Hwang Jang-Lee

[daTOAD]

just got a trailer vid that had the preview for Budha Assassinator on it. HJL is my favorite villian ever-in any movie!this dude is the s***...greatest with the kicks and terrific with his hands.plus he had that hard ass look. his best work...hard to say i love them all.Kid From Kwangtung though...wow[i couldnt belive the Shaws got him for 3 films and misused him terribly in two of those movies].Also Snuff Bottle Connection. anyone seen any of his rare flicks? whats your favorite HJL?

[Brigadier Chow]

If you want to see his whole arsenal, check out his instructional DVD The Art of High Impact Kicking. It's funny I never heard this one mentioned on this board. Here are some other faves:

Fearless Duo
Two Fists Against The Law
Hitman In The Hand of Buddah
Ring Of Death (he is only in the last 15 min of the film)
Shaolin The Blood Mission
Eagle's Killer (not a great movie but Hwang is good)
Martial Monks of Shaolin
Secret Ninja, Roaring Tiger (terrible movie on a whole, but the opening scene w/Hwang is worth it)

[teako170]

Hwang Jang Lee Top Five (in no order)

- Secret Rivals
- Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
- Invincible Armor
- Hell's Wind Staff
- Snuff Bottle Connection

[daTOAD]

If you want to see his whole arsenal, check out his instructional DVD The Art of High Impact Kicking. It's funny I never heard this one mentioned on this board. Here are some other faves:
is this for real?!? I MUST HAVE IT! never seen these:Martial Monks, Secret Ninja, Eagles Killer[have an aka?], or Shaolin the Blood Mission.
seen all on your top 5, but suprised you didnt pick films were he used exotic styles[Sleeping Style-excellent] . his boot is the best, but when he added a crazy technique to go with it-OH GAWD!

[the dirty tiger]

High Impact Kicking is a great instructional. No messing around with long demos, fast point by point tips, best TKD instructional I ever saw. My kicking is sure better for having followed it's tips :D

[Brigadier Chow]

Eagle's Killer was released on Tai Seng/Ocean Shores DVD. It also stars John Chang Wu Lang. Art of High Impact Kicking was put out by world video. These should still be in some rotation with on line retailers.

[the dirty tiger]

If you ever meet Hwang Jang Lee, I dare you to call him 'baby' :lol

[daTOAD]

are you crazy? i know hes a Hard Bastard!:lol

[drunkenmantis13]

I always wanted to buy The Art of High Impact Kicking but never got to and forgot about it. That's that it's back on my mind i'll hunt down a copy ASAP!

[morgoth]

I think I love every movie Hwang is in. At least 9/10 of them. My favorite performance is Buddha Assassinator. He seriously should have won a best acting award or something for that. Nobody could pull off that sleeping style better than him.

[Chinatown Kid]

One of the best kickers if not the best to ever grace the screen. My only complaint is that he seems to be underused in alot of films and always leaves you wanting to see more.....

[JowTiger]

Don't look to get any entertainment value from that instructional dvd because it only has step by step instructions or proper technique. I'd say get it just to add it to your WJL collection.

[Brigadier Chow]

Yes it is instructional, but it does show some choreographed applications of his kicks, well done by Hsu Hsia and a stunt team of familiar faces.

[WalkOn]

The Art of High Impact Kicking shows how serious of a kicker WJL really is, not just a showman with fancy 720 degree demonstration kicks, but a true warrior of the art of kicking (and fighting) and clearly shows it in this great 1982 gem. A must have for WJL and practionitioners of effective kicking applications. The choreographed scenes and aerial kicks are a very nice bonus as well...

[Chinatown Kid]

Being a Taekwondo stylist I got alot out of HJL's The Art of High Impact Kicking, anyone who studies a kicking art would benifit from watching it. It breaks down each individual kick and the mechanics behind it. Great instruction!

[morgoth]

I am too lazy to practice kung, so I just stretch and practice my kicks everyday and try to look cool. I would love to see this video.

[Hellswindstaff]

Tiger over wall

HWS

[Yi Long]

I bought his High Impact Kicking DVD a few years ago, and watched it once or twice, but TBH if you already are a good kicker with some experience in martial arts, especially TKD, this wont teach you anything new. I thought it was all very very basic. I really hoped there would be more info/footage about cool/fun stretching methods and daily routines etc, and just fun stuff... but nah... it's all just very basic.

For me personally, it wasnt very usefull (but I'm was already a very good kicker before I got the DVD... ), but maybe when you're new and just need something to get you started and maybe motivated, it can be helpfull.

I'd love to see Dorian Tan make a cool instructional video though. I love his style of kicking.

