On his very first day working on a Hong Kong action film set, Jude Poyer saw someone rushed to hospital when a stunt went badly wrong. Instead of seeing this as a bad omen, Jude - who had relocated to Hong Kong at the age of 18 to follow his dreams of working in martial arts movies - stayed in Hong Kong, where he would be based for the next eight years, working with some of the biggest names in kung fu cinema: people like Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Jet Li, Corey Yuen, Tony Ching, Stephe...
Dec 02, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Season 4Ep. 48
When ex-US Marine and martial arts instructor Chris Collins took his Wing Chun pupils to see the film Ip Man 3 in 2015, he joked that he would be appearing in the next film in the Ip Man series - if another sequel was ever made. Fast-forward several months and Chris is sitting in front of director Wilson Yip, who is offering him a role in the fourth and final instalment of the hit kung fu movie series starring Donnie Yen. Chris, who plays one of the villains in the film, says his rapid rise in t...
Nov 18, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Season 4Ep. 47
As a lifelong fan of Bruce Lee, the chance to play a starring role in HBO's Warrior TV series - based on a story by the late kung fu movie star and executive produced by his daughter, Shannon Lee - was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And he relishes every scene in his role as Young Jun; the entitled, violent, and arrogant heir to Chinatown's Hop Wei gang, a criminal syndicate operating in late 1870s San Francisco at the height of the Tong Wars. Jason Tobin adds heart, nuance and depth to the c...
Nov 04, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 46
Alexander Fu Sheng would have celebrated his 65th birthday on 20 October 2019. A poster-boy for Shaw Brothers' unique brand of high-octane martial arts action films throughout the 1970s and early 80s, Fu Sheng died tragically young at the age of 28 in a car crash on his way to a night-shoot. Like Bruce Lee before him, his young death immortalised him as another tragic martial arts film star, taken too young at the height of his powers. However, unlike Lee, Fu Sheng is largely unknown outside of ...
Oct 21, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 45
When Hollywood stunt performer Heidi Moneymaker was asked to flip a car three times in mid-air while doubling for the actor Saoirse Ronan in the 2013 film, The Host, she approached the job in much the same way she approaches all other aspects of her work: fearlessly. Heidi is the real deal. Operating in the shadows, she is a genuine action hero who has entertained millions around the world in some of Hollywood's most successful films (from the Fast and Furious franchise to the Marvel Cinematic U...
Oct 07, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 44
We have been reporting from the Fighting Spirit Film Festival since it started back in 2016. Now in its fourth year, the event has grown to become the UK's largest martial arts movie festival; a two-day celebration which welcomes some of the genre's biggest names and best talent. As well as screening some of the hottest new feature films from around the world, the festival also provides an opportunity for up-and-coming, independent filmmakers to have their movies shown on the big screen. This sp...
Sep 23, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Season 4Ep. 43
From the age of four, Mindy Kelly has dedicated her life to the martial arts. Since moving to Hollywood, she has made her name as both a stunt performer and coordinator, working on music videos for the likes of Lady Gaga, Childish Gambino, Skrillex and Metallica, to performing for major action movies like Alita: Battle Angel, The Dark Knight Rises and Transformers: Age of Extinction. Now Mindy has now made her feature film debut as a stunt coordinator - not to mention fight choreographer, martia...
Jul 08, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 42
Today we welcome back the martial arts movie star, Scott Adkins, who makes his third appearance on our show. Scott and the director, Jesse V. Johnson, have been responsible for some very impressive work over the last few years, including Savage Dog, Accident Man, The Debt Collector, Triple Threat and their latest, Avengement, which sees Scott provide one of his most intense acting performances. It's a partnership which allows Scott to take on more challenging, character-driven work, and one whic...
Jun 24, 2019•58 min•Season 4Ep. 41
It was while doubling for Milla Jovovich on the set of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter in 2015 that Olivia Jackson's life would transform forever. A promising young stunt performer, model and Muay Thai kickboxer from South Africa - whose film credits included Mad Max: Fury Road, Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Olivia narrowly escaped certain death when a motorcycle stunt went horribly wrong during filming in Johannesburg. Following a head-on collision at high-speed wi...
Jun 10, 2019•1 hr 18 min•Season 4Ep. 40
After watching Thailand's Ong-Bak and Indonesia's The Raid, the producer, stunt coordinator and fight choreographer Sonny Sison had an epiphany. Where were the Filipino action films promoting their indigenous martial arts styles, like Ong-Bak did with Muay Thai, and The Raid with silat? Determined to do the same for his home country, Sonny left Hollywood and boarded the next plane to Manila, taking over 25 years' worth of industry experience with him to a country still developing as a global pla...
