Gordon/Conan's fight in Tiger on Beat w/ "surprise"

[W Hong]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW

I think that while watching Ric Meyers' Hong Kong Movie Extravaganza at a San Diego Comic Con, a scene from "Tiger on the Beat" was shown. I don't think that I ever saw "TotB" before and after that scene was shown, but maybe I should just rent the DVD. I don't know why that I never rented the Tai Seng VHS or the H.K. imported DVD, but it sounds like a good idea to rent it now because it looks like such a good H.K. movie if it stars Conan Lee, Chow Yun Fat, and Gordon Liu. Do you know if it was directed by Lau Kar Leung?

In that particular scene, it showed Gordon Liu and Conan Lee fighting each other with some "surprise" weapons: chainsaws. That looked like a very dangerous fight scene to do of course, and I don't know how they were actually able to show it.

I don't know if I should talk about what happens after the chainsaw fight because I would probably have to change the message above from saying possible to heavy spoilers. So if any of you are going to reply, you can say if it'd be okay for me to talk about the scenes after the chainsaw fight.

[jmungus]

Do you know if it was directed by Lau Kar Leung?

yup, directed by LKL.

a good idea to rent it now because it looks like such a good H.K. movie if it stars Conan Lee, Chow Yun Fat, and Gordon Liu

it is in fact a very mediocre movie; way sub par even within the realms of LKL directed pieces (almost "crap" compared to his very best efforts).
rule 426 in the hk movie handbook states: a good cast doesnt necessarily mean its a good movie.
but its a good idea for sure to rent it first before u consider buying. its simply not that good a movie, no way to deny it.
dont get me wrong, its watchable and has a few good moments, but thats about it :(

say if it'd be okay for me to talk about the scenes

hey- youre at a discussion board. take your best shot ;) :\
if u make it clear your post is heavy on the spoilers and give ppl a chance to react to that accordingly.

[Yakuza954]

yeah, that final fight is the best thing in an otherwise mediocore movie.

[Linn1]

I think that while watching Ric Meyers' Hong Kong Movie Extravaganza at a San Diego Comic Con

But the sheer amount of misinformation put out by this is what truly troubles me. :b

[Chen Zhen]

But the sheer amount of misinformation put out by this is what truly troubles me.

:rollin

care to elaborate Linn?

[limubai2000]

I thought it was a solid film, not great mind you, but I'm biased as I love CYF. And yes that chainsaw fight was pretty awesome. The 2nd film is near as good as the first, though Conan does an admirable job trying to hold the film up.

If you liked these you might try the Tiger Cage series too.

[killer meteor]

I really like Tiger On The Beat. It's one of my favourite Lau Kar-leung films - the bra scene is hilarious!

[chen lung]

The chainsaws had incense put on them to give the sparks effect. Only scenes that they were not fighting - the chainsaws were on.

[Beat TG]

There's an interview with Gordon Liu on the HKL dvd and he goes in some detail of how that scene was done.

[sevenhooks]

Yeah, not a great film but still kinda fun.
VERY crass which is kinda suprising considering it's a LKL film.
Some of the action is well done if uneven and certainly not up to par with any of Lau's earlier efforts.
My favorite moment has gotta be the scene where Chow Yun Fat pulls out his big ol' "bayonet".
Gotta love his opponent's reaction.
Classic!


EDIT:
If you ever get a chance to check out Tiger On Beat 2, the scene where Conan jumps off the overpass and misses the post and falls dead on his ass is excrutiatingly painful to watch.
Ouch!! :eek
To me that one shot is the epitome of what HK stuntmen and women put up with every day of their lives... all for the sake of celluloid.

[Chinatown Kid]

I really enjoyed Conan Lee's preformance in both Tiger On Beat films and Ninja in the Dragon's Den. I wish he would have starred in more films but I heard Yuen Woo Ping say in an interview that after Conan got a little bit of success he became arrogant and got the "Big Head". He started demanding extravagent pay and seemed like an ingrate toward Yuen who gave him his big break and worked with him closely on the fight scenes in NITDD. Somehow Lee caused Yuen to be beaten up badly by thugs from another film company who wanted to use Lee in one of their films because Yuen had him under contract and refused to lend him out. Lee was subsequently blacklisted in the HK film industry and nobody would use him after that.