[kungfusamurai]

I was scanning through a copy of the film Young Hero on DVD. It's a movie that has Tino Wong, but it also features a long fight between Hwang Jang Lee and Kwan Young Moon. Until I saw this, I thought the only match up they had was in Blood Child.

During a different fight scene, I was shocked to see Hwang Jang Lee do a move that he's NEVER done in a martial arts film: A single front flip! He did it while fighting some woman in the middle of the film. He uses his hands on the ground, but it's pretty much a standing front flip. And I had to reverse the DVD and watching it again just to make sure it wasn't a body double. But it really is him. He even does a number of moves after that flip before the film cuts to another angle.

The DVD was put out by Passion Productions, in their latest batch of shitty quality DVDs. Why can't they master these things using a source that won't pixelate. I think it's because they're using a $40 VCR, rather than using an SVHS player to convert the cassettes they seem to be using into DVD.

KFS

[morgoth]

I wouldn't mind seeing a rematch of Hwang vs Kwan Young Moon. I don't think I have ever seen Hwang do a flip so that is rare. This is the closest I have seen- youtube.com/watch?v=a5JvZFfpfio (http://youtube.com/watch?v=a5JvZFfpfio)

He has help, but he does that backflip really fast and not awkward whatsoever.

[kungfusamurai]

While I can't say I could to better, I think with multiple takes or rehearsing, that back flip was probably 10 times easier to do than a solo, front flip. If those guys weren't supporting his back through the move, then he'd get more credit in my books for doing a difficult manoeuver. That's why I nearly shat my pants when I saw him doing the front flip.

I hope someone else will check out their copy of Young Hero and agree that it's Hwang doing it himself.

KFS

[morgoth]

Yeah I agree a front hand flip would be a lot tougher. I just posted that since that is the closest I have seen him do a flip. I wish I had a copy of Young Hero!

[falkor]

HWANG JANG LEE IS SERIOUSLY HIGH LEVEL!!!!!!! Why do you think he's my favourite actor? :D He's beyond Bruce Lee IMO! Most times Hwang will use his trademark moves in a progression that finishes with the triple aerial kick, but sometimes he uses moves that you will only witness once; a good example is in Fearless Duo or Canton Viper. Even Hwang said he couldn't perform certain moves because they were too fast for the camera to pick up.

[kungfusamurai]

It looks like Young Hero has been released on DVD previously by Crash. That version might have less pixelation than the Passion Productions version. I'm going to dig up the original VHS on the internet and see if that looks better.

By the way, I just started watching the film, and it appears to be a similar story to that of Fok Yuen Gap. Young son who's father doesn't want to teach him kung fu (he knew a little in this film); Japanese fighter(s) challenging the father's school; son has a teacher teaching him reading, but then secretly teaches him kung fu. The family name is Lok instead of Fok in this one.

Correction: The family is referred to as the Fok family, and the lead character is Fok Yuen Gap.

I really like the actor who's playing him. I don't recall seeing him anywhere. He's got great acrobatic skills and martial arts abilities too! I'm almost finished watching the film. I think he's the actor credit as Yuen Miu on HKFlix. He looks kind of like Yuen Yat Chor. Is he part of the Yuen clan (i.e. blood brother)?

Edit: Never mind, I found out he was in fact one of the Seven Fortunes:

Seven Fortunes (http://www.loveasianfilm.com/features/sevenlittlefortunes.html)

I've noticed that Kwan Young Moon has a lot of fights in this flick, probably more than any of the other movies he's been in. Usually he does cameos and one or two short fight sequences, but in this flick, he does quite a lot. There was already one fight where he fights Hwang Jang Lee (at the beginning), and it was a good one. Can't wait to sit through the last one!

KFS

[morgoth]

I put the crash version in my queue for Netflix, but it is not available for rental yet. I wonder if it just came out.

[vlade2002]

He's beyond Bruce Lee IMO!

Blasphemy, nobody is beyond Bruce! :)

As much as I like Hwang, I don't see him standing a chance with Bruce Lee. I like Hwang, he's a great on screen kicker, probably one of the better ones, great technique. But he's going to need alittle more than tip tapper kicks :) seriously. Bruce would of ate him for breakfast. I also believe Bruce was a better kicker aswell, that's my opnion as a martial artist.

[morgoth]

Chang Shan could take em both.

And I think Hwang would have a good chance against Bruce. His kicks are super powerful. I hope you are joking when you say he just has tip tapper kicks. He just does that cause it looks cool on screen.

[VonHumboldtFleischer]

I think Hwang Jang Lee is awesome (and could beat Bruce into a sobbing jammy pulp), but I really, really, really am sick to death of his patented "Excuse me while I put my foot on your shoulder for no apparent reason" move.

What's the rest of YOUNG HERO like? Good?

P.S. Chang Shan is God.

