Ho ho ho and happy holidays to all our listeners around the world. Welcome to the first part of our annual, end-of-year wrap-up podcast featuring the Life of Action author, Mike Fury. And, wow, what a year it has been for martial arts action movies! From manga to Marvel, Netflix to multiplex, low-budget indies to explosive Hong Kong thrillers, this year had it all. In Part One of our End of Year Show, we discuss the martial arts movie news which grabbed the headlines in 2021, and we pay our resp...
Dec 20, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Season 6Ep. 78
What a year it has been for the stunt coordinator, fight choreographer and second unit director, Kenji Tanigaki. Not only did he craft the action on two more 'Rurouni Kenshin' films - called 'Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning' and 'Rurouni Kenshin: The Final', both available now on Netflix - but he also worked as second unit director and fight choreographer on the Hollywood blockbuster, 'Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins', and helped out on the Hong Kong action hit, 'Raging Fire'. The latter saw Kenji w...
Nov 22, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Season 6Ep. 77
Daniel Bernhardt is a true renaissance man; a martial artist from Switzerland who went from being a professional model in Paris to a Hollywood action star. In the 1990s, he was a leading man in low-budget martial arts films - the star of slicker-than-your-average straight-to-video hits like the Bloodsport sequels, True Vengeance and Perfect Target , working alongside fellow martial artists and aspiring filmmakers like Chad Stahelski, David Leitch, Brad Martin, Jonathan Eusebio and J.J. Perry. Wh...
Nov 08, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Season 6Ep. 76
It has taken six years for director James Nunn to bring his one-take, real-time action movie to the screen. During that time, 'one-shot' movies like 'Birdman' and '1917' have not only dominated at the box office, but they have also been lauded by critics. In many ways, Nunn's intense, relentless thriller, 'One Shot' - which is released theatrically and on VOD services in the USA on 5 November 2021 courtesy of Screen Media Films - is an even more remarkable achievement, considering its comparativ...
Nov 01, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Season 6Ep. 75
Brad Martin is one of Hollywood’s top stunt coordinators with a string of blockbusters to his name, including the 'Underworld' series, 'Live Free or Die Hard', 'Tropic Thunder', 'Gemini Man', plus the Emmy-nominated 2021 Marvel series, 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier', to name but a few. He has recently been in Northern Ireland shooting second unit and stunt coordinating on a big-screen adaptation of the long-running video game, 'Dungeons & Dragons', scheduled for release in 2023. That’s ...
Jul 26, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Season 6Ep. 74
Max Huang's turn as Kung Lao - the deadly, hat-throwing, Shaolin-trained kung fu cousin of Liu Kang - in the 2021 reboot of Mortal Kombat was a delightful surprise; a scene-stealing performance complete with comedy, drama, action, and an almighty 'fatality' which just about steals the movie. But the notion of Max being something of an 'overnight success' could not be further from the truth. The German wushu wunderkind has been planning this career from the moment his dad first introduced him to ...
Jul 12, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Season 6Ep. 73
Cynthia Rothrock - the undisputed 'Queen of martial arts movies' - never anticipated a career as an action film star. The Scranton-raised martial artist initially headed west in search of furthering her kung fu knowledge, often competing in men's divisions to become a national champion, and touring the world in the process. It was a portentous audition for the Hong Kong action director Corey Yuen which would bring her fame and fortune; an audition which would catch the attention of Sammo Hung, w...
Jun 28, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Season 6Ep. 72
When Philip Ng burst onto the scene in his 2014 leading-man debut, 'Once Upon a Time in Shanghai' - co-starring Sammo Hung and with fight choreography by Yuen Woo-ping - followed by his turn as Bruce Lee in the 2016 Hollywood biopic, 'Birth of the Dragon', the kung fu movie world was introduced to a wonderful new talent. In reality, of course, Philip's story of overnight success could not have been further from the truth. Since the early 2000s - when Philip decided to leave his home in Chicago t...
Jun 14, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Season 6Ep. 71
Over the last 15 years, French stunt performer and martial artist Brahim Chab has jumped, kicked and punched his way into the upper echelons of the fight film business. In 2021, he wrapped on 'Monkey Man' - the directorial debut of actor, Dev Patel, which has been picked up by Netflix. The film, described as 'John Wick in Mumbai', sees Brahim provide fight choreography as well as acting in a supporting role. In 2020, he went toe-to-toe with his hero, Jackie Chan, in the globe-trotting actioner '...
May 31, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 6Ep. 70
Martial arts legend Ron Van Clief never wanted to be a movie star. Known as the 'Black Dragon' - a name originally given to him by Bruce Lee and adopted as his screen persona in a series of Hong Kong kung fu movies in the 1970s - Ron was dismayed at the lack of genuine martial artists he met when working in action movies. For the Brooklyn-born former US Marine and New York City cop, Ron's passion for the fighting arts was formed from an early age in real-life combat situations - the trauma of wh...
