Yuen Biao Movies
Yuen Biao is most known for his collaboration with Hong Kong action superstar Jackie Chan. Together with actor, director, and stunt coordinator Sammo Hung, the comedic trio have starred in many slapstick-martial arts films, including Project A (1983), My Lucky Stars (1985), and Dragons Forever (1988). All three appeared in small roles in the martial arts classic Enter the Dragon (1973). The three were trained from a young age at the Peking Opera Academy, where they were subjected to harsh training at the hands of their master; this story was retold in the 1988 film Painted Faces. Offscreen, Biao is the least known of the three; although he is popular among genre fans, he lacks the star power of Chan and the directorial skills of Hung. However, his acting abilities are impressive, and he has appeared in over 50 films. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
Following up on his success with his 1978 smash hit Drunken Master, Jackie Chan directs this old school kung-fu-comedy. Lung (Chan) is an orphan being raised in a grim martial arts school run by a strict dour master. During the Lion Dance competition, Lung's buddy, Keung (Wei Pai), jumps ship and helps a rival school win. Keung is immediately kicked out of the school and Lung is sent out to go find him. Meanwhile, Keung falls in with a pair of thugs who are looking to bust the master of the rival school out of prison. The cops headed by the earnest Sam Kung (Shih Kien) mistakes Lung for Keung and eventually captures him. Though Lung easily manages to slip out of the cuffs and evade Kung, his daughter proves to be much harder to lose and a formidable kung-fu to boot. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan
- 1978
Sammo Hung stars in this parody of Return of the Dragon, the 1973 kung fu classic that paired Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. Sammo plays Lung, an apprentice pig farmer sent to the big city to help his family, only to find himself confronted by a gang of thugs trashing the grocery stand where he works. Lung's hero is Bruce Lee, and he's carefully studied Lee's martial arts techniques; however, he also weighs a good hundred pounds more than Bruce, which makes him look like a less than threatening opponent. However, the gang soon discovers that Lung knows how to throw his weight around (literally), and he soon dispatches the toughs, only to find a full slate of adventures before him. Originally released in 1978, Fei Lung Gwoh Gong received a belated video release in the United States in 1999 after Sammo Hung became an unexpected success with his American TV series Martial Law. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung
Brothers Little John and Big John make a living as small-time con men. When things go sour, they turn to a powerful man called the Silver Fox, only to find that he too is a con man who's playing them at their own game. Their luck is sure to run out soon, but lucky for them, they run into Fatty the Beggar, who proves that when it comes to the real power of kung fu, looks can be deceiving. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
- NR
Sammo Hung directs himself and Jackie Chan in the Hong Kong action film Dragon Forever. Chan plays a lawyer who discovers that his client is a drug king. Chan teams up with a hapless friend (Hung) and a mentally unstable associate (Yuen Biao) to stop the kingpin. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Sammo Hung Kam-po spins this old school kung-fu flick. Chan-wing (Hung) is an unruly fighter determined to get martial arts master Leung Chun-yau (Leung Kar-yan) as his teacher. Leung, however, is up to his ears in his own problems and the last thing he needs is an undisciplined lad to make trouble. Leung's older brother, Jo-wing (Chang Yi), is such a thug that he tried to rape Leung's wife, Yuet-yi (Fanny Wang), on their wedding night. Though Jo-wing fled immediately after the incident, Leung and his wife have been fretting over the inevitable reunion between the two siblings. They finally meet again when Leung's father is on his deathbed. While Leung and Jo-wing uneasily stare at each other during their father's final gasps of life, Jo-wing's henchmen are plotting a trap. Leung is almost killed until Yuet-yi steps in and disavows her husband in exchange that Jo-wing promise to spare his life. Burning with cold fury, Leung agrees to train Chan-wing while plotting his revenge. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung
Director and master choreographer Yuen Woo-ping spins this brilliant kung-fu-thriller featuring future star Yuen Biao. The film opens with serial killer White Tiger (Yuen Shun-yee) fleeing from the authorities of rural China and hiding in a small town's opera troupe. There he covers his prominent birthmark under a layer of face paint. In that same town lives Mousey (Yuen), a shy lad who scares easily. His best friend Foon (Leung Kar-yan) decides that the only way for Mousey to conquer his timidity is to study kung-fu under Wong Fei-hung (Kwan Tak-hing). Mousey proves to be tepid fighter in spite of Wong's best efforts. Yet after several run-ins with the sociopathic White Tiger, Mousey develops the gumption to stand up to this bloodthirsty bully. This film features some of the most influential and oft copied fight sequences in Hong Kong cinema, including Mousey's rigorous training/laundry detail scene and the film's hallucinatory climax taking place on the stage of a Chinese opera. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yuen Biao, Kwan Tak-Hing, (more)
