"Director: Woo Ping Yuen"

• Drunken Master | DVD | (17/04/2000) from £9.85   |  Saving you £13.13 (191.40%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Drunken Master is a film that, following Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978) (made with the same ensemble cast and director Yuen Woo Ping), consolidated Jackie Chan's position as the new Hong Kong kung fu action star of the late 1970s. Set in the late 19th century, Chan plays the great Chinese hero Wong Fei Hung as a loveable young rogue who is always getting into fights or embarrassing his family. Eventually his father decides the only way to make a man of Chan is to send him for training with an old drunken drifter played by Yuen Siu Tien. Just as they did in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, the pair make a fine double-act, though this time there is much surreal entertainment to be had from the older man teaching the younger the fine art of drunken kung fu. Learning to fight like the Eight Drunken Gods before the final confrontation with Hwang Jang Lee causes Chan considerable problems, though Yuen Siu Tien simply fights better the more he drinks. Yuen Siu Tien would reprise the role in his final film, Magnificent Butcher (1979) yet with Chan he finds a perfect blend of slapstick comedy and creatively staged action which makes Drunken Master a genuine kung fu classic. On the DVD: The picture is generally strong though inevitably there is a fair amount of grain. Unfortunately the original 2.35-1 film has been reformatted to 1.77-1 widescreen TV ratio. This has been done more skilfully than usual but is still a misrepresentation of the original cinema release and does mar both the landscape photography and the fast moving action scenes. The sound is perfectly acceptable mono. Soundtrack options are the original Mandarin with English subtitles, or an English dub. Extras include the original English language theatrical trailer, Hong Kong Legends' own trailer, plus promos for further releases and a photo gallery. There is a detailed text biography and filmography of Jackie Chan, a biography of Yuen Woo Ping and a text interview with producer Ng See Yuen. Also included is a text biography of Hwang Jang Lee linked to a kicking showcase which is another short fight scene. Most of these features are identical to those on the Snake in the Eagle's Shadow DVD. --Gary S Dalkin

• Twin Warriors | DVD | (04/10/2004) from £3.56   |  Saving you £12.43 (349.16%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Jet Li teams up with Michelle Yeoh in Twin Warriors, a period martial-arts tale of revenge and retribution filmed in 1993. Directed by Yuen Woo Ping (who also directed Jackie Chan's popular Drunken Master and Yeoh's Wing Chun), it matches over-the-top melodrama with fantastical fight scenes. Li and Chin Sui Hou play Junbao and Tienbao, two misfit monks who have been getting into trouble at their Shaolin temple since childhood. Tienbao's volatile temper and ego get them banished from the monastery, and the pair try to make a new life for themselves in a nearby village. From here they take decidedly different paths. Tienbao joins the military regime of a ruthless eunuch ruler while Junbao joins a group of political rebels that includes Yeoh. Tienbao's violent quest for power erases his friendship with Junbao, his betrayal causing Junbao to go temporarily insane. During this period Junbao discovers tai chi, which prepares him for a final confrontation with Tienbao. The action scenes include a memorable match-up of Li and Chin against the entire monastery, where in the non-stop action Junbao escapes attack by riding one of his foes like a snowboard out of the fray. Yeoh's fight scenes include a complicated orchestration involving tables and chairs; her scenes are so impressive that it's a shame she wasn't given more screen time. --Shannon Gee, Amazon.com

• Snake In The Eagle's Shadow | DVD | (07/02/2000) from £15.24   |  Saving you £4.75 (31.17%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Snake in the Eagle's Shadow is the film that marks the beginnings of Jackie Chan as a Hong Kong action star. Set in early 20th century China, it is a traditional kung fu action picture invigorated by Chan's good humour and charm. The heart of the film is Jackie's surprisingly emotional relationship with the elderly Yuen Siu Tien, whom the star rescues and befriends. In return, the old man trains Chan in the art of Snake's Fist kung fu, which he later combines with the Cat's Claw to develop the technique of the title. The action, directed by Yuen Woo Ping, includes Chan in an exciting battle with a sword-wielding preacher and a striking showdown with arch-villain Hwang Jang Lee. The sequences in which Chan learns new fighting techniques are both inventive and humorous, with the charismatic Yuen Siu Tien (a veteran Chinese film star and father of the director) offering a sober version of the character he would play in Chan's follow-up Drunken Master (1978), and in Magnificent Butcher (1979). The film features a regular ensemble cast of classic Hong Kong kung fu film actors, and regardless of its obviously low budget mixes violence, comedy and emotion into an enduringly popular success. On the DVD: The image is variable, with some shots displaying considerable grain and print damage while the colours are weak throughout. Worse, the original 2.35:1 film has been reformated to 1.77:1 widescreen TV ratio. While this has been done with some care it inevitably damages the compositions and loses information in the dynamic fight scenes. The sound is functional mono. Soundtrack options are the original Mandarin with English subtitles, or an English dub. Extras include the original English language theatrical trailer, Hong Kong Legends' own trailer, plus promos for further releases and a photo gallery. There is a detailed text biography and filmography of Jackie Chan, and a text interview with producer Ng See Yuen. There is also a text biography of Hwang Jang Lee linked to a kicking showcase which is another short fight scene. Most of these features are identical to those on the Drunken Master DVD.--Gary S Dalkin

