![]() Chan eventually repaid the favour with his roles in Wang's films, Fantasy Mission Force (1982) and Island of Fire (1990). In the late 1970s, Wang helped Chan when then the latter sought his help in settling a dispute with Lo Wei that allegedly involved Triads. In 1976, Wang appeared alongside Jackie Chan in Lo Wei's Killer Meteors. In 1975, Wang starred in the Australian action film The Man from Hong Kong. But beginning in the 1970s, Wang's star began to be eclipsed with the entry of new actors, many with superior martial arts training such as Ti Lung, David Chiang, and especially Bruce Lee, whose role in The Big Boss (1971) revolutionised the martial arts film genre. With the success of The Chinese Boxer, Wang stood unchallenged in Southeast Asia for a short time, as the Chinese actor with the most formidable fists and legs. His subsequent works were mostly filmed in Taiwan. Wang then looked to Taiwan for better career prospects, linking up with Golden Harvest and other independent film outfits. The legal tussle that ended in the studio's favour led to Wang being banned from making films in Hong Kong. He broke his contract with the Shaw Brothers Studio, and was promptly slapped with a lawsuit. Chinese youths, in their bid to emulate Wang, took to punching sandbags, and reading up on the history of Shaolin Kung Fu.Ĭontroversy dogged Wang after the fame that exploded with The Chinese Boxer. It also triggered a phenomenon that filled the ranks of many Chinese martial arts associations across Southeast Asia. The latter has been credited as being the first Hong Kong martial arts film that kickstarted the unarmed combat genre, mainly kung fu. If One-Armed Swordsman was the movie that launched Wang's acting career, The Chinese Boxer was the film that sealed his fame in Hong Kong cinema. Following that, Wang starred in many other wuxia films, including One Armed Boxer (1971), Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976) and Return of the Chinese Boxer (1977). In 1968, he acted with Cheng Pei-pei in the wuxia film Golden Swallow, directed by Chang Cheh. Wang joined Shaw Brothers Studio in 1963 as a stunt performer, and had his first acting role in the 1965 film Temple of the Red Lotus. For a time he served in the National Revolutionary Army, and was also a competitive swimmer and a car racing enthusiast. From a young age, he trained in karate, tai chi, Wudang quan and taijijian. He was a suspected member of the Bamboo Union triad, and was charged in the 1981 murder of several Four Seas Gang members, though he was acquitted due to a lack of evidence.īorn Wang Zheng Quan (王正權) in Shanghai in 1943, Wang and his family moved to Hong Kong when he was still a child. Wang Yu was well-known for his volatile personality and ties to organized crime off-screen. ![]() ![]() According to The New York Times, Wang was "the biggest star of Asian martial arts cinema until the emergence of Bruce Lee." At the height of his fame in the 1970s, he was the highest-paid martial arts actor in the world. Initially a contract player for Shaw Brothers, he rose to fame for his starring role in One-Armed Swordsman (1967) and its sequels, and was one of the first major stars of martial arts and wuxia cinema. ![]() Eureka Classics is proud to present the worldwide debut of a brand new restoration from the original film elements on Blu-ray.Jimmy Wang Yu (28 March 1943 – 5 April 2022) was a Hong Kong-Taiwanese martial artist, actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. Yu Tien soon trains his remaining arm to be stronger than ever, and goes on a rip-roaring rampage of revenge!įeaturing a multitude of unique and inventive fight scenes against opponents from around the world including Japanese and Okinawan karate experts, Tibetan monks, Thai kick-boxers, and Indian Yoga experts, One Armed Boxer is one of the most influential and exciting martial arts films of the 70s. Jimmy Wang Yu (One-Armed Swordsman, Master of the Flying Guillotine) stars as Yu Tien Lung, a top martial artist who after incurring the wrath of a local gang leader, is attacked by a team of deadly mercenaries and has his right arm violently severed.
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