[fabhui]

I've never been overly impressed with Hwang Jang Lee's kicking myself. I think he's good at what he does but is vastly overrated in general.
I've never been in awe of his kicking skills like some are and apart from his kicking he is lacking in every other department with regard to fighting skills.
Most of his kicking is lacking power, especially if you're comparing him to the likes of Muay Thai Boxers..(vlade will know what I'm talking about!)
He does play a SUPERB bad guy though and most times I enjoy watching him playing his part in the movies!!

Hwang beating Bruce...now you're just being silly! :lol

[kungfusamurai]

I finished watching the film and enjoyed it a lot! The only real disappointment was the occasional frame cutting to speed up certain parts of fights. I found this seemed to happen a lot when Kwan Young Moon was fighting, of all things. Yuen Mo was awesome, as was Hwang Jang Lee, and Hwang did one or two of the grabbing the guy around the neck with one leg, and kicking him with the other move. I should have mentioned that the lady fighter in this flick was also really good. I think she must have had a peking opera background like Mo because she could do flips as well. Overall, for an indie film done on a low budget, it's one of the better flicks I've seen. A lot of people like Dragon On Fire, which I hate - so I say this is way better than that! :)

One thing I should say is I found it interesting that there was very little body doubling in this flick. There was only one part of the final fight scene where it was clear Kwan Young Moon was being doubled (excessive jumping and flipping), but beyond that, it appeared the main actors all did their own flips or rolls.

KFS

[ironfistedmonk2003]

Young Hero is a decent little movie and I agree about the girl who is quite impressive for a little un, I think she was also in Fearless Duo and does a good job in that movie too.

I can't believe people are hating on Hwang Jang Lee, JC and the Venoms have all come in for some stick and now all time kung fu movie bad boy HJL is getting the treatment. I'm no martial artist but if those kicks are tip tappy then I'm a chinaman, didn't he kill a few people with those tip taps? I doubt that he would actually use the flashy kicks he does in the movies in a real fight either, personally I love all the foot round the back of the head stuff, no other actor did those kind of moves, not even the other Korean Tai kwon do fighters.

I've got Raging Masters Tiger Crane on in the background and HJl is tearing his scenes up like the bad boy he is

[kungfusamurai]

Hwang is a great onscreen fighter. At least he doesn't pull his kicks like Tan Tao Liang or John Liu. He puts power into them. Sure, the ones where he grabs the guys neck with his other leg are kind of light, but he has a lot of control with his legs. And using legs can be more dangerous than throwing punches, when filming a fight scene. You can really get hurt because it's harder to maintain control when your spinning around and doing multiple moves with your kicks. Hwang is THE leg man.

KFS

[morgoth]

No doubt, Hwang is the king of the leg fighters. I put him slightly ahead of Cassanova Wong, mainly because he has much better control than Cassanova and he has a bigger arsenal of kicks.

[theportlykicker]

Nope, you're wrong, Casanova Wong is THE leg man! No one matches his kicks for power. His control might not look as good as HJL's but that's because his kicks are moving with so much speed and force- there's no fannying around with him. :D

Don't get me wrong Hwang's great, I just prefer Cas.

[morgoth]

Hwang would annihilate Cassanova. He would take care of those wild kicks without even breaking a sweat. Plus Hwang is more versatile. Cassanova wouldn't know what to do if Hwang broke out his sleeping style:D I love living in my own little kung fu fantasy world:p :D

[WalkOn]

Let me start by saying I appreciate all the bootmasters!

Bruce is my favorite film star, but Wang Jang Lee is no slouch either. If we're talking about just about screen fighting, then we shouldn't really criticize their kicking for what they're truly capable of executing in terms kicking power and practicality. Sure, we want ALL of the kicks to look powerful and deadly, but sometimes that's sacrificed for the sake of executing some supercool kicks and fight sceens.

For crying out loud, WJL killed someone with a single round kick to the head. And let's not mention the countless actors/actresses and stuntmen who have been on the receiving end of his kicks. They have witnessed his kick's power.

Although I prefer Casanova Wong to WJL, to me WJL's kicks look sharper and he does appear to have a greater variety to his kicks. I just feel it's a matter of preference. We can all imagine who can beat who (which is all in fun) but in reality we would never know.

[morgoth]

Damn straight WalkOn. People probably underestimate Hwang's power because he doesn't just do really fast spinning kicks like Cassanova. Cassanova can do a few other kicks (all HIGH level), but not nearly as many as Hwang. You are right though, it is all about personal preference. I have never seen Cassanova do a kick as awesome as the one Hwang does on Jackie in Drunken Master. The only analogy I can make to that kick is how Michael Jordan has to duck to keep his head from hitting the rim.