[killer meteor]

Apparently Conan's provisos for doing an interview (which, unsurprisingly, never came to fruition) for HKL were...undorthodox to say the least!

[Chen Zhen]

He started demanding extravagent pay and seemed like an ingrate toward Yuen who gave him his big break and worked with him closely on the fight scenes in NITDD.

you mean Yuen Woo Ping or Ng See Yuen? or maybe Corey Yuen?

lol im confused...but i heard Conan got quite an attitude after NitDD.

[Chinatown Kid]

I'm sorry, it was Ng See Yuen who was the producer of NITDD and Corey Yuen who choreographed the fight scenes and directed it, not Yuen Woo Ping. Thanks for that correction Chen Zhen, I guess I got my Yuens mixed up.:b Anyways, that interview with Ng(he's the one that got beat up) can be found in the extras on the HKL's disc of NITDD.

[chen lung]

He also demanded so much for commiting to the HKL DVDs (only for 1 or 2 titles from the catologue, was only for 'Ninja' at the time) - demands included have his room cleaned every second Sunday (or something), co-ownership of HKL and obviously cash. He's hardly @#%$ royalty, is he:rolleyes ? HKL were doing the best they could with their limited resources, they didn't need bankrupting by some guy.

[Yakuza954]

Conan Lee makes Donnie Yen look like Wong Fei Hung in comparison.

[Chen Zhen]

co-ownership?? hey chen lung...whats the source for that?


Conan Lee makes Donnie Yen look like Wong Fei Hung in comparison.

agreed.

[chen lung]

Believe Bey said it in his commentary for the movie.

[Chinatown Kid]

Speaking of Conan, anybody remember his role in the "classic" US movie Gymkata directed by Robert Clouse of ETD fame? I think this movie won an award for worst movie of all time or something.:p Anyways, after he was blacklisted Liu Chia Liang gave him a second chance with the Tiger On Beat film. After he starred in the sequel to that film I think he appeared in a Phillip Ko directed film called Cyprus Tigers and one more Ko directed film after that.. In that second film he got in an arguement with Ko about something. Ko got so pissed he killed off Conan's character in the film and that was that. :lol

[Yakuza954]

Does anyone know any other actors or directors in HK Cinema that have been blacklisted? I've heard either Sammo or Jackie say its very easy to get backlisted if you don't watch your step.

[The Running Man]

I heard that Donnie Yen was sometime after Drunken Tai Chi by Sammo and Jackie for supposedly running his mouth which was why he stuck with Yuen Wo Ping all those years.


He also demanded so much for commiting to the HKL DVDs (only for 1 or 2 titles from the catologue, was only for 'Ninja' at the time) - demands included have his room cleaned every second Sunday (or something), co-ownership of HKL and obviously cash. He's hardly @#%$ royalty, is he ? HKL were doing the best they could with their limited resources, they didn't need bankrupting by some guy.

Is this just some rumor you heard? That sounds so over the top.

[D1 Ma]

It's not totally made up. Indeed, Bey comments on Conan's demands, trying to sound as polite as he could. He also gives you an insite on Conan's story after release of NITDD.
According to Bey, some looked at Conan as Jackie's replacement, or at least a competitor . He says that "people in Jackie's camp were REALLY concerned by this threat". (Plus, Conan could speak English, obviously, so his flicks would be easier to bring to the Western audience.)

[The Running Man]

All I remember Bey saying in his commentary was that he made some requests that could not be fulfilled. I don't remember him saying anything specific.

[chen lung]

Yeah, so it wasn't just some rumour I heard:rolleyes .

[The Running Man]

Hey, instead of replying with a eye roll smiley, why don't you actually answer my question?

I could be wrong, but I don't remember Bey Logan saying anything specific to what "demands" he set so where did you get that info from? Or did I indeed forget and Logan did say all that stuff on his commentary?

[Beat TG]

Does anyone know any other actors or directors in HK Cinema that have been blacklisted?

John Woo was blacklisted by Tsui Hark after their infamous falling out and spread rumors of John Woo being an unreliable filmmaker to work with.

[chen lung]

Hey, instead of replying with a eye roll smiley, why don't you actually answer my question?
Your question was answered by D1 Ma - "It's not totally made up. Indeed, Bey comments on Conan's demands, trying to sound as polite as he could." and myself - "Believe Bey said it in his commentary for the movie.".