May 17, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 6Ep. 69
It has taken 10 years to get 'The Paper Tigers' onto our screens - a slow and at times painful process full of ups and downs for its director, writer and producer, Tran Quoc Bao. The film - which finally lands in cinemas and on digital platforms in North America on 7 May 2021, courtesy of Well Go USA - is a heart-warming and funny take on the kung fu genre, centring on three former childhood training buddies who reunite in middle age to investigate the sudden death of their old kung fu master. A...
May 03, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Season 6Ep. 68
Isaac Florentine is one of those rare directors who possesses a style of filmmaking all of his own. Within a few minutes of watching one of his many great action movies, you will quickly realise you are in the world of Isaac Florentine. He wears his love for spaghetti westerns on his sleeve, almost as much as his passion for the martial arts. As an expert martial artist and karate instructor, he is keen to capture technique in his fight choreography. His combat sequences are often filmed in clea...
Apr 19, 2021•1 hr 32 min•Season 6Ep. 67
Born in Hong Kong and raised in New York, Tzi Ma is a genre-spanning actor who has dedicated his career to documenting the Asian American experience. With every acting decision - whether it be on stage, screen or television - he has sought to portray fully rounded characters, working in an industry where accurate representation has not always been high on the agenda. He has turned down roles he has considered to be stereotypical, and instead, Tzi prefers to champion the voices of minority filmma...
Apr 05, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 6Ep. 66
Put on your face-mask, pour yourself a drink and settle into our annual end-of-year podcast from your friends at Kung Fu Movie Guide. 2020 has been a particularly strange and challenging year for many of us, but the show must go on! Join your host, Ben Johnson, and the author of Life of Action Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, Mike Fury, as they dissect the year's biggest stories from the world of martial arts movies, exchange a few Christmas presents, read out some of your comments, and share their personal t...
Dec 21, 2020•1 hr 34 min•Season 5Ep. 65
On 27 November 2020, the martial arts superstar and pop culture icon Bruce Lee would have celebrated his 80th birthday. To commemorate the occasion, we have put together this bonus podcast featuring a range of voices from across our five seasons, exploring the legacy of the 'Little Dragon' and the impact he continues to have in society, media, and the world of martial arts. Bruce Lee was only 32 when he died in 1973, but in the 47 years since his death, his star has not waned. In fact, judging b...
Nov 23, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Season 5Ep. 64
Martial arts legend Benny "The Jet" Urquidez was born into a fighting family. His father was a boxer; his mother, a professional wrestler. The second youngest of nine siblings, Benny had to fight to be heard, adapting quickly to the martial arts until, by the age of 14, he had received the first of many black belts across a number of different fighting styles. In the 1970s, he pioneered full-contact karate, which was later termed 'American kickboxing', paving the way for the sport in the USA. He...
Oct 19, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Season 5Ep. 63
Joe Taslim always wanted to be an actor, even before he became a martial artist. Growing up poor in South Sumatra, Indonesia, his family only took him to judo lessons because they were free. With his dad as his coach, he would go on to become a national judo champion in a career spanning well over a decade. Ironically, it was his skills in the martial arts which would eventually lead him back to his true passion - acting - when his breakthrough role as the tough special forces sergeant Jaka in G...
Oct 05, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Season 5Ep. 62
When martial artist Larnell Stovall first saw the film Blade in 1998, it was a lightbulb moment. But it wasn't the actions of Wesley Snipes as the titular kick-ass vampire hunter which would spark a sudden interest in wanting to work in the movies; it was the actions of the people Wesley was beating up. Feeling inspired, Larnell took a bus from New Orleans to Hollywood armed only with his martial arts skills and the dream of making it in the stunt world. It wasn't long before he caught the atten...
Sep 21, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Season 5Ep. 61
At 75, Rocky Taylor is known as Britain's oldest stunt performer. A day before this podcast was recorded, he was doing doughnut spins in his car and setting himself on fire. In the last year alone, his stunt credits include Spider-Man: Far from Home and Angel Has Fallen. Rocky has sustained his long career (six decades and counting) by being something of an all-rounder: high-falls, horses, cars, sword fights and punch-ups. He has doubled for some of the biggest names in British film and televisi...
Sep 07, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Season 5Ep. 60
The career of multilingual Chinese Canadian star Ludi Lin has gone from strength-to-strength over the last few years, with Ludi enjoying success across a range of genres in both China and the USA. Landing the role of the Black Ranger in Saban’s 2017 'Power Rangers' origin story helped to turbo-charge his reputation in Hollywood, followed by his work in James Wan’s underwater comic-book adventure, 'Aquaman'. In 2021, Ludi will play Liu Kang, the central character in the hotly anticipated new 'Mor...