[rederror]

Check out Casanova's kick at the end of Master Strikes where he kicks 3 people and then punches someone aswell. I know Whang is known for his triple kicks but i've never seen him do something as good as that!

[Chia Ling AKA Judy Lee]

It's nigh on impossible to speculate who was the better practical fighter based on their films. If people are going to base their opinions on films then of course Bruce Lee would win. Brucey only ever got hit for ripped shirt or bloodied face aesthetics. Hwang, despite looking far superior, got killed in virtually every film he made, thus his fighting must be tip-tappy and ineffectual.

[morgoth]

"Check out Casanova's kick at the end of Master Strikes where he kicks 3 people and then punches someone aswell. I know Whang is known for his triple kicks but i've never seen him do something as good as that!"

That is an awesome kick, but Cassanova doesn't have near as much hangtime that Hwang has when he kicks Jackie in Drunken Master.

[kungfusamurai]

Hwang, despite looking far superior, got killed in virtually every film he made, thus his fighting must be tip-tappy and ineffectual.

LOL! Yup. That means Lo Lieh must have been a way better fighter than Chen Kwan Tai because he served his butt on a plate in Executioners From Shaolin. So Chen with all of his real kung fu experience couldn't cut it when matched up against the choreographed fighting toughness of mister Lo. ;)

KFS

[theportlykicker]

That is an awesome kick, but Cassanova doesn't have near as much hangtime that Hwang has when he kicks Jackie in Drunken Master.

Yeah, but HJL was just kicking ONE person. Anyone can get that much airtime kicking one person. Cas got all that airtime AND distance and kicked THREE people in the meantime. Amirite?

[morgoth]

True, Hwang can't do that certain kick as well as Cassanova, but Cassanova can't get up as high as HWang.

[peringaten]

I don’t claim to know much about Taekwando, but have heard of its requirements for stretching the limbs in order to gain reach and flexibility. If you stretch your legs you may gain suppleness, but the muscles gradually begin to lose their elasticity, and in the same respect lose their raw power. According to Roy Horan, Hwang, knowing this, instead developed his leg fighting skills by practicing straight up raw aggressive kicking, for the warm up and meat of his martial training. Arguments about worth in light of another's ability are moot; only need a cursory glance to see Hwang was all business. Respect.

[Chinatown Kid]

Being a Taekwondo stylist, I love all the bootmasters and appreciate each one for their own special way of kicking. From what I remember, HJL received his 10th dan in TKD from the Kukkiwon in Korea a while back which is as high as you can go in the art, so he's definately legitimate. What makes him so good imo is that he's equally proficent with both legs and numerous people have made statements about the tremendous power in his kicks. Casanova is another that looks to have tremendous power in his kicks and his spinning crescent is second to none, he is a bigger man than Hwang too. I really admire Tan Tao Liang's kicking form, he has beautiful looking kicks. Sun Chien's form looks good as well and while he mostly throws basic kicks they look powerful. Then you have people like Won Jin who not only can throw amazing kicks but also combine it with amazing acrobatics as well. Bruce Lee is another great kicker, he didn't throw a wide variety like HJL, but what he did throw looked very fast and powerful. I like John Liu too, I was always impressed with his flexiblity. There's alot more great kickers I'm leaving out but these are some of my favorite, chances are if the person uses their feet alot in a fight, I'm gonna like them. ;)

[kungfusamurai]

Yeah, we haven't really mentioned the hapkido guys like Hwang Ing Sik, or the karate guys like Kurata and Bruce Liang (which we talked about ad nauseum in that Fist thread). All of those guys have great looking kicks. Too bad none of them ever tangled with Hwang Jang Lee. That would have been awesome to see!

KFS

[morgoth]

I think C-town Kid and KF Samurai covered them all. Nice job. I will add Eagle Han and Chang Shan. Eagle Han doesn't have the power as most of those other guys, but he may be the most limber. And it is not like he had weak power, no sir, just not quite as much as those other guys. RIP Eagle Han.

And I actually like Chang Shan's fist work and shapes more than his kicks, but his kicks have serious power and great form.

Tony Leung Siu Hung is also up there as one of the best kickers. Too bad he didn't get to show them more.

[WalkOn]

Great names mentioned. There's plenty of bootmasters out there and I appreciate them all! Funny, each expert executes their kicks with their own touch. Even when they perform the the same kicks (basic or advance) I can almost tell who the actor/ma is even if it were just their silhoutte! Its all albout them havin their own distintive style!