In this classic martial arts film from Hong Kong, Yuen Biao plays the effete son of a wealthy man who is halfheartedly studying kung fu, though his father has to pay ringers to fight him (and, of course, lose). When he finds out that his father has been deceiving him, Biao decides he must learn the true ways of the martial arts, and tries to convince a noted kung fu expert to take him on as a pupil. Prodigal Son was directed by Sammo Hung, who also plays a supporting role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yuen Biao, Frankie Chan, (more)
One of the more noteworthy Hong Kong horror-comedies of its time, this period thriller from Golden Harvest and actor/director Wu Ma (who co-stars as Ma Lucho) is filled with both fascinating mythology and outrageous setpieces. Co-screenwriter Sammo Hung stars as Fatboy, who becomes suspicious when his best friend's death is listed as being due to natural causes. Adding to Fatboy's doubts is the fact that his late friend Ma Lucho's wife is now pregnant, and Ma was well-known to be impotent. Fatboy decides to conduct his own after-hours autopsy to prove that Ma was murdered, not knowing that his friend has actually faked his own death so he could sell all of the valuable treasures bequeathed to him by his late father. Just as Fatboy is about to hack the possum-playing Ma open with a meat cleaver, he is interrupted by a priest, sparing his devious friend. The respite is only temporary, however, as the treasures turn out to be junk, fronts for the real fortune which Ma's wife will inherit when she gives birth to an heir. Realizing that she is better off as a sole beneficiary, Ma's wife conspires with the priest to have her husband killed. Ma goes from playing dead to really being dead, but then rises from the grave as a ghost and ends up possessing Fatboy in order to further his campaign of revenge. The ensuing confrontations and their consequences for Fatboy's discorporated spirit result in a rousing conclusion. It's also a peculiar one -- at one point, Fatboy's soul ends up inside the body of a beetle, which his girlfriend Yuen (Cherie Chung) protects from the demons sent to escort it to hell by hiding it in a feminine napkin. Lam Ching-ying and Chung Fat co-star. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Jackie Chan directs himself and fellow martial arts superstar Sammo Hung in the action film Jackie Chan's Project A. Chan plays a 19th century Coast Guard office who must defend Hong Kong's borders from a variety of smugglers and undesirables. As is usually the case, Chan performs all of his own stunts during the film. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1983
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Legendary Hong Kong filmmaker Tsui Hark spins this lavishly designed fantasy epic featuring some of the most cutting edge, oft-imitated special effects of the day. The film, set in 5th century China, centers on Ti Ming-chi (Yuen Biao) a young innocent from the West Zu army who wandered away from the battlefield and into a magical underworld filled with demons and murderous swordsmen. When his life is saved by the noble warrior Ting Yin (Adam Cheng Siu-chau), Ti joins forces with his band of fighters -- including a Buddhism monk named Abbot Hsiao Yu (Damian Lau Chung-yan), his klutzy underling Yi Chen (Mang Hoi) and a fearsome old wizard named Long Brows (Sammo Hung) -- in their quest to save the world from the terror of the Blood Demon. In spite of Long Brows' powers the Demon attacks and poisons Abbot Hsiao. Ting and company take the injured monk to the enigmatic Countess of Jade Pond (Brigitte Lin Hsia) hoping that her skills can cure him. Though she manages to cure Hsiao, the demon soon possesses Ting. The combined power of Ting and the demon are too great; the Countess can only surround her castle with a solid block of ice and wait while Ti, Yi and one of the countess's guards (Moon Lee Choi-fung) ventures to the top of Blade Peak to find the legendary Twin Swords. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yuen Biao
- 1983
Hong Kong filmmaker Brandy Yuen wrote and directed this breezy sports comedy set in the 1960s soccer scene. Yuen Biao stars as Lee Tong, who leaves his remote farming village after accidentally injuring the chieftain's son and travels to the big city. While settling in, Lee meets Suen (Cheung Kwok-keung), an aspiring soccer player who encourages him to audition for the Luen Wah team. Unfortunately, Lee falls for a trap, as he had earlier disgraced the team's star player, King (Dick Wei), who is eager to get revenge. Lee becomes the team's ballboy and is subjected to repeated humiliation, but finally gets his chance to shine when King accepts a bribe to throw a match and has Lee take his place, assuming that the lowly ballboy will make a fool of himself. As has become standard procedure in films like this, Lee singlehandedly leads the team to victory, gets the stuffing beat out of him as punishment, and finally redeems himself one-on-one in a climactic showdown with King. Moon Lee co-stars with Eddy Ko. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yuen Biao
- 1984