It's just your phrasing that suggests I'm some kind of idiot that posts crap like Ric Meyers: "Is this just some rumor you heard?".

Believe me, I'm not one that'll post stuff that maybe untruthful without a source;) .

[Chinatown Kid]

I do remember Bey saying on the NITDD commentary that he called Conan up and asked if he would like to take part in the commentary on the HKL's disc. He said Conan was very nice and charming on the phone and made out like he was interested in doing it. But shortly after this Bey said he got a call from Conan's manager who insisted on a list of demands before Conan would do it. I think mainly he was wanting alot of money but Bey did say as Chen Lung stated something about his list of demands was Bey making him a cheese sandwich everyother day for life and Brian White having to clean his apartment every second sunday in the month. I think Bey was just being sarcastic or exaggerating when he said that though but was mainly implying Conan was demanding alot of things but probably alot of money mostly.

[The Running Man]

Your question was answered by D1 Ma - "It's not totally made up. Indeed, Bey comments on Conan's demands, trying to sound as polite as he could."

No he did not. He wrote that it is "not totally made up". Meaning some of it could be. And what he replied was not specific just mentioned it generally which did not answer my question.

and myself - "Believe Bey said it in his commentary for the movie.".

That doesn't tell me you are a 100% certain now does it?

Now you see why I asked?

It's just your phrasing that suggests I'm some kind of idiot that posts crap like Ric Meyers: "Is this just some rumor you heard?".

If I wanted to, I wouldn't suggest you are an idiot. I'd just call you an idiot. ;)

[W Hong]

Quote:
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I think that while watching Ric Meyers' Hong Kong Movie Extravaganza at a San Diego Comic Con
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But the sheer amount of misinformation put out by this is what truly troubles me.

Sorry about that, Linn1, if what I said sounded a little bit confusing. What I was trying to say was I kind of remember that a scene from "Tiger on the Beat" was shown while I was watching Ric Meyers' "Hong Kong Movie Extravaganza" event at a SDCC that I went to. I also was trying to say that maybe I should just go ahead and rent the DVD. That's what I meant in the first paragraph.

[Linn1]

I got what you meant. I mean the idea of Ric Meyers having something called Hong Kong Movie Extravaganza at the San Diego Comic Con makes me think about: "the sheer amount of misinformation put out by this." ;)

[Joseph_Kuby]

Conan's career decisions have certainly made him something of an oddity in Hong Kong cinema.

A sequel to Ninja in the Dragon's Den was rushed into production but Conan left during filming. His was convinced that abandoning the production to pursue a career in American cinema would make for an equally smart business move as when Jackie abandoned the production of Fearless Hyena 2 to work on The Young Master.

Andy Lau's role in God of Gamblers was tailored for Conan because Wong Jing wanted to capitalize on the success of Tiger on the Beat (as well as make a Hong Kong equivalent to Rain Man). Wong thought Conan and Chow have good on-screen camaraderie but didn't realize that the two stars thought ill of each other.

The reason why Conan didn't play the role of Little Knife was because Chow Yun Fat didn't want to make another film with Conan after being subjected to his arrogant attitude during the making of Tiger on the Beat (which also explains why Chow didn't appear in the sequel to Liu Chia Liang's film). Conan honestly thought that he was the star of Tiger on the Beat and that Chow was brought along so that Conan's fame would rub off on Chow (when obviously it was the other way round).

Not wanting to alienate Hong Kong's biggest star, Wong decided to hire Hong Kong's biggest pop star to replace Conan so as to create a new selling point. In doing so, he made a film which (temporarily) became Hong Kong's highest grossing film.

It's a pity that Conan didn't learn his lesson after the first time he became successful in Hong Kong. I think Conan would have brought more of a martial sensibility to the first God of Gamblers movie. Which, in turn, would mean that if he appeared in the second film (where he would have been paired with Chow Sing Chi), the martial arts factor could have been raised somewhat higher since Andy got to do more fighting than in the previous film.

Lee apparently had a fight scene in Lethal Weapon 4 that was removed (despite the fact that Joel Silver liked the Hong Kong films Conan appeared in).

Conan was the fight choreographer for Undercover Brother and he did a rip-off of Rumble in the Bronx called Rumble in L.A. (mainly known as Carjack).

