-Michael Jace: Odion

-Drag-On: Miles

-Paige Hurd: Vanessa

-Paolo Seganti: Christophe

-Richard Trapp: Douglas

-Sean Cory: Willy Chickens

-Martin Klebba: Fight Announcer

Did You Know?

-During the cage fight sequence, real UFC fighters Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell were brought in by producer Joel Silver to fight with Jet Li

-Mark Dacascos was cast because on the website for Jet Li, there was a poll asking who fans would like to see Jet Li fight next

-For a good majority of the film, Jet Li does combat and fighting with only one hand

-Aaliyah was cast in this film, but passed away in 2001

-DMX, the co-star Jet Li starred with, was late on a frequent basis for filming

-Gabrielle Union was caught off guard when producers sprang on her a scene involving a half-clothed lap dance. It was not in the original script, but she did it anyway. Being a devout Catholic, she went to confession after doing the scene, just to ease her peace of mind

-6 of the actors in this movie starred in the new version of Hawaii Five-O. Mark Dacascos played a character named Wo Fat. Chi McBride played Capt. Lou Grover. Kelly Hu played Laura Hills, the Governor's assistant in season one. Paige Hurd played Samantha Grover. Tom Arnold played an injured criminal lost in the jungle. Randy Couture played an arsonist named Jason Duclaire

-The car Anthony drives is a 2003 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabrio

-The car Su drives is a 2002 Ford Thunderbird

-Paige Hurd is the goddaughter to DMX. Both he and her had a close relationship while on set, almost like a real father and daughter relationship

War (2007)

This movie stars Jason Statham as an FBI agent investigating a brewing gang war between the Chinese Triads and the Japanese Yakuza

Summary

-Jason Statham plays an FBI agent who is pursuing a mysterious figure known only as "Rogue", who murdered his partner and set his house on fire

Cast

-Jet Li: Rogue

-Jason Statham: Crawford

-John Lone: Chang

-Devon Aoki: Kira

-Luiz Guzman: Benny

-Saul Rubinek: Dr. Sherman

-Ryo Ishibashi: Shiro

-Sung Kang: Goi

-Mathew St. Patrick: Wick

-Nadine Velazquez: Maria

-Andrea Roth: Jenny Crawford

-Kenneth Choi: Takada

-Hiro Kanagawa: Yoshido

-Mark Ho-nam Cheng: Wu Ti

Did You Know?

-In multiple interviews, Jet Li stated he was not happy with this film or its production. He had no confidence in director Philip G. Atwell and even halfway through production, Jet Li knew this film would get bad ratings and not make much

-The silver car Jet Li drives is a Spyker C8 Spyder. This car costs around $287,000

-In the scene where Rogue meets the Ti brothers, Rogue speaks in Mandarin while the Ti brothers speak in Cantonese. The dialects might sound similar, but they are not. For those fluent in either dialect, they will easily recognize the sounds of Cantonese and Mandarin. Not only that, but if someone is only fluent in Cantonese, they will not understand Mandarin and it's the same in reverse-someone fluent in Cantonese will not understand Mandarin

-The motorcycle Jet Li rides in the scene where he baits the Triads is a Hellcat motorcycle made by the Confederate Motor Company

-In the Sayu Teahouse, when Takada is injured and Crawford comes in, Takada (Kenneth Choi) says "In Japan, you'd be dead!" This closely mirrors the line Jet Li says as Wah Sing Ku in Lethal Weapon 4. In that scene, where Mel Gibson and Danny Glover go to meet Uncle Benny at the Chinese restaurant, Jet Li says "In Hong Kong, you'd be dead."

Bulletproof Monk (2003)

This movie stars Chow Yun-fat as an unnamed monk searching for the next protector of a scroll that can provide unlimited power

Summary

-A Tibetan Buddhist monk trains a young street thief on how to protect a scroll of immense power from falling into the hands of a secret Nazi organization determined to rid the world of all inferior races

Cast

-Chow Yun-fat: Monk with No Name

-Sean William Scott: Kar

-Jaime King: Jade

-Karel Roden: Struker

-Victoria Smurfit: Nina

-Marcus Jean Pirae: Mr. Funktastic

-Mako: Mr. Kojima

-Roger Yuan: Master Monk

-Russell Yuen: Brother Tenzin

Did You Know?