• In The Line Of Duty | DVD | (20/08/2001) from £17.20   |  Saving you £2.79 (16.22%)   |  RRP £19.99

  From the acclaimed action director of 'The Matrix' and 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' and starring Donnie Yen from 'Iron Monkey' and 'Highlander:Endgame' a high-energy tribute to Harrison Ford's 'Witness. 'In The Line Of Duty' is one of the most accomplished action-adventures to come out of Hong Kong and was a massive hit with audiences all over the world.

• Wing Chun | DVD | (20/09/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Yim Wing Chun (Michelle Yeoh) is a feisty woman living in a remote village plagued by bandits. She's regarded as too 'masculine' by the men of the village who prefer women to be demure but when Wing Chun finally loses her cool and defeats the criminals her heroic actions just stir up even more trouble! Hyper-kinetic action from the action-director of 'The Matrix' and 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' allied to emotive storytelling and playful comedy makes 'Wing Chun' an unforgettabl

• Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (22/07/2019) from £29.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Legendary action director Yuen Woo Ping draws on a stellar cast (Michelle Yeoh, Dave Bautista, Tony Jaa, and Max Zhang) to create a hard-hitting martial arts blast worthy of its place in the celebrated IP MAN universe. Following his defeat by Master Ip, Cheung Tin Chi (Zhang), tries to make a life with his young son in Hong Kong, waiting tables at a bar that caters to expats. But it's not long before the mix of foreigners, money, and triad leaders draw him once again to the fight. Bonus Features Battle of Strength Signboard Street Fight The Hitman Confrontation The Cheung Lok's Fight

• True Legend | DVD | (25/10/2010) from £3.45   |  Saving you £14.30 (846.15%)   |  RRP £15.99

  True Legend is the extraordinary journey of a man - a martial arts hero - whose greatest dream is to create a unique school of martial arts for the world to follow. All his life Su Can has been pursuing the summit in martial arts. There are two things he holds dearest to his heart - the dream of creating a unique kind of martial arts that will pass on to generations; and his beloved wife. Su has a happy family and his wife is the joy of his life. But owing to a turn of fate and Su's own stubbornness he loses his wife and his family is destroyed. After losing his wife Su cannot live with himself and collapses totally. He is drunk all the time and becomes a crazy beggar in everyone's eyes. Everyday his young son ties him with a piece of rope and leads him through the streets greeted by people's curious and disdainful gazes. But all this time during his spiritual exile his dream for the highest peak in martial arts is still alive. In his madness Su continues his practice to perfect his skills and fists.

• Legend Of A Fighter | DVD | (05/03/2001) from £13.73   |  Saving you £6.26 (45.59%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In the historically based Kung fu drama Legend of a Fighter director Yuen Woo Ping offers his version of the early life of martial artist Fok Yuen Gap (played by Leung Kar Yan). Set at the beginning of the 20th century, Fok is considered too weak to learn the family Kung fu style. Still, as his father can break eggs by growling, he probably considers most people weak. The teenager forms a bond with his humane Japanese tutor (Kurata Yusuaki), who secretly teaches martial arts. The story builds to a moving climax as 12 years later pupil and now ageing master are forced by honour into a deadly duel. The opening and closing acts are by far the strongest, the plentiful fight scenes being balanced by gentle humour and emotions torn between friendship and duty. Both lead actors are excellent, with Yusuaki being particularly fine as the noble warrior-teacher. The middle, a series of disconnected tableaux in which Fok establishes his stature as a Kung fu expert, goes on much too long to sustain interest. Nevertheless the story of Fok Yuen Gap, a genuine Chinese hero who was also the inspiration for Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury (1972), is fine and Woo Ping delivers the one-on-one Kung fu action with the touch of a master.On the DVD: The 1.77:1 image doesn't benefit at all from its anamorphic enhancement, the entire film being presented slightly out of focus so that by the end eyes are likely to be aching. The opening 4:3 Academy ratio archive footage has been distorted to 1.77:1, while the original trailer shows Legend of a Fighter was shot in an extremely wide format--possibly the Hong Kong equivalent of early 2.66:1 CinemaScope, or even 2.74:1 Techniscope--which means that large amounts of the original image are missing. This is very obvious as characters constantly vanish off the sides of the screen or are cropped in half. Additionally, and again compared to the crisp, sharp trailer, colours are washed out, while the mono sound distorts whenever the music gets loud. The film is available in Mandarin with optional English subtitles, or in an awful English dub littered with inappropriate obscene language. There is a nine-minute interview with Leung Kar Yan, and a 23-minute interview with Yuen Woo Ping, which is a slightly longer version of the conversation presented on the Magnificent Butcher DVD: it's notable how he expresses his love of science fiction and indicates he would like to make a SF Kung-fu movie, something he achieved with The Matrix (1999). There is a Hong Kong Legends' promo for the film, together with seven further new trailers. The photo gallery is pointless, simply cropping some shots even further than the main presentation. --Gary S Dalkin