Following up from their success with Project A, martial arts-comedy trio Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Biao head out to Spain for this screwball kung-fu flick. Thomas and David (Chan and Yuen) run a Chinese lunch wagon in the streets of Barcelona. One day, David encounters a beautiful pickpocket named Sylvia (Lola Forner, who also appeared in Armor of God) and he is immediately smitten. Meanwhile, inept private dick Moby (Hung) is tracking down the illegitimate daughter of a dead count. If the woman can be found within two weeks after his death, his vast riches go to her. If not, then her evil stepbrother gets the goods. Of course, Sylvia turns out to be the missing heiress. And naturally her evil step-brother has sent out a bevy of goons to insure his inheritance while David, Moby, and Thomas vow to protect the lass. The film was originally going to be called "Meals on Wheels" until studio head Raymond Chow, after the utter failure of his 1982 opus Megaforce, vowed never to have a film that began with an "M." ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, (more)
This third installment in the popular "Lucky Stars" series -- directed by Sammo Hung -- finds Muscles (Jackie Chan), Kidstuff (Hung), Fung (Yuen Biao), and the gang taking a well-needed vacation in Thailand courtesy of the Hong Kong police department. Also on the trip is police inspector Woo (Sibelle Hu Hui-chang) on orders to track down a list of drug dealers from informant Ma (Melvin Wong Kam-sun). Unfortunately, Ma gets whacked by a Thai crime lord, but he tells Woo as he draws his last breath that he mailed the list to his friend in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Muscles and the gang are shaking down Lau (James Tien Chun), a drug dealer who, it turns out, is being targeted by the same baddies that killed Ma. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
This is an early onscreen collaboration of Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Biao. Muscles (Chan) and Ricky (Biao) are two cops who go after a corrupt cop with ties to the Japanese underworld. When Ricky is kidnapped, Fastbuck (Hung), a childhood friend of Muscles, recruits some of their old orphanage friends, now small-time criminals, and this unlikely group goes to the aid of the cops to fight the mob. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
Actor/director Sammo Hung gathered an international cast including the late Oscar winner Dr. Haing S. Ngor (The Killing Fields) and some of the most recognizable faces in Hong Kong cinema for this action-packed martial arts adventure. Set in 1976, the film focuses on a ragtag group of Chinese and Vietnamese prisoners trained by the United States government to carry out a potentially suicidal parachute mission into Vietnam. They are charged with destroying a cache of American weapons accidentally left behind when Saigon fell the previous year before they are recovered by the Vietcong. Led by Tung Ming-sun (Hung), the troops are escorted by a trio of hardbitten female guerrilla fighters from Cambodia (led by Joyce Godenzi), and guided by a black market peddler (Yuen Biao) and his insane uncle (Ngor). Chased by a crazed Vietnamese colonel (Yuen Wah), the team makes their way to the underground storage complex for a violent, impressively staged finale. Blending traditional genre elements with those of the American war film (notably The Dirty Dozen), the film co-stars Corey Yuen, Yuen Woo-ping, Dick Wei, and Phillip Ko, among a host of other familiar genre regulars. The dubbed version released by Tai Seng changes some character names to eliminate any Vietnamese among the heroes and cuts three sequences available in subtitled import editions from other distributors. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, (more)
This slapstick Hong Kong action film follows the passengers of the Shanghai Express, a train running to the small village of Hanshui. Plenty of action takes place as the gallery of wealthy socialites, con men, cops, and train robbers speeds towards its destination. Directed by Sammo Hung, a master of comedic action and martial arts fight choreography, this film stars Hung, as well as a an all-star cast of Hong Kong favorites, including Yuen Biao, Rosamund Kwan, Richard Ng, and Cynthia Rothrock. Although many films in Hong Kong cinema are associated with low production values, Shanghai period pieces are often executed with a surprising level of consistency, and director Hung has succeeded in this genre on many occasions. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, (more)
Ricky Lau directs this fantastically successful horror yarn that successfully fused high-flying slapstick with creepy genre atmospherics. The film opens with Taoist priest Kau (Lam Ching-ying) along with his two hapless assistants, Chou (Chin Siu-ho) and Man Choi (Ricky Hui Koon-ying), set out to fix the Yam family's recent streak of bad fortune. The priest soon concludes that a vengeful feng shui master had tricked the family into burying its elder in a manner that was bound to reap bad luck. Yet before the problem could be corrected, grandpa comes bursting out of the ground and kills his son. When the son returns from the great beyond to reek havoc on the living, Kau eventually manages to put him to rest for good, though gramps continues to terrorize. Meanwhile, Chou has been seduced and bitten by a beautiful spirit and will turn into a vampire unless Kau comes to the rescue. This film not only launched four sequels, but the whole horror-comedy subgenre that exemplified Hong Kong cinema during the late '80s and early '90s. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