-Jaime King, who played Jade, broke her finger while filming. It was not resulting from any stunts, but simply talking on her phone while walking up a set of stairs

-The people playing the monks in this movie were not actors, but actual martial artists from a dojo in Toronto, Canada called Sunny Tang Martial Arts Center

-Sean William Scott, who plays Kar, lost 22 pounds and trained for three months in martial arts for this film

-Originally, John Woo, a legendary director known for mixing creative gunplay with martial arts, was going to direct this film

-After the fight on roof with the chopper, Kar and the Monk get into a taxi driven by a man of Indian descent. The Bollywood-type music heard playing on the radio is Mundian to Bach Ke by Punjabi MC

-When the Monk and Kar sit at the table at Kar's residence, the attic of the Golden Palace Theatre, the Monk informs Kar that his name is from the Cantonese language. Cantonese is Chow Yun-fat's primary language

10 Films Inspired by Rocky

Since 11/21/2021 was the anniversary of the release of the famed 1976 film Rocky, the people at Ultimate Classic Rock took a look at some of the films of the 1980s, where the main character is an underdog-type person, overcoming extreme odds to accomplish a dream or something else. Here are 10 films inspired by Rocky.

Flashdance (1983)

-The "Rocky" of the dance floor

-This film centers around a blue-collar steel worker named Alexandra "Alex" Owens (Jennifer Beals) who works as a steel welder during the day and a dancer by night, with dreams of acing the audition to get into a prestigious dance school, specifically the Pittsburgh Conservatory of Dance and Repertory. Along the way, she also finds love in the form of Nick Hurley (Michael Nouri), the owner of the steel plant. There's also an inspirational song and a series of scenes showing her getting into shape, inspired by Rocky

Footloose (1984)

-The "Rocky" of high school

-Kevin Bacon plays city kid Ren McCormack, who moves to a small Midwestern town that outlaws dancing and rock music due to the influence of the local reverend Shaw Moore (John Lithgow). Ren falls in love with Reverend Moore's daughter Ariel (Lori Singer). It's then he decides to not only win her hand and heart, but get the town's ban on dancing removed. Like Rocky, there are scenes showing Ren doing what he does best - gymnastics - and showing his friend Willard (Chris Penn) to dance. Of course, there's also an inspirational song, a song of the same name as the movie by Kenny Loggins

The Natural (1984)

-The "Rocky" of baseball

-This film stars screen legend Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs, a young but already talented pitcher who learns the game of baseball from his dad and even carves his own bat out of wood from a tree struck by lightning. Before his tryout for the Chicago Cubs, a deranged fan shoots him in the stomach, nixing his tryout. Sixteen years later, he's aged and struggling to find a chance in baseball. He gets a chance with a last-chance, no-hope team and his story intermingles with theirs. He manages to lead the team to a one-game playoff and manages to fall in love with the girl he left behind years ago. He goes up to bat and hits a home run into the stadium lights and he and his team are going to the World Series

The Karate Kid (1984)

-The "Rocky" of karate and the West Coast

-Ralph Maccio plays Daniel LaRusso, a middle class kid from New Jersey who moves to the suburbs of Los Angeles with his mother. At his school, he gets bullied by members of the local martial arts school Cobra Kai. Legendary actor Noriyuki "Pat" Morita plays the role of Mr. Miyagi, a Japanese immigrant and the handyman in Daniel's apartment building. He's also a master of karate. He teaches Daniel karate without Daniel even realizing it. He does this by having Daniel do menial tasks around Mr. Miyagi's house and when Daniel finally confronts Mr. Miyagi about karate lessons, Mr. Miyagi then shows him that he has been learning all along, through the tasks he's been assigned. At the same time, Daniel falls for his classmate Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue). The movie comes down to a final fight at the All-Valley Karate Championship. The final fight is between Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Daniel wins by using the "Flying Crane" move he seen Mr. Miyagi doing once

Rocky IV (1985)

-"Rocky" on Steroids

-It might be surprising to see one of the Rocky movies here, but this one is here because it's Rocky himself who is once again the underdog

-Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is now a highly successful boxing champion. Because of the wealthy lifestyle he's suddenly gained, he's gone a little soft. When his good friend Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) takes on a Red Army officer/boxer named Ivan Drago, this fight turns fatal. Drago kills Creed in the ring. Now Rocky decides to take on the Russian himself. Drago uses state of the art technology and a strict training schedule and even the use of the steroids to get himself in shape. Rocky travels to Russia and trains without technology to get himself in shape. When the final fight comes, he is in the best shape he's ever been in. At first, people aren't impressed with his fighting style. But as the fight closes in on the end, even Drago is impressed. Rocky wins the fight and the approval of everyone, including the top Russian government officials in attendance

Top Gun (1986)

-"Rocky" takes to the skies

-Tom Cruise gets his first action role here as Navy pilot Pete Mitchell, nicknamed "Maverick". He gets a chance to train at an elite flight school for pilots. He's considered an underdog due to his father, who was also a pilot, had a misunderstanding in an air battle which resulted in his death. He also falls in love with a scientist (Kelly McGillis)

Hoosiers (1986)

-"Rocky" takes to the court

-Gene Hackman plays Norman Dale, a basketball coach no longer allowed to work the college basketball circuit because he punched one of his own players. With no options left, he agrees to become the coach, in addition to history teacher, at a small, rural school in Indiana. There are obstacles everywhere he turns. The team only has seven players. The best one on the team doesn't want to play. The school is dwarfed by larger rivals in the area. His assistant coach (Dennis Hopper) is an alcoholic. But, through his own wisdom and hard work, in addition to intense training, Dale turns the team around and takes the team to a final game for the Indiana State championship. The team wins and Dale wins the heart of a woman he's interested in (Barbara Hershey)

Dirty Dancing (1987)

-"Rocky" on the 1960s dance floor in New York

-This is one of those classic girl films or "chick flicks". Patrick Swayze plays Johnny Castle, a dance instructor at a wealthy Catskills resort. Jennifer Grey plays Frances "Baby" Houseman, the daughter of a doctor who is on vacation with her family. When Castle's dance partner is unable to fill in for a short time, Baby offers to step in her place and fill in. Castle teaches Baby everything related to dance, all sorts of different dance styles. At the same time, they fall in love. This movie shows scenes where Baby is learning to dance and the movie ends with everyone out on the dance floor for the end of season talent show and Baby's father accepting Johnny for who he is

Over the Top (1987)

-"Rocky" enters the world of arm wrestling

-Some might think there is some favoritism towards Sylvester Stallone because of at least two of his movies being on here. It's not that; it's just this movie is considered one of those "underdog overcomes odds" type situations. Sylvester Stallone plays Lincoln Hawk, a truck driver who moonlights as a professional arm wrestler. He is separated from his wife and his son Michael (David Mendenhall) is living with his grandfather (Robert Loggia), who enrolled him in a military school. When Lincoln finally gets his son back, he shows Michael the world of arm wrestling, which is as foreign a concept to Michael as you can imagine. The only way for Lincoln to get ahead in life is to win the World Arm Wrestling Championship, being held in Las Vegas. The prize is a brand new truck and a cash prize. Not surprisingly, there is that series of scenes showing working out - in this case, Hawk working out to make sure he's in top shape. The final scenes show Hawk at the World Arm Wrestling Championship and his son, now a loyal supporter of his dad, on the sidelines, cheering him on. Hawk wins the championship with his famed move "Over the Top", by putting the thumb over the opponent's hand

Bloodsport (1988) Kickboxer (1989)

-"Rocky" enters the world of kickboxking and martial arts

-As a side note, I'm unsure why some people think of Jean Claude Van Damme as a poor man's Sylvester Stallone. I don't think that. For one thing, Jean Claude Van Damme is an expert martial artist; Sylvester Stallone is not. Both have different acting styles. I have never seen of Jean Claude Van Damme's movies, but I still give him the benefit of the doubt of being a good actor.

-These two films feature a Belgian actor named Jean Claude Van Damme. In Bloodsport, he plays Frank Dux, a US Army Captain/martial artist who is asked to compete in an illegal martial arts tournament in Hong Kong. To win the tournament and avenge one of his comrades, who was killed, he gets himself in shape to fight the top fighter Chong Li (Bolo Yeung). In Kickboxer, he plays Kurt Sloane, younger brother to a kickboxer who is paralyzed from waist down as a result from a fight with a Thai kickboxing champion named Tong "The Tiger" Po (Michel Qissi). To help his brother get some payback, Sloan engages Po in a fight. He makes sure his skills are up to par by training hard and intense.