Chinatown Kid - FYI, I doubt WJL reached a 10th degree in TKD, I don't believe anyone but the late founder held that rank. I don't recall who holds it now, but pretty sure it's not WJL. I think he got as far as 7th degree but do recall reading long ago that WJL's rank was no longer recognized because of his alledged connection to North Korea. Another thing, after 3rd - 5th degree, higher levels are given more on an honorary basis as opposed to "higher" physical abilities. Most if not all the physical techniques are mastered around the 2nd - 5th degree levels. Just my 2 cents! Sorry for rambling! ;)

[Chinatown Kid]

You probably right WalkOn, but I swore I read somewhere that Hwang had been promoted past 7th degree, it might have been 8th or 9th. Might have been some false imformation though, you never know if what you read on the internet is true or not. And Hwang has ties to North Korea?:eek Wow never knew that! And I agree that when you get on up past 5th degree that it is mainly politics and it being honorary, I'm a second degree myself. ;)

[peringaten]

Without checking, I think this is another thing his student Roy Horan talks about on the Snuff Bottle disc commentary; because Hwang so uniquely bastardised the typical South Korean Taekwando stylings, bent the medium to fit his expression, he was passed over and unrecognised with the grading systems, ignored as such by the schools for not fitting, to extent he was even speculated a North Korean spy due to the unusual stylistic differences he'd derived.

[Chinatown Kid]

:rollin

I just can't see someone who is use to a democracy and freedom wanting to switch and become a communist....:\
If I can just make it to 4th degree I'll be satisfied, that rank is considered a master in the art of TKD.

[dager in the cotton]

Hwang never said he was a an a korean spy it was an unoffical statement put out by Kukkiwon suits, they refused to accept that Hwang's kicks were self taught and therefore he must be a spy from up north, you won't find any pics or books about him in the Kukkiwon, Kwong young moon and Cass are on file there , I did see stills of Kwon young moon there- he is an 8th dan. I think Cass is a 5th dan. not that matters all that much.

[Chinatown Kid]

When you say Hwang's kicks were self taught do you mean he had no formal instruction in TKD by a certified teacher? If that's the case, I'm certainly surprised. If he was a 7th degree at one time and I think he's possibly higher now, that sure is hard to believe. He would have to have been given instruction in forms to be able to achieve rank unless he did not train in the World TKD Federation style, am I misunderstanding what you said dagger?

[kungfusamurai]

When you say Hwang's kicks were self taught do you mean he had no formal instruction in TKD by a certified teacher? If that's the case, I'm certainly surprised. If he was a 7th degree at one time and I think he's possibly higher now, that sure is hard to believe. He would have to have been given instruction in forms to be able to achieve rank unless he did not train in the World TKD Federation style, am I misunderstanding what you said dagger?

Perhaps Hwang picked up styles here and there from the various choreographers he worked with?

KFS

[mongol]

The problem with Cassanova Wong is that he's inconsistent in his performance. Just look at rivals of the silver fox, wonderman of shaolin (except end fight), and the might four to name a few. To the poster who mentioned Chan Shan I happen to agree he could handle HJL. IMHO, he shows better speed in his kicks than most others plus he's more flexible than Hwang and possibly equal to or better in kicking power. I'll take speed and flexibility over stiffness anyday.

For consistently awesome performance Hwang is probably the best overall. His lack of flexibility however is a turn off to me when I can get better enjoyment from seeing guys like Eagle Han, Kwan Young Moon and others who were underused in some films with limited scenes or otherwise didnt get the level of exposure (film roles) that HJL was fortunate to get.

[Morgoth]

Yeah Chang Shan is the man. I don't know if he would beat Hwang, but in my mind he can:D

And I love Kwang Young Moon, but it bugs me a little bit that he favors one leg similiar to Dorian tan and John Liu. But that is a minor complaint, those guys are amazing.

And one thing about Rivals of the Silver Fox and Wonderman is that those movies were not on par with his Golden Havest stuff and some of his other movies. The action directors were obviously not as good. But to me Cassanova always looks awesome, even if the choreography isn't.

[Chinatown Kid]

KFS, I suppose it's possible Hwang Jang Lee picked up alot of techniques working on the movie sets of all the films he did, but I would guess it was mainly the Kung Fu hand techniques mostly like eagle claw, mantis, etc. From the look of his kicking techniques it seems he has been practicing for a very long time, perhaps from early youth. TKD being a Korean art, and also Hwang being at one time in the South Korean Army as a unarmed combat instructor, I think he was probably trained formally in the art in Korea from an early age. I could be wrong of course, it wouldn't be the first time. :rolleyes:

What gets me is this talk of Hwang being a collaborator/spy with the communist North Koreans, I don't understand why someone born in SK and in the South Korean Army would want to be a turncoat and work for the commies under a dictatorship. Perhaps this was as mentioned a scheme by the Kukkiwon suits to try and smear Hwang because he didn't want to be affiliated with them or play their game. :confused:

[gunswordfist]

I was scanning through a copy of the film Young Hero on DVD. It's a movie that has Tino Wong, but it also features a long fight between Hwang Jang Lee and Kwan Young Moon. Until I saw this, I thought the only match up they had was in Blood Child.

