Chinese cinema has always been at the forefront of international cinema. Despite it being only the 4th largest industry in the world, it has still managed to create an impact on American and European audiences. The story coupled with martial arts and action created crossover appeal with American audiences as early as the 1960s. Characteristics of Hong Kong cinema gave rise to anti-heroes whom went against type but were heroes at the end of the day. Drunken Master (1978), Hard Boiled (1992) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) are 3 films which speak to the evolution of Chinese cinema in style and cinematography influencing filmmakers from around the world.
Drunken Master released in 1978 was a slapstick comedy. The hero of the film was an egotistical buffoon who could throw a punch, but let his arrogance cloud his judgment. He eventually learns the art of the ‘drunken style’ taught by a beggar. This almost parodies any serious martial arts action film where the hero is stern and focused. This is affront on those ideas leading to the unlikely saving his father at the end of the film from the hands of a deadly assassin. The story is simplistic on first look but it is style and organic nature of the film that stands out. The effective use of slow motion on display coupled with smart editing and shot selection makes the film unique. Though a commercial film, it did have sharp critical tone on society in regard to poverty. According to Ben Judkins of chinesemartialartstudies.com, “Our hero’s transition from prosperous upbringing to destitution is symbolically enacted as he is trust into the world of rivers and lakes.” The fight choreography displayed in wide shot is methodical. Fight choreography would be a staple of Chinese cinema going forward.
The Chinese cinematic impact in the United States cannot be ignored or forgotten. An influx of martial art films in the early 1970s coupled with its popularity amongst the African-American community ensures that certain films would be amongst the top grossing films in that decade. According to Desser and Fu, “The martial arts appeal to black youth audiences in the inner city and in the rural South, as well as to drive-in audiences, was a major factor both in keeping the kung Fu craze alive.” This suggests the many instances of martial arts evident in Blaxploitation films of the time. The recent parody Black Dynamite (2009) sees the hero constantly dispatching several villains with variations of Kung Fu to humorous effect. The animated series the Boondocks (2003) constantly leans on elements of samurai and Kung Fu films as well with its main characters charging towards to each other in slow motion. In the opening scene of the Drunken Master, we see the assassin dispatching an individual with several martial art combinations including flying drop kicks. The camera zooms in and out of the action with wide shots and close ups of the actors. This staple was seen through the 1980s on a regular basis headed by a new wave of Hong Kong filmmakers into the next decade.
Hard Boiled released in 1992 and directed by John Woo was a landmark in the crime-action genre. John Woo emphasized style over substance with one significant action sequence that stood out from the rest of the film. Hard Boiled does have clear cut heroes and villains, but it had two lead actors. One character, Tequila, is an undercover cop who doesn’t play by the rules and his arrogance leads to a friend of his being killed. Another cop, Tony, working undercover in the local mob comprises his own ethics by murdering people in cold blood to get his man. The duplicitous nature of both characters shrouds in the film in shades of grey. It should be noted that the people who are murdered on a regular basis are thugs or henchmen. The film draws a line when innocent people get in the way. The main villain, Johnny Wong, kills an innocent crowd of people in the hospital. One of his main henchmen, Mad Dog, retaliates as he finds the killing of innocent civilians which leads to his death. The motif of a character going against type is significant throughout the film, thus, creating an anti-hero of the character. The character of Mad Dog had earlier dispatched an informant in cold blood throwing his body down a laundry shoot.
The location for the final act of Hard Boiled is staged in a hospital. Tequila is seen rescuing a newborn by singing a lullaby while fighting off the mob with guns blazing and blood everywhere. This off key moment speaks more to the style of the film as well as the duplicitous nature of the film with the lead character showing characteristics of a soft edged individual.
One action sequence has stood out from the rest of the film. When the two main heroes shoot their way from one floor to the other, through an elevator, there is no cut. It is a tracking shot that lasts for over 3 minutes. In the midst of the action, Tony accidently shoots another cop thinking him to be part of the mob. Tequilla plays it off as nothing while Tony is still visibly horrified trying to keep calm in the midst of a difficult situation. This wonderful action sequence still manages to include the motif seen throughout the film of the uncaring attitude of the main characters.
