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It’s getting hard to keep up with all the new Asian action releases these days. Here are three upcoming films that are on my radar, for various reasons. The one common thread is that they all involve gangsters and martial arts.

First up is the much-talked-about Donnie Yen vehicle SPECIAL IDENTITY. This one was in the news for all the wrong reasons, as a feud between Yen and former co-star Vincent Zhao blew up into an online brawl. With Zhao off the project and Andy On, Collin Chou, and Ken Lo signed on as replacements, this one promises gritty action in a contemporary setting (rumor is that Yen plays an undercover cop). Shooting has wrapped and the film is tentatively slated for release later this year. Look for an interview with action choreographer John Salvitti here soon!

 

 

Next is one that almost slipped past me. KING OF THE STREETS is opening in China on Friday (July 27). It’s written and directed by Yue Song, a martial artist who also stars in this tale of a young man who seeks revenge for his parents’ death at the hands of a local gang. For a debut effort, the trailer looks pretty promising. (Sorry, I haven’t been able to find a subbed trailer.)

 

 

Finally, that teaser trailer for ONCE UPON A TIME IN SHANGHAI that channels the old Shaw Brothers kung fu movies of the 70s? Yes, please, I want to see more.  The film is based on what is probably the ur-story of Chinese gangsters and martial arts, “Shandong Ma Yongzhen.” The first film about Ma Yongzhen, a boxer from Shandong province who runs afoul of a Shanghai gang, was made in Shanghai in 1927. Chang Cheh’s version, THE BOXER FROM SHANTUNG, starred Chen Kuan-tai and was made for the Shaw studio in 1972. Corey Yuen remade the story as HERO in 1997, with Takeshi Kaneshiro and Yuen Biao. Yuen Woo-ping is the action director on the new one, and Philip Ng, another relative newcomer, steps into the role of Ma Yongzhen. Sammo Hung is also in the cast. No word yet on a release date.

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  • Thedrunkenrabbit

    Holy Shiznitz! That trailer was SicK! It was Shaw Brothers meats Ip Man!

  • Mikeg1965

    “ONCE UPON A TIME IN SHANGHAI”… I see a Blu-Ray Purchase in my future! :)

  • DooK

    Nothing excites me more than a modern action film with Donnie Yen as the lead actor and action director. Hope it delivers after all problems on and off set.

  • http://twitter.com/jacken_88 AJ Sims

    its about fucking time philip ng got a starring role in a martial
    arts/action movie! been known about philip ng for a while now since
    house of fury and have always known he was a real martial arts expert
    who is also a capable/skilled screen fighter. he was suppose to star in
    some independent martial arts movie back in 2008 but for some reason it
    just never when anywhere. its great to finally see him star in a
    seemingly promising martial arts movie (in the spirit of a shaw brother
    film style) that seems to not only really get off the ground and get
    released but also the legendary yuen wo ping is the action director
    choreographing all the fight scenes and moves for philip to excute :)
    now if they would offer some good roles to other action actors (who are
    also martial arts experts in real life) to the likes of guys like xing
    yu and jon foo (something more realistic and gritty than tekken)…

  • Ajsims39

    oh yeah, kane kosugi (yet another great real life martial artist that has experience with acting) should be offered some great roles in action/martial arts too (that choy li fut, doa and war really cut him short when it came to showing off what he could really do)