During a different fight scene, I was shocked to see Hwang Jang Lee do a move that he's NEVER done in a martial arts film: A single front flip! He did it while fighting some woman in the middle of the film. He uses his hands on the ground, but it's pretty much a standing front flip. And I had to reverse the DVD and watching it again just to make sure it wasn't a body double. But it really is him. He even does a number of moves after that flip before the film cuts to another angle.

The DVD was put out by Passion Productions, in their latest batch of shitty quality DVDs. Why can't they master these things using a source that won't pixelate. I think it's because they're using a $40 VCR, rather than using an SVHS player to convert the cassettes they seem to be using into DVD.

KFS

Thanks for sharing that with me!! I'm always up for seeing any movies with The King Of The Bootmasters in it. I'm pretty sure that front flip is extremely cool and that's one more movie I'll get featuring the absolute best onscreen martial artist of all time!!!! *LITERALLY writes Young Master down on long movie list*

[Morgoth]

gunswordfist you may want to write down Young Hero instead of Young Master:p

[kungfusamurai]

Thanks for sharing that with me!! I'm always up for seeing any movies with The King Of The Bootmasters in it. I'm pretty sure that front flip is extremely cool and that's one more movie I'll get featuring the absolute best onscreen martial artist of all time!!!! *LITERALLY writes Young Master down on long movie list*

It's not a spectacular flip, as he lands almost with a crouch and you can see him steady himself for a second with one hand on the ground, but then he gets up and levels a couple of kicks before it cuts to another shot. Enjoy the Young Hero!

As for the rumor about Hwang being a NK collaborator or nonsense like that, perhaps someone was jealous of the work he was getting in Taiwan and HK and wanted to ruin his reputation? Or maybe it's just another Ric Meyers 'fact'. ;)

KFS

[Chinatown Kid]

I wouldn't doubt it was some of Ric's tall tales. :rolleyes:

[WhiteTiger1]

Here are some my favorites
Secret Rivals
Secret Rivals 2
The Invincible Armour
Snake and the Eagle's Shadow
Drunken Master
Dragon's Claws
Dance of the Drunken Mantis
Demon Strike
Heroes of Shaolin
Fearless Duo
Five Fingers of Steel
Hell'z Windstaff
Tiger Over Wall
The 36 Deadly Styles
Eagle's Killer
Hitman in the Hand of Buddha
Ninja in the Dragon's Den
Hard Bastard
Secret Executioners
Duel of Ultimate Weapons
The Instant Kung Fu Man
I liked his presence on the screen, his Kung Fu was second to none.

[AlbertV]

Secret Rivals
Secret Rivals 2
Invincible Armour
Young Hero
Blood Child (Five Fingers of Steel)
Drunken Master
Hard Bastard
Ring of Death (Bastard Kung Fu Master)
Dance of the Drunk Mantis
Dragon's Claws (with Sammy Lau Kar-Yung)
Dragon Claws (with Dragon Lee)
36 Deadly Styles
No Retreat, No Surrender 2
Shanghai Express
Hitman in the Hand of Buddha
Eagle vs. Silver Fox
The Kid from Kwangtung
Street Soldiers
Emperor from the Underworld

[WhiteTiger1]

How could I forget
The Kid from Kwangtung:D

[thundered mantis]

The man´s given so many superb performances!

Innocent Interloper!!!!!
DM
SITES
Hell´s Windstaff
Hitman in Hands of Buddha
2 Fists Against the Law
Tiger Over Wall
Fearless Duo
Where´s Officer Tuba
Instant Kung Fu Man
Tower of Death
Angel
Live Hard
Darkside of Chinatown

Those I´ve still to see, but I believe they are great:
Emperor of Underworld
Kid from Kwantung
Ninja in Dragon´s Den

[Sifu]

Even though it's not neccecerily his most amazing role, Drunken Master and Snake in the Eagle's Shadow are obviously two of his best films.

[Iron_Jinon]

snake in eagles shadow,invincible armour and snuff bottle connection nails me...

[Morgoth Bauglir]

While they are not my favorite Hwang movies, my 2 favorite Hwang fights are from the end of Tiger Over Wall and Buddha Assassinator.

[Iron_Jinon]

there is one tiny problem in whl movies though...his strenght and screen energy is so overwhelming it`s hard to accept he is beaten by some up to no good almost novice fighter like in dragon claws....quite interestingly in those movies john liu and hwang were featured it took more than 1 fighter to take hwang down in final reel.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Yeah, like I said, those are my favorite fights from Hwang. Not believable, but he performs so well it is absolutely mesmerizing. Those are 2 of my top 10 favorite fight scenes of all time, and that is saying quite a lot. The guy is unstoppable on screen.