Another attribute that stands out that the film owes more to the ‘Dirty Harry’ character and other violent revenge films from Hollywood. According to Vincent Canby of the New York Times, “Virtually every action scene in ‘Hard-Boiled’ becomes a mini homage to the slow-motion blood ballets Sam Peckinpah introduced in ‘The Wild Bunch.” The 1990s saw this east-west culture fusion in action cinema coming to fruition. Chinese actors have become significant appearing in international productions through the 1990s and beyond.
With the advent in new wave Hong Kong cinema, Chinese actors were able to take leading roles in American and other international productions. Tomorrow Never Dies released in 1997 was significant for many reasons. While it did have many of the usual aesthetics of gadgets, quips and beautiful women, it did away with one important factor. The female character of Wai Lin was not a damsel in distress. She matched James Bond in every possible way without seeming weak. She fought her way out of situations in hand to hand combat and is able to match James Bond’s in the witty banter department. It can be argues this was an influence of Chinese cinema on the James Bond franchise with its history of strong female characters. The Drunken Master had a strong female character named Aunty fighting men in hand to hand combat. In Hard Boiled, the character of Teresa Chang puts her life at risk to protect new born babies in the maternity ward. She slaps a mobster in one scene and shoots him down in another. Hollywood already had significantly strong female characters like Ellen Ripley by 1997. It is just that the James Bond franchise, which is technically a British production, used female characters as sex objects. Till that time, female characters used sex as a weapon and rarely using a gun themselves. Wai Lin was none of these things and was essentially the equal of James Bond.
James Bond films historically have always had action sequences bordering on the risk of being silly without being thrilling parodying itself in the process. One action shows James Bond and Wai Lin on a motorcycle dueling with a helicopter handcuffed. The Chopper turns its blades on the motorcycle. The motorcycle then slides under it with the main characters hooking it up to crash. This owes more to Hong Kong action cinema seen in Hard Boiled portraying a more gruesome side than seen in other Bond movies. These small but subtle influences have shaped the bond franchise going forward with more attention to character and allowing women to have stronger roles heading into the 21st century.
All three films show Hong Kong cinema at different stages evolving in every decade. Drunken master had a silly and obnoxious student learn the ways of the ‘Drunken Style’ to protect his father from an assassin at the end of the film. Another reason for the film being memorable is that the main training sequence portrays hard work and loyalty to one’s master/teacher. Hard Boiled portrays an undercover cop, Tequila, seeking redemption for causing the death of his friend while another undercover cop, Tony, seeks freedom from the amoral choices he has made throughout the film. Tomorrow Never Dies is a typical James Bond film fighting outrageous over the top villains. The villain in this film is a media baron causing calamities around the world so that his news organization can cover it. The common characteristic of each film is the hero overcoming the odds at the end of the day. The hero in Drunken Master had to overcome his own arrogance to become a creature of humility. In Hard Boiled, Tequila lives up the memory of his friend killing the crime boss in the film while Tony escapes the life of cops and gangsters heading into Antarctica. James Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies kills the media baron and getting justice for the murder of his ex-girlfriend. He does so with the help of a strong female character in the form of Wai Lin which was a departure for the James bond franchise. All three films are significant for different reasons but it the style of each film as well as the compelling main characters that stand out.
Hong Kong cinema for several years has shaped and influences from all over the world. From Hollywood to Bollywood and beyond, there is no doubting their influence. Indian cinema even released a Bollywood style Kung Fu film set in china entitled “Chandni Chowk to China (2009). It had extravagant dance sequences coupled with kung Fu influenced by drunken master. The film even had an over the top villain as well as elaborate fight sequences. Hong Kong cinema has always been ever changing and it is a testament that they have stayed relevant in a marketplace where American films are invading china with comic book movies and the Transformers franchise in the last decade. Hong Kong Cinema will continue to thrive and evolve in every decade with advance in technology within an ever changing world.
Source Page
- Judkins, Ben. “Essential Kung Fu Cinema (4): Drunken Master.” Kung Fu Tea. None, 06 Jan. 2014. Web. 01 Nov. 2014
- Fu, Poshek, and David Desser. The Cinema of Hong Kong: History, Arts, Identity. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2000. 25. Books.google.com. Cambridge University Press, 2000. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.
- Canby, Vincent. "Review/Film; Blood, Fire And Death, Slow-w-wly."Www.nytimes.com. N.p., 18 June 1993. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.
- IMDB. imdb.com, n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2014.
