HK Cinema - 1978
In the same year that Jackie finally had a hit
film, his Big Brother Sammo got an opportunity to direct his first film
– Iron-Fisted Monk.
Sammo had left the school a few years before Jackie
and had found work in the movies. Though he is famous for his large – less
than slim looking build, he amazed people with his incredible acrobatic
ability and quick moves. He had no trouble finding work as a stuntman and
in small roles – almost always as a bad guy. His first role was in Hu’s
A Touch of Zen. Sammo became a protégé of Huang Feng one
of the better known action directors of that time and before long he was
doing action choreography for King Hu in The Fate of Lee Khan and The Valient
Ones.
He became friends with Bruce Lee and worked
in some of his films. Sammo later paid homage to Bruce with his film Enter
the Fat Dragon in which he does a great imitation of Bruce's fighting style.
Sammo also shows up in a number of Angela Mao films such as Hapkido, When
Taekwondo Strikes, Lady Whirlwind and the classic Broken Oath.
With the help of Huang Feng, Sammo was able
to convince Raymond Chow to let him direct a film. He followed this film
in the same year by directing Enter the Fat Dragon and Warriors Two. These
two films display the two sides that Sammo has – Enter the Fat Dragon is
very comedic in style while Warriors Two is quite brutal. Often he mixes
both elements in the same film.