Aug 24, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Season 5Ep. 59
Martial artist Brett Chan has enjoyed a steady rise in the film and television industry since his first appearances fighting with the Ninja Turtles in the late 1990s. A veteran Hollywood stunt performer with over 150 credits to his name, Brett has worked as a fight choreographer, stunt coordinator and second unit director on a number of action-packed TV shows. He has brought his wealth of martial arts knowledge to fight-centric shows for Netflix, including Marco Polo, Iron Fist (part of Marvel's...
Aug 10, 2020•1 hr 27 min•Season 5Ep. 58
When Loren Avedon answered a call to the Jun Chong Martial Arts Academy on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles late one night in 1987, little did he know that the call would prove to be life-changing. With only a matter of days until filming was scheduled to start in Thailand on the sequel to the 1986 martial arts hit, 'No Retreat, No Surrender', both of the film's contracted stars - Kurt McKinney and Jean-Claude Van Damme - had pulled out, leaving producer Roy Horan with the desperate task of hav...
Jul 27, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Season 5Ep. 57
Stu Bennett's transformational story from a shy, skinny kid growing up in the north of England to five-time WWE Intercontinental Champion and 'King of the Ring' - known by his pro-wrestling name, Wade Barrett - seems like a dream come true. The story belies years of hard work and even harder knocks; a steady climb from the amateur circuit in the UK to securing a contract with the biggest wrestling organisation in the world, only to have his mind and body tested to the limit. By the time he quit ...
Jul 13, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Season 5Ep. 56
The key to success in the stunt world, says Hollywood action star Tara Macken, is to be an all-rounder. Tara's resume is testament to that philosophy. Raised in the jungles of Borneo, Tara's adventurous spirit started at a young age. It has remained with her throughout her professional career, where she has found work as a dancer, gymnast, model, actor and stunt performer with over 100 films and TV credits to her name. She is a leading name in the action community, known for her fighting and mar...
Jun 29, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Season 5Ep. 55
In the late 1970s, Richard Norton - martial artist and bodyguard to the stars - faced a crossroads in his life. He could either stay in Melbourne, Australia, and continue with his nine-to-five job, teaching martial arts in the evenings - a life he very much enjoyed - or follow the advice of singer Linda Ronstadt and move with her to California. It was a decision which would prove life-changing. Once in America, Richard started to supplement his days touring with some of the world's biggest music...
Jun 15, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Season 5Ep. 54
When a stunt performer couldn't get the right shot needed during a 70ft fall on the set of Vietnamese superhero movie, Lôi Báo (2017), the film's action director, Vincent Wang, made a quick decision. With time running out, Vincent relieved the stunt performer of their duties, strapped himself to a harness and performed the stunt himself - much to the shock of the rest of the crew. He nailed it first time. No surprise, really, considering Vincent's over two-decade career as a stunt performer in H...
Jun 01, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 5Ep. 53
Tired of scrolling through streaming platforms trying to decide on the next thing to watch during lockdown? Then let the martial arts action star Scott Adkins help you, as he discusses his favourite fight films of all time on today's episode, including five bonafide classics and five lesser-appreciated head-kickers. During our chat - his fourth appearance on the show - we discover how he almost ended up in the 1997 Gary Daniels movie, Bloodmoon; what he learned from Donnie Yen and Yuen Woo-ping ...
May 18, 2020•1 hr 23 min•Season 5Ep. 52
You could say it was Jackie Chan that first brought together the Manila-based martial arts power couple, Sarah Chang and Vincent Soberano. They first met at the Jackie Chan Stuntman Training Centre; a huge complex in Tianjin, used by people from all over the world to train in the martial arts and make it in the movies. Vincent - a former professional fighter and pioneer of mixed martial arts in China, who helped to train the country's first UFC fighters - helped to design the facility; and in 20...
May 04, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 5Ep. 51
Through his trio of martial arts films - Merantau (2009), The Raid (2011) and The Raid 2 (2014) - filmmaker Gareth Evans helped to put Indonesian action cinema on the map, launched the careers of a new generation of fight stars (including Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman), and created some of the most exhilarating, inventive, and game-changing fight sequences of modern times. Not bad for a young filmmaker from South Wales, who grew up watching Jackie Chan films with his dad, who cho...
Apr 20, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Season 5Ep. 50
Welcome to our annual, festive End of Year Show for 2019, featuring the Life of Action author and fight movie expert, Mike Fury. It has been another action-packed and diverse year for martial arts movies, from off-beat indie comedies (The Art of Self-Defense) to big Hollywood franchise-based actioners (Hobbs and Shaw, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum), not to mention the return of the traditional Hong Kong kung fu movie (Master Z, Ip Man 4). Scott Adkins went ballistic in Avengement; the world'...
Dec 23, 2019•1 hr 21 min•Season 4Ep. 49
