Until just a few years ago, the appearance of martial arts in mainstream American film was confined to bad action movies and spoof sequences in movies like Dumb and Dumber and Wayne's World 2. People fighting each other... without guns? It sounded downright un-American. The U.S. mainstream really didn't know what to make of martial arts movies' bad dubbing and nonsensical plots, so for many decades the kung-fu film remained a cult oddity.
But over the past two years, the American market has slowly begun to explore elements of what has been a healthy and vital genre of Asian film for decades. In fact, the buzz surrounding the recent Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon suggests that it might become the first foreign film to jump-kick its way onto the Best Picture platform.
It's certainly a welcome development. As all those "whoa-ed" by Keanu in The Matrix know by now, kung-fu kicks ass. Feats of superhuman strength and gravity-defying acrobatics are combined with an almost ballet-like grace, giving the films a rhythm and adrenaline that is lost in most big-building-go-boom action flicks.
Unfortunately, recent attempts to translate kung-fu styles and aesthetics to the American box office have met mixed results (Romeo Must Die, Black Mask), with the most successful efforts combining the martial arts genre with something more familiar, like comedy in Jackie Chan's Rush Hour and sci-fi in The Matrix. Still, true kung-fu films from Hong Kong have been growing in popularity, thanks to a wave of DVD re-releases that is making many titles of the vast genre available to domestic markets for the first time.
A Cultural Tradition
One of the most distinguishing features of the kung-fu film is the genre's close link with cultural tradition. Some themes and ideas found within almost all kung-fu films-in fact, almost all Hong Kong movies-can be traced farther back than the medium itself, and are more related to folk tradition
In fact, wuxia, a form of ancient Chinese legend, is the genre's direct ancestor. Literally translated as "chivalric warfare," wuxia chronicles the adventures of martial knights. Such knights were known for their skills in swordplay and physical dexterity, in addition to their sense of honor, honesty, duty, justice and courage.
Although the specific combat styles of the ancient wuxia were probably closer to those found in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon than in the typical modern kung-fu film, those core values have persisted in heroes throughout all genres of East Asian cinema. The genre's main struggles center on issues such as loyalty to country or family/community, revenge, inner sanctity and sacrifice. It is important to note that kung-fu films do not glorify martial arts as a solution to problems. In fact, the use of kung-fu for anything other than defensive purposes is usually a trait of these films' villains. Kung-fu fighting often comes with the price of sacrificed loved ones or heroes. Again, unlike stateside action films, this genre is very conscious of the effects of violence.
Kung-Fu on Film
Martial arts have been present in Asian films all the way back to the early days of the industry, in which hundreds of films were made featuring the near-mythic character of Wong Fei Hung, a Chinese folk hero of the Boxer Rebellion (who has recently been played by both Jackie Chan and Jet Li). After World War II, Hong Kong developed a burgeoning filmmaking industry. In that hotbed of cheaply made, instantly disposable movie production, kung-fu movies became known for threadbare plots, minimal production values and emphasis on fight scenes. The genre remained underproduced and insignificant-until the 1970s, and an actor named Bruce Lee.
Born in America, Lee was a child star in Hong Kong cinema and returned to the East after college to make five movies that had a powerful resonance with the Chinese immigrant demographic. His films mostly dealt with traditional Chinese themes, including struggling to maintain legitimacy in an externally hostile world. This nationalist element instantly made Lee's career among Hong Kong immigrants. Lee's fresh, invigorated fighting style and knowledge of English also drew outside attention. Lee gradually moved up from actor to choreographer to director, eventually creating what is widely considered the best kung-fu movie of all time, Enter the Dragon. Lee's charisma and skill made him an instant star even overseas; unfortunately, he died under what some call mysterious circumstances three days before Enter the Dragon's premiere.
Bruce Lee redefined the martial arts genre in his own image in just five films, spawning imitators and new styles that still show his influence today. The modern kung-fu film often operates in one of two contexts: It either draws directly from Chinese legend, or deals with the struggle to maintain tradition in the modern world. A big portion of the kung-fu audience consists of Chinese immigrants, who turn to martial arts movies as a source of identification, remembrance and ultimately, cultural legitimation. That's certainly more than can be said for Hard Target.
While some martial arts made it to these shores before now, most of it suffered meathead makeovers from Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagall. An endless stream of violent American B-movies with two-word titles spewed forth without pause, in true Hong Kong cinema fashion. But now, the reputation of stars like Jet Li and Chow Yun-Fat has been building, along with the success of Jackie Chan's career. With Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on the verge of phenomenon status and Matrix 2 already in production, there is hope yet that the spirit of kung-fu will find its way to Hollywood's production aesthetic. In the meantime, make sure to go rent the classics.
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