What Bey has to say about the man formerly known as Lloyd Hutchinson:

"I first met Conan in Hong Kong way back in the 80s, and, despite my usually unfailing personal charm, we just did not get along. I find him much changed, and for the better. I wish could we have been friends in the old days, I tell him. Me, too, he says, ruefully. Lee seems to be in good health, and says he is planning a comeback."

Prince of the Sun is one of Bey's favorite guilty pleasures of Hong Kong cinema. I think it's a fairly amusing film and another good example of how Yuen Tak works capably without his usual cohort, Yuen Kwai.

Anyone seen Conan's less famous Hong Kong outings, like King of the Sea or Fury in Red?

Anyway, here's his filmography over at IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0497056/).

[Markgway]

I've seen both King of the Sea and Fury in Red.

Fury was trash, but I seem to recall King being alright.

I don't think anyone has sabotaged their own career in HK the way Conan did.

[Joseph_Kuby]

True. :quiet:

Not even Donnie Yen (there were prevalent rumors that Yen had a cocaine addiction and is usually difficult to work with - even when sober).

Given what's been said so far, I feel tempted to quote what Bey said (about Donnie) a very long time ago:

"I still can't believe the quality product he turned down to star in dreck. He was supposed to play the Ken Lo role in 'Drunken Master II', the Chin Siu-ho role in 'Tai Chi Master', he fell out with Yuen Woo-ping over 'Wing Chun', he gave the deposit money back to Wong Jing rather than make any more films for him...even so, whatever Donnie's shortcomings, he's no Conan Lee!"

Ouch! :p

A similar example of a Conan-type actor (someone whose success falls in between Conan and Donnie) is Billy Chong. Like both actors, Billy could speak fine English and had a cocky attitude.

Coincidentally, Billy and Conan made cameo appearances in Aces Go Places 5: The Terracotta Hit.

Billy suffered a similar fate to what Conan went through with the latter's experience with Philip Ko. When working on the 5th AGP movie, Billy's role got reduced after friction on the set occurred.

In Conan's case, it was tension between him and director Ko (resulting in Conan's character getting killed off) whereas in Billy's case, it was trouble on the set between him and other stuntmen. Things didn't go down too well amongst the extras he was working with either. Eventually, his small role was reduced to that of a cameo.

The difference between Conan and Billy is that Billy was something of a star in his home country (Indonesia) whereas Conan was not.

Billy auditioned for the role of Wong Fei Hung when Once Upon A Time In China 4 was being cast. Apparently he had impressed the producers (and everyone else who attended the audition) to the point of winning the part until he started demanding more money. His battered pride once again did more harm than good.

What's King of the Sea about?

[Markgway]

Fury in Red was the Philip Ko film you're referring to where Conan was suddenly killed off.

They had a stunt double get into a car and then it blew up. Exit Conan.

Guess it was easier than working with him. lol

[AlbertV]

LOL I remember that. Conan ended up doing the very bad sci-fi film Eliminators and played one of the contestants in Gymkata, only to get killed off mid-way through the film.

[D1 Ma]

Conan was in Dragon Killer where he had a good, but extremely short fight vs. multiple opponents

[Kaal]

Does anybody know anything about Rumble In LA aka Carjack??

I have tried to find that movie for a long time but it seems like it doesn't exsist...

[Chinatown Kid]

I always thought Conan vs Jean Claude Van Damme would have been a great matchup fight on film, both being martial artists and both having muscular physiques. That would have definately been a clash of egos for sure though.....

[ekisha]

Then what's this?


Conan's mother fell gravely ill of a rare disease, and the doctors had given her only a couple of months to live. He was very close to his mother, who had taught him that not only the strength and bravery his father had instilled in him was important, but also kindness and compassion. Out of love, a committed sense of filial piety and gratitude, he made a most crucial decision. He virtually gave up his filming career and dedicated his life to taking care of his mother and finding a treatment that would prolong her life in a dignified way.

[Joseph_Kuby]

Where did you get that from?

[Asmo]

http://conanlee.net/Biography.html

[Joseph_Kuby]

Interesting.

Ng See Yuen said (on the Ninja in the Dragon's Den release by HKL) that Conan wasn't too much of a martial artist prior to working with Kwai.