[Iron_Jinon]

wrong topic maybe but as john liu is featured in some hwang movies forgive me..liu is great kicker too but some his movies kinda annoys me.he looks at times kinda arrogant and those stretching exercises(split and head to ankle) have seen too many times....incredible kungfu mission is his best film and those who have not seen it should hunt it down to see footwork of robert tai.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Yeah Incredible Kung Fu Mission is the shiz, but John Liu only wishes he could kick like Hwang. No other actor could touch him in kicking ability.

[Iron_Jinon]

it`s quite interesting to see how they use feet...tan tao liang prefers left,hwang uses left weapon too more than right,liu uses right most of time...kwon young moon seems to be comfortable with both.
edit:but when jang uses jumpspinback-kick it is 90% cases by right shoe.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Kwan Young Moon actually favors his left, but with Hwang it doesn't matter which leg he uses. Hwang slightly favors his right, but he is uses both without hesitation. He uses whatever leg he needs to.

[Iron_Jinon]

I did not mean he is weaker with other leg..I guess filmwork/camera angles has thing to do with..by the way does any1 have info where he learned eagle claw and staff skills?tkd info is well available but nothing more...

[Morgoth Bauglir]

You are right, I just popped in The Loot, and it seems Kwan Yong Moon is only a little bit better with his left. Like Hwang, I would consider him pretty much equal with both legs, but Kwan goes with his left in most of the films I have seen him in.

[Iron_Jinon]

I saw "rebellious reign" quite late even as read 2 page article about it 10+ years ago in Eastern Heroes magazine...kwon is really man in that one and end brawl is among 3 best everseen,scene where he kills female fighter almost made chicken flesh...I wish they would have in that one feeded less brave heroism though,multiple fatal wounds dun make ning drop dead.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

I heard on a Bobby Samuels commentary (Tai Seng's Inheritor of Kung Fu) that Kwan used to have cars run over him to show his strength. I don't know if that is true, but obviously he was a tough guy.

[Sifu]

I heard on a Bobby Samuels commentary (Tai Seng's Inheritor of Kung Fu) that Kwan used to have cars run over him to show his strength. I don't know if that is true, but obviously he was a tough guy.

I don't think that'd work! :confused:

[will91XingYu]

Kwan Young Moon was left legged, i'd say Casanova Wong was more two legged than Hwang Jang Lee. My faviroute of his films would be Hellz Windstaff or Ninja in the Dragon's Den, although Hiroyuki Sanada's kicks looked nearlly as good, he looked more flexible than Hwang did (i know Hwang didn't really believe in streching). I personally think Casanova and Kwan Young Moon were better than Hwang Jang Lee at kicking, but Hwang had more range like shapes and weapon skills. I still think Hwang is a little overated and so is John Liu IMO.

[theportlykicker]

You speak the truth, Will91XingYu! :)

[Iron_Jinon]

I still think Hwang is a little overated and so is John Liu IMO.
I agree to 2nd part...but mister leg of fury is not overrated!he made snake in the eagles shadow,snuff bottle connection,invincible armour classics...villain with less skills those movies would not have been that great...IMO of course
edit:in general villains are underrated

[will91XingYu]

Thanks portly! Of course i don't dislike him but don't think he's gods gift to martial arts film either. The thing that annoys me is in reviews of films or whatever it's like just because Hwang's in it it is an instant classic of all time! Sorry i'll stop my HJL moaning.:)

[Iron_Jinon]

Thanks portly! Of course i don't dislike him but don't think he's gods gift to martial arts film either. The thing that annoys me is in reviews of films or whatever it's like just because Hwang's in it it is an instant classic of all time! Sorry i'll stop my HJL moaning.:)
I agree to that... for example I do not think liu chia liang is maestro but we have different tastes....but I honestly feel so so movie is improved when hwang is featured.

[Sifu]

I never judge a film by who stars in it, look at Crazy Shaolin Disciples or even Twins Effect!

[Iron_Jinon]

[B]Crazy Shaolin Disciples
trailer looks sick!

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Not every movie Hwang is in is a classic, I don't know where you heard that crap Will, but Hwang always performs at an extremely high level. He is far from overrated.

[Chinatown Kid]

Yeah Hwang can usually make an otherwise crappy movie worth seeing just for his performance alone, Lackey and the Lady Tiger and Duel of Ultimate Weapons immediately comes to mind.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

I asked my mom to get me Duel of Ultimate weapons for Christmas because you recommended it to me awhile ago. you said he has a whole bunch of fights. I can't wait to see it. Or actually, before I jinx it, I hope my mom gets it for me. I have been working almost 80 hours a week the past 3 weeks so I can get my family presents, so I better get my stuff too!:p

[AlbertV]

Each kicker has his own range in terms of technique and accuracy. Let's not forgot Mr. Hwang actually did kill someone, a Vietnamese knife fighter who thought the knife was faster than the leg and Hwang kicked him right in the temple. This was during Hwang's days in the Korean Army. So, Hwang Jang-Lee is definitely the #1 kicker in films IMO.