• Iron Monkey | DVD | (26/03/2001) from £6.58   |  Saving you £13.41 (203.80%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Iron Monkey is a thrilling 1993 adventure directed by Yuen Woo-Ping, now better known as the action director of The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Audiences who approach Iron Monkey after seeing the latter two Hollywood-produced hit movies will not be disappointed here, either by the physical prowess of the stars or the astonishing action set-pieces (especially an interlude atop a set of "Chinese poles"), which are staged for maximum dynamism. The story concerns the real-life Cantonese patriot Wong Fei-Hung, who is first introduced as an earnest boy travelling with his upright pugilist father (Donnie Yen) and drawing inspiration from the activities of the benevolent masked bandit known as the Iron Monkey (Yu Rong-Guang), a sort of Oriental Robin Hood. Ever since the late 1800s Wong Fei-Hung has evolved into an icon of Chinese pop culture and he's been a central figure in Hong Kong cinema since the 1950s, notably in Tsui Hark's Once Upon a Time in China series. Yuen Woo-Ping's fight sequences for his version of the legend are a powerful combination of the older, Baltic style of kung fu action and the newer body-slamming style pioneered by Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. If you thought you were allergic to martial arts but loved Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, this is the perfect picture to continue your exploration of the genre. --David Chute, Amazon.com On the DVD: This is a handsome-looking anamorphic (16:9) widescreen transfer, although the soundtrack is in mono. You can select either the dubbed English version or the original Cantonese with English subtitles. Extra features include trailers, photo galleries, biographies and interviews with both star Donnie Yen (in English) and director Yuen Woo-Ping (subtitled).

• Tai Chi Boxer | DVD | (17/06/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  An enchanting tale of love and heroism underpinned by Yuen Woo-ping's dazzling fight sequences Tai Chi Boxer tells the story of a young fighter inspired by the teachings of his heroic father to combat the violent excesses of an opium-smuggling ring and win the heart of the girl of his dreams. Tai Chi Boxer is an outstanding tribute to the innovative genius of Yuen Wo Ping combining striking imagery compelling characters and amazing fight sequences.

• True Legend | Blu Ray | (25/10/2010) from £9.99   |  Saving you £10.00 (100.10%)   |  RRP £19.99

  True Legend is the extraordinary journey of a man - a martial arts hero - whose greatest dream is to create a unique school of martial arts for the world to follow. All his life Su Can has been pursuing the summit in martial arts. There are two things he holds dearest to his heart - the dream of creating a unique kind of martial arts that will pass on to generations; and his beloved wife. Su has a happy family and his wife is the joy of his life. But owing to a turn of fate and Su's own stubbornness he loses his wife and his family is destroyed. After losing his wife Su cannot live with himself and collapses totally. He is drunk all the time and becomes a crazy beggar in everyone's eyes. Everyday his young son ties him with a piece of rope and leads him through the streets greeted by people's curious and disdainful gazes. But all this time during his spiritual exile his dream for the highest peak in martial arts is still alive. In his madness Su continues his practice to perfect his skills and fists.

• Twin Warriors / Fist Of Legend / The Legend | DVD | (04/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Twin Warriors: An action-packed high-octane tale of two boys who grew up together but whose lives took very different directions and are in later life brought back together on a collision course! Fist Of Legend: When Chen (Li) discovers that his beloved teacher and mentor has been murdered he swears to avenge his death! Then with an unwavering commitment to vengeance Chen puts everything on the line to settle the score! International superstar Jer Li explodes on the screen in this thrilling martial arts action story about courage honour and revenge! The must see modern remake of a Bruce Lee classic 'Fist Of Fury' Fist Of Legend packs hard hitting excitement and incredible hand to hand combat into one unstoppable adrenaline rush! The Legend: Hard-hitting international superstar Jet Li (Romeo Must Die Lethal Weapon4) delivers nonstop action in this thrilling story of a young martial arts expert fighting to save his father's life! A ruthless emperor is targeting members of an underground revolutionary group that is attempting to overthrow his powerful regime. When Fong Sai Yuk (Li) learns that his father is part of the resistance movement and has been marked for retribution he boldly seeks a head-on confrontation with the might of this evil empire!