May 20, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 39
When Chuck Norris convinced his martial arts buddy - the 11-time world kickboxing champion, Don "The Dragon" Wilson - to consider a career in the movies, he could never have dreamed how quickly his life would transform. A winning audition for the king of exploitation cinema, Roger Corman, led to a multi-picture deal which would see "The Dragon" become the leading martial arts movie star in the highly lucrative direct-to-video market of the late 1980s and 90s, headlining movies such as the Bloodf...
May 06, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Season 4Ep. 38
Shannon Lee was only four years old when she lost her father, the international martial arts superstar, Bruce Lee - but her father has continued to have a lasting impact on her life. As the CEO of the Bruce Lee Family Companies and Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Bruce Lee Foundation - a not-for-profit social enterprise - Shannon has been responsible for upholding the legacy of her father through numerous channels, including podcasts, retail, social media, books, documentaries and ...
Apr 22, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Season 4Ep. 37
Celebrating the best (and worst) that martial arts movies had to offer in 2018, join us for our festive round-up of the year with the action movie expert and author of 'Life of Action', Mike Fury. As well as counting down our top five favourite martial arts movies of the year, we discuss the stories that grabbed the headlines in 2018, read out some listener's comments compiled from across our social media channels, and look ahead to the titles we are most excited about in 2019. We also play clip...
Dec 24, 2018•1 hr 17 min•Season 3Ep. 36
When Bruce Lee died 45 years ago at the age of 32, his death was shrouded in mystery. To this day, theories still abound as to the circumstances surrounding his passing and the events leading up to it. Writer Matthew Polly has his own theories, along with many other revelations about Lee’s short but incredible life which he has published in a new biography, called 'Bruce Lee: A Life', which is available now wherever you get books. Matthew’s fully comprehensive biography expands on Lee’s privileg...
Oct 22, 2018•1 hr 18 min•Season 3Ep. 35
Buffy's stunt double and former Power Ranger, Sophia Crawford, earned her spurs as a stunt performer working in Hong Kong's raw and relentless action movie industry in the early 1990s. She found herself part of an era of exceptional, female-fronted martial arts films, working with the likes of Moon Lee, Sibelle Hui and Yukari Oshima, performing all of her own stunts in conditions that were sometimes less than perfect. It was in Hong Kong where she discovered her love for the martial arts, acting...
Oct 08, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 34
When Jean-Paul Ly moved from Cambodia to London to make it in the movie business, he predicted that within three years, he would be the lead in a martial arts action film. It only took two and a half years until he completed work on Jailbreak (out now on Netflix) – Cambodia’s first martial arts film and a runaway international success. Despite being made on a shoestring budget and facing a number of on-set challenges, Jean-Paul Ly’s hard work as the lead actor as well as one of its main fight di...
Sep 24, 2018•1 hr 14 min•Season 3Ep. 33
Having now worked with UK martial arts star Scott Adkins a total of six times – including on the films Savage Dog, Accident Man, The Debt Collector, and the soon to be released martial arts movie event of the year, Triple Threat, which also stars Iko Uwais, Michael Jai White, Tony Jaa, Tiger Chen and Michael Bisping – the writer, director and former stunt performer Jesse V. Johnson is right to feel proud of what they have accomplished in a reasonably short space of time. Jesse and Scott continue...
Sep 10, 2018•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 32
Today is an 'I Am Vengeance' movie special. WWE star Stu Bennett (aka Wade Barrett) and martial arts movie legend Gary Daniels star in 'I Am Vengeance' (aka 'Vengeance'), which is out now in theatres and on digital download in the US. The film tells the story of ex-serviceman turned mercenary, John Gold, and his quest for revenge following the death of his former army buddy. The UK-made action film is the brainchild of writer and director Ross Boyask and producer John Adams, who both work at Evo...
Aug 27, 2018•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 31
Although Bob Wall had no desire to become a film star, he somehow ended up appearing in some of the highest grossing martial arts films of all time. As Chuck Norris’ business partner and Bruce Lee’s training buddy and friend for over a decade, Bob – a world professional karate champion – found himself cast as one of the baddies in Lee's 1972 film, The Way of the Dragon. Bob provided a similar foil to Lee’s on-screen attacks the following year when he was cast as the treacherous villain, O’harra,...
Aug 13, 2018•1 hr 15 min•Season 3Ep. 30
UK actor and filmmaker Joey Ansah’s imagination was sparked at an early age through the power of the classic Hong Kong action movie, Dragons Forever, and the Street Fighter video game. The son of a famous Ghanaian fashion designer father and a UK mother, Joey grew up immersed in both British and African culture. His passion was, and still is, the martial arts, becoming a famous online ‘tricker’ and skilled in Capoeira, Taekwondo, Ninjitsu and many other styles. Working as a fight choreographer, ...