Flexibility wise, John Liu is a little overrated, but I love the move in Fighting Ace where he kills a man with an axe kick to his throat, but he would make films like Ninja in the Claws of the CIA??? LOL. Kwon Young-Moon definitely has it. Just today I watched Return to the 36th Chamber and I love when he kicks Wei Pai and points to his leg "This my friend, is your justice". I also liked his choreography on the B-movie "Ninja Turf" with Jun Chong. Lots of kicking in it.

Agility wise, I'd say both Tan Tao-Liang and Casanova Wong have it. I watched "Duel with the Devils" and counted and timed Tan kicking the final villain. 15 kicks off his left leg in 5 seconds!!! Casanova Wong has an amazing triple kick and his spin kicks earned him the nickname "Human Tornado".

[Sifu]

Let's not forgot Mr. Hwang actually did kill someone, a Vietnamese knife fighter who thought the knife was faster than the leg and Hwang kicked him right in the temple.

Ouch! That guy must've looked like the Elephant man for his autopsy! :eek:

[AlbertV]

I love Art of High Impact Kicking. I would watch it to improve my kicks. Mind you, I'm more of a kickboxing stylist, but I like to see it to work on the various types of kicks.

My other HJL favorites are:

Secret Rivals 1 & 2
Invincible Armour
Hitman in the Hand of Buddha
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Ring of Death
Drunken Master
Dance of the Drunk Mantis
Duel of the Ultimate Weapons
Hell's Wind Staff
Street Soldiers

[Righteous Master]

HJL is probably my favorite bad guy in kung fu films. Heck, he is one of my favorite actors in kung fu films. I have liked this guy since I saw him the first time when I watched DM.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

Also one of my favourites. Him and Chan Wai Man.... they didn't fuck around.... on or off screen!


HJL behind the scenes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grBIj9zY_mg

CWM in the ring

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg0wfyACzCQ

[will91XingYu]

Chan Wai Man is way more badass than Hwang Jang Lee! While i don't paticularly like him loads i still think that the end of Hitman in the Had of Budha is an amazing fight and really showcases all his skills.Also Kwan Young Moon is someone i think is underated, he had some vicous kicks on him, especially in the end of Rebelliouse Reign, not when he fight Alan Hsu and Jimmy Lee, the bit before when he fight Chu Ko, man just the raw anger and hate in his kicks made me kinda scared of him myself!

[Chinatown Kid]

I believe HJL would eat Chan Wai Man for breakfast. Chan may be a badass in that he was a triad/thug and probably is a good streetfighter(I know he did compete in kickboxing as well) but to me he's not near Hwang's level of skill. As for on screen fights, HJL definately looks better imo.

[will91XingYu]

I agree, Chan Wai Man didn't have much in the way of kicks, but he did have intensity, but in a real fight i think Chan Wai Man would win as hed probably use a knife or something!

[Chinatown Kid]

lol your probably right will, I didn't think about that!;)

[Sifu]

I just saw a HJL movie on Kung Fu in HD. And they mistitle their movies very often. They put it as Snake in the Eagle's Shadow 2, and I know that was wrong, Shadow 2 starred Wang Tao. So I thought I'd describe it.

It stars Philip Ko, with Hwang Jang Lee being the baddy and, In the final fight Ko cuts Lee's shoulder with a broad swords and it ends pretty bloodily. :cool: Can anyone properly ID it?

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

It's TIGER OVER WALL! someone mentioned this in another thread I think!

[Bus]

correct

[Sifu]

It's TIGER OVER WALL!

It was alright, wasn't really Ko's best, but it wasn't that bad.

That whole thing with the missing "boxer dog" was kind of funny, but I don't think it was mean to be!

[Righteous Master]

I believe HJL would eat Chan Wai Man for breakfast. Chan may be a badass in that he was a triad/thug and probably is a good streetfighter(I know he did compete in kickboxing as well) but to me he's not near Hwang's level of skill. As for on screen fights, HJL definately looks better imo.

It is hard to say who would win in a real match. However I would have to put my bet on HJL.

[Blood Sword]

Ring Of Death (he is only in the last 15 min of the film)

Is this the one where end takes on boxing ring quite a lot above ground level?I saw movie like that as teenager but did not know names of actors and been scratching my head to think what the hell title was.
But as remember virtually nothing was mission impossible.
Ring of fire rings some bells tho...