• Red Wolf | DVD | (25/02/2002) from £18.88   |  Saving you £6.11 (32.36%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Director Yuen Woo Ping's The Red Wolf is, like Under Siege (1992) and Speed 2 (1997), essentially Die Hard on a ship. However, rather than being "inspired by", this movie is virtually a Hong Kong remake of the Bruce Willis action classic, right down to the jump-off-the-roof crash-through-the-window highlight. The setting is New Year's Eve on a cruise liner which happens to be carrying a consignment of plutonium. Gangsters hijack the ship and it's up to an unnamed security officer (Kenny Ho) and tender-hearted pickpocket Lai (Christie Chung) to save the day. Budget limitations are revealed by only having about 60 passengers, and by an almost complete absence of shots of the sea, but the director manages to pack plenty of extremely violent action and by playing things straight generates considerable suspense from the formulaic story. Helping immensely are strong turns from Elaine Lui and Wing Cho as the psychotically ruthless main villains. Some of this film is very nasty indeed, so a tension-shattering detour into slapstick by Chung is simply bizarre, and the finale goes laughably OTT. The dubbing is mediocre but the blend of furious marital arts and Terminator-style slaughter is still a winning combination for hardcore action fans. --Gary S Dalkin

• Tiger Cage Trilogy - DELUXE COLLECTOR'S EDITION | Blu Ray | (08/08/2022) from £34.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Bought to you by legendary martial arts stalwart Woo-Ping Yeun, the original Tiger Cage (1988) was an explosive, fast-paced Hong Kong feature replete with criminal gangs and a dedicated law enforcement team in a battle for the city. Just as a crack drug unit celebrates a successful operation one of their numbers is killed. This leads them on a mission to expose the killer and the underground operation and more importantly to discover who the mole in the team might be. Fun, furious and rammed with glorious fight choreography, Tiger Cage is the perfect late 80s Kung Fu spectacular. It was quickly followed by two sequels Tiger Cage 2 (1990) and Tiger Cage 3 (1991) also directed by Woo-Ping Yeun. This brand-new set brings all three movies together in a beautifully presented delux pressing. A must for cult martial arts fans everywhere.

• Shaolin Drunkard | DVD | (21/02/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Legendary Hong Kong director and fight choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping (The Matrix Trilogy) crafts yet another martial arts masterpiece in which the Yuen clan star as a group of wacky Taoist wizards each bettling for supremacy in the martial world. Who will come out on top? Mad non-stop action like you've never seen in which only the strongest will survive!

• Fire Dragon | DVD | (25/04/2005) from £22.65   |  Saving you £-6.66 (-41.70%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Vying for power the evil Prince Six and his masked assassin the Flame Devil plot to kill the Prime Minister. Amidst fire and destruction the Fiery Dragon Team and the Imperial guard team together to extinguish the flame of the evil prince.

• Iron Monkey | DVD | (01/03/2004) from £14.25   |  Saving you £5.74 (40.28%)   |  RRP £19.99

  One of the most visually spectacular films ever produced by a Hong Kong studio this is a traditional epic style movie boasting fight choreography by Yuen Woo Ping action director of ""The Matrix"" ""Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon"" and ""Kill Bill vol 1"" and soon-to-be Hollywood star Donnie Yen. This film is credited by fans and critics as containing some of the most intricte and technically difficult fight action ever shot for the screen. Set in the late Ching Dynasty 'the film de

• Iron Monkey / Thai Chi Boxer / Wing Chun | DVD | (26/12/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  This box set features a collection of titles from the master of modern-day action choreography Yuen Woo-Ping. Iron Monkey - Platinum Edition: One of the most visually spectacular films ever produced by a Hong Kong studio this is a traditional epic style movie boasting fight choreography by Yuen Woo Ping action director of ""The Matrix"" ""Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon"" and ""Kill Bill vol 1"" and soon-to-be Hollywood star Donnie Yen. This film is credited by fans and critics a

• Michelle Yeoh - Magnificent Warriors / Wing Chun / Police Assassins | DVD | (09/01/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Wing Chun (Dir. Yeun Woo-Ping 1994): Yim Wing Chun (Michelle Yeoh) is a feisty woman living in a remote village plagued by bandits. She's regarded as too 'masculine' by the men of the village who prefer women to be demure but when Wing Chun finally loses her cool and defeats the criminals her heroic actions just stir up even more trouble! Hyper-kinetic action from the action-director of 'The Matrix' and 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' allied to emotive storytelling and play

• Dance Of The Drunk Mantis - Drunken Master Part 2 | DVD | (04/06/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99