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| Wednesday, 05 September 2007 | |
 Donnie Yen is a mummy's boy - just don't say it to his face. One of cinema's all-time great martial artists, Donnie owes it all to his mum - who trained him in wushu and tai chi from the age of four. Dragon Tiger Gate, recently released on DVD, demonstrates his devastating talent. But who is he? And how come he's not a worldwide star - like Jackie Chan and Jet Li?Born in Guangzhou and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, he's a fast and furious fighter, trained by the best. His mother, famed martial artist Bow Sim Mark, kickstarted his career, but it was director Yuen Woo Ping, finder of Jackie Chan, who spotted his talent for film. Yen's teenage years, training in wushu in Beijing, had been well-spent. From a stunt-double he went on to feature in his first movie, Drunken Tai Chi (1984), at the age of nineteen. Even then, Yen had a yen for choreography, and went back to America to devise a new kind of film fighting. It was the tail-end of the kung fu comedy heyday. Donnie wanted a different style - not Chan's comedy, Jet Li's traditional forms or Sammo Hung's bruising burlesque. His lithe and lethal style - intricate moves, fast kicks and punches - soon got him a multi-picture deal in Hong Kong. Lean and angular, Yen could cut it as a contemporary cop or a period-piece performer. Master of traditional forms and creator of cutting edge choreography, he was a big success opposite Jet Li in Once Upon a Time in China 2 (1992) and headlined several cop-thrillers. But it was in Iron Monkey (1993), as the father of the young hero-to-be Wong Fei Hung, that he truly excelled. Iron Monkey, directed by his old master, Yuen Woo Ping, gave Donnie the directing bug too. By then, Chan was just about cracking America, Sammo Hung would soon be making his American TV series, Martial Law. And Jet Li would follow with a stream of ho-hum US movies. Yen - a dynamic performer, American-raised, English-speaking - was surely the most likely candidate for a fast-track American career. But it didn't happen. What did happen was a spell action-directing a German martial arts cop show, Puma (1999). His talents were only recognized Stateside as the new millennium dawned. Vampire-thriller Blade II (2002) was his first break. Hired as choreographer he created dazzling scraps. Sadly, he had only a cameo screen role with nothing to do. Jackie Chan then cast him as his impressive nemesis in Shanghai Knights (2003). But he was choreographer again in teen-flick Stormbreaker (2006). Donnie Yen is probably the purest creator of martial arts magic in cinema today. Mesmerising in action, his choreography is equally breathtaking. And that's the key to his non-star status across the world. He loves creating action, not just performing it. He's already a star in his homeland - and maybe that's enough. Whatever, he'll certainly be spicing up action cinema for many years to come. His Mum must be proud. Six of Donnie's best:
Glenn Watson |
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