Jul 30, 2018•1 hr 15 min•Season 3Ep. 29
Alain Moussi has enjoyed a rapid rise from stuntman to starring roles to leading his own martial arts movie franchise. As Kurt Sloane, he is the poster-boy at the heart of the rebooted Kickboxer franchise – a role made famous by his childhood hero, Jean-Claude Van Damme – which was launched in 2016 with the film Kickboxer: Vengeance. The second instalment, Kickboxer: Retaliation, received rave reviews upon its release in 2018, with The Hollywood Reporter calling it “stylish and enjoyable”, and F...
Apr 30, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 28
To celebrate the UK DVD and digital download release of Accident Man – a British action comedy based on a comic book by the creator of Judge Dredd – we have two of the world’s biggest martial arts movie stars on today’s show. Listen to my in-depth conversation with one of the most popular female action stars on the planet right now, Amy Johnston, who has gone from being Scarlett Johannsson’s stunt double to leading her own fight flicks with top performances in movies like Lady Bloodfight and Fem...
Apr 16, 2018•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 27
Having retired from the world of mixed martial arts, Cung Le is channelling the same grit and determination which made him a champion fighter into his career as an actor in Hollywood and Asia. Over the past decade, the former UFC fighter, Strikeforce Middleweight Champion and highly decorated martial artist has balanced his professional fighting career with appearances in some superb martial arts movies, including Fighting, The Man with the Iron Fists, Bodyguards and Assassins, The Grandmaster a...
Apr 02, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 26
Actor, stunt performer, filmmaker, teacher, activist - there's a lot more to Diana Lee Inosanto than just being the daughter of legendary Filipino-American martial artist Dan Inosanto, not to mention the goddaughter of the iconic Bruce Lee. Despite being only seven when the martial arts superstar passed away in 1973, she still has fond memories of "Uncle Bruce" and growing up with the Lee family, with whom she is still very close. She has continued to teach the philosophy and martial arts of her...
Mar 19, 2018•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 25
Star of the 1985 Motown-produced cult classic, The Last Dragon, we welcome Taimak to our first podcast of 2018. Taimak Guarriello was only 19 when he made his starring-role debut as the wise kung fu kid 'Bruce' Leroy Green in Berry Gordy's weird and wonderful action fantasy. It's a fun mix of martial arts and music, but the shoot wasn't always smooth, and Taimak explains some of the on-set disputes, rivalries and relationships which fuelled the production. He discusses working with legendary mus...
Mar 05, 2018•1 hr 11 min•Season 3Ep. 24
Welcome to the Kung Fu Movie Guide's End of Year Show 2017, featuring the action movie expert and ‘Life of Action’ author Mike Fury. Listen as we reveal our Top 5 martial arts films of the year - and also share our thoughts on the worst film of the year. We also discuss the top martial arts movie news from 2017, and take a moment to remember some of the people who have died this year. We look back at some of the great guests who have appeared on the show, play some never-before-heard outtakes an...
Dec 19, 2017•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 23
This episode comes to you live from Fighting Spirit Film Festival 2017, an all-day celebration of martial arts movies which took place in London, UK, on 16 September 2017. You will hear from up-and-coming UK filmmakers whose short films were shown at the event, including: multi-award-winning writer, director, producer, actor, stuntman and martial artist, Beau Fowler, whose short film Express Delivery picked up the award for Best Action Choreography at the festival; Doctor Strange actor Linda Lou...
Oct 24, 2017•51 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Today we welcome one of martial art cinema's all-time greatest villains to the show. The giant, musclebound German fighter Matthias Hues has spent a career taking on the likes of Dolph Lundgren, Cynthia Rothrock, Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Bolo Yeung, Billy Blanks, Lorenzo Lamas and Mark Dacascos. But despite his on-screen persona, Matthias is actually a very sweet-natured person, as revealed in this wide-reaching, in-depth conversation. His story is fascinating. He became a highly successful owne...
Sep 11, 2017•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Today we celebrate the weird and wonderful world of Bruceploitation cinema with the martial arts action star, director, writer and fellow podcaster, Michael Worth. When he's not making his own movies, Michael has been following his passion for kung fu movies with a number of exciting projects. I catch up with him during the filming of his own Bruceploitation documentary, which looks into the strange sub-genre of films which followed in the wake of Bruce Lee's untimely death in 1973. The 'clones'...
Aug 28, 2017•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Fresh from his award-winning fight choreography duties on a string of Scott Adkins hits - including Boyka: Undisputed, Eliminators, Ninja: Shadow of a Tear, and the upcoming Accident Man and Triple Threat - it was a great pleasure to spend time with the Swedish martial arts maestro, Tim Man. A former taekwondo champion, Tim Man learned the hard way by getting knocked around as a stuntman in Thailand, working with the likes of Tony Jaa, Jeeja Yanin, Joe Lewis and Gordon Liu. Although he hates bei...
Aug 07, 2017•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 19
