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May 5

Martial Arts Superstar: Donnie Yen

Martial arts superstar Donnie Yen has over the years gone from being Hong Kong’s top action star to an international icon. Credited by many for contributing to the popularization of the martial arts style known as Wing Chun due to his performance as the Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man, he’s also well versed in boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and Wushu. With Yen announced as the lead in the Weinstein Company’s CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON sequel, catch up on some of his flicks offered here on Film Fresh.

Initially starting out as a stunt man, Yen took on several supporting roles before rocketing to fame after landing his first starring role in Iron Monkey (1993), which tells the story of a physician and martial artist (Donnie Yen), who is forced to track down the masked vigilante Iron Monkey when his son is held hostage. Yen later starred in IRON MONKEY 2 (1996), but this time, he took on the title role of the Iron Monkey. The story is also set in a different time from the original film, taking place during the final years of the Qing dynasty. Iron Monkey robs the rich and corrupt to help the poor, but he must band together with unlikely friends in order to defeat a dangerous triad boss.

Yen stars in the action packed FLASH POINT (2007) as a hot-headed investigator pursues a gang of merciless Vietnamese brothers running a smuggling ring in Hong Kong in the months before the mainland’s takeover of the city. His work as the choreographer won Yen Best Action Choreography awards at the 27th Hong Kong Film Awards and the 2008 Golden Horse Film Awards.

The highly praised IP MAN (2008) garnered international attention for Yen for his portrayal of Bruce Lee’s mentor. Set in the 1930s in Foshan, a hub of Southern Chinese martial arts, the unassuming and low-profile Ip Man faces off against the cruel Japanese soldiers occupying the region. Derek Elley of Variety Magazine wrote that, “Yen, who’s taking on a real star charisma in middle age, aces as Ip, with a simple dignity that exactly mirrors the movie’s own and a gracefulness in combat that’s very different from his trademark whiplash style.”

Follow that up with the equally popular sequel IP MAN 2 (2010) that follows the grandmaster and his family to Hong Kong where he attempts to start his own martial arts school. Ip Man must contend with challenges from established schools, but when the occupying British organize a boxing match and brutally attack and disrespect the Chinese competitors, it’s up to Ip Man to stand up to the arrogant Brits and reminds his people of the important of their cultural values and worthiness of respect.

Go undercover with Yen in his latest film SPECIAL ID (2013). Yen stars as Dragon Chan, a Hong Kong police officer deep undercover within the ranks of one of China’s most ruthless underworld gangs. Torn between two worlds, Chan must risk everything to take down the gang and reclaim the life he lost when he took on the assignment.