Kung fu star and choreographer Corey Yuen spins this vigilante flick featuring Yuen Biao as Hsia Ling-ching, a court prosecutor who is sick of watching the criminal and the corrupt waltz away from justice. After knocking off well-connected drug pushers and underworld denizens, Hsia finds himself not only tailed by determined cop Cindy (played by American kung fu diva Cynthia Rothrock but also pursued by a number of hired guns contracted by crooked gumshoe Sergeant Wong (Melvin Wong. Soon Hsia is scaling building, battling baddies and clinging to helicopters. Roy Chiao Hung and Wu Ma also appear. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cynthia Rothrock, Yuen Biao, (more)
Ricky Lau follows up on his smash horror-comedy yarn with this sequel set in the present day. The film opens with a swashbuckling professor (Chung Fat), who, during an exposition, stumbles upon a whole family of vampires. His scheme of selling the preserved corpses hits a snag when the child vampire runs for the hills and taken in by a pair of adorable moppets who try to hide their new friend from their parents. Somewhere along the lines, Gigi (Moon Lee) and Jen (Yuen Biao) accidentally release the vampire parents resulting in some high-flying kung-fu fights. When the undead duo manage to steal away, Taoist priest Lin (Lam Ching-ying) and police chief James (James Tien) set out to track them down. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Hefty martial arts star Sammo Hung directs this wacky kung-fu-comedy featuring Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. Jackie Lung (Chan) is a philandering attorney who has been hired by ruthless gangster Hua Hsien-wu (Yuen Wah), who thwarts a lawsuit brought about by the wealthy and angry Miss Yip (Deanie Yip Tak-han). Her complains center around Hua's chemical factory, which she claims is polluting the local drinking water. Hua -- who is making illegal drugs in the factory -- isn't about to give up this lucrative franchise and resorts to all manners of less-than-legal means to defend it. Jackie gets his buddies Wong Fei-hung (Hung) and Tung Tak-biao (Yuen) to convince Miss Yip to sell her fish farm. When Fei-hung moves in next to Miss Yip, he starts to seduce her while Jackie tries to attract Yip's comely lawyer (Pauline Yueng Po-ling). Of course, the scheme falls flat when Jackie and Fei-hung realize that they have actually fallen for their marks while realizing that Hua is a very evil man. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1988
This drama focuses on life at the Peking Opera School and is a loose biography of Hong Kong film stars Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Biao. Sammo Hung portrays Master Yu, the academy's brutal schoolmaster, who takes the youths through the rigorous acrobatic training. The film offers an introspective view of Master Yu, as a man who must face the fact that the institution to which he has devoted his life is fading with the passage of time. Although many of the film collaborations of Hung, Chan, and Baio have hinted at their youth together, this film attempts to depict the harsh reality. Nevertheless, Chan has criticized the film, stating that his longtime friend Hung's portrayal was actually too sympathetic an interpretation of Master Yu. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung, Ham-bo, (more)
An honest cop framed for the murder of his wife by his disreputable colleagues sets out to capture the true culprit with authorities hot on his trail in a noir-styled action thriller starring Yuen Baio and Pat Ha. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Directed by Nam Lai Choi, The Peacock King chronicles the lives of two monks who, separated at birth, reunite in order to defeat none other than the King of Hell himself. Peacock (Yuen Bao) and Lucky Fruit (Hiroshi Mikami make the trek to Japan in hopes of finding Ashura (Gloria Yip), the daughter of the King of Hell and the key to preventing the ominously approaching Armageddon. Though they had planned to kill her, things become even further complicated when Ashura, despite her parentage, turns out to be quite nice. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Piecing together exciting film footage of martial arts performances, Deadliest Art demonstrates the reasons for the popularity of martial arts combat in visual entertainment. The history of the art, including basics of the Eastern philosophies that govern it, provides insight along with the demonstration of various types of martial arts fighting. Touching on the skills and frame of mind necessary to perform feats of this kind, this film showcases the beauty of defense without weapons, as well as special techniques required to incorporate the use of weapons, and the ways in which the martial arts have been showcased in the film industry. ~ Sarah Sloboda, All Movie Guide
Teddy Robin Kwan directs this lavish period action flick set in the first half of the 20th century and featuring a dazzling line-up of stars. Little Tiger (Yuen Biao) ventures from the sticks to the big city in search of his cop brother Big Tiger (Chi-cheung Lam), an honest cop working in a corrupt system. Surmising that life in the police force was not his cup of tea, Little Tiger joins the Swallow Acrobatic Troop, which he excels in because of his kung-fu prowess. When a band of thugs from Chin Hung-yun's (Sammo Hung) group attacks the troop, Little Tiger not only handily fights them back but also infiltrates their organization to destroy them from the inside. Meanwhile, Big Tiger's old flame Mary (Anita Mui) returns from America to join the revolutionaries. Big Tiger soon finds himself torn between his love of this girl and his orders to arrest all revolutionaries. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
