Sammo Hung: the ‘Big Brother’ of Hong Kong martial arts movie
Martial arts cinema has thrown up plenty of iconic talents over the years, but in terms of sheer influence and legacy, Sammo Hung might just be the greatest of all.
In addition to appearing in well over 200 movies, he worked with Bruce Lee as a child, became a close friend and collaborator of Jackie Chan, and helped launch the career of Michelle Yeoh. He has also expanded his horizons into fight choreography, directing, producing, and training future generations of on-screen ass-kickers.
His shadow loomed so large over the genre that he was known by – and often addressed directly as – the term ‘Big Brother’, although former protégé Chan shared that distinction. However, when they were both part of the cast of 1983’s Project A, no doubt was left over who was held in higher esteem.
As the older and more experienced of the two, Hung had his moniker altered to ‘Dai Goh Dai’, which translates roughly as ‘Biggest Big Brother’. Chan may have popularised the style of blending lightning-quick martial arts prowess with slapstick comedy, but it was Hung who honed it first.
That protective nature and status as a father figure of sorts even extended to behind-the-scenes disagreements, with Chan revealing how his mentor stopped him from inflicting bodily harm on a director who insulted his family. After sharing how he was “scolded so much, he even dragged my ancestors in” by the filmmaker in question, Chan “took a knife and wanted to go and cut the director” for bringing his mother’s name into disrepute.
Fortunately, Hung was on hand to diffuse the situation. “Sammo grabbed hold of me and said, ‘Are you crazy?'”, which prevented Chan from both torpedoing his own career and potentially doing something he’d end up regretting for the rest of his life.
A leading light and pioneer of the Hong Kong New Wave Movement, he set up the Sammo Hung Stuntmen Association in the 1970s to give a platform to many of the performers who would go on to play their part in elevating the country’s action output to brand new heights. His fingerprints continue to be all over the medium today, thanks to his towering position both in front of, behind and even away from the camera.
Few have possessed quite an eye for talent, either, whether it was taking Chan under his wing while the future global superstar was trying to carve out his name and reputation or taking a chance on a completely unknown Yeoh by casting her in her very first on-screen part in 1984’s The Owl vs. Bombo. He was so impressed that she was quickly elevated to leading status and headlined Yes, Madam the following year.
Before long, Yeoh was one of the country’s most renowned action stars, something that wouldn’t have happened had Hung not taken a chance on her. “Action movies in Hong Kong in the early 1980s were very much a boys’ club,” the future Academy Award winner admitted. “The women? We were always protected and defended.”
Nonetheless, Yeoh was transfixed by fight sequences, which she compared to “an elaborate, choreographed dance piece”. Reflecting on Yes, Madam, the actor was confident in her abilities, but the producers weren’t quite as convinced. “They thought I was mad, or crazy, or both,” she continued, but Hung’s eye for spotting talent proved to be right on the money once again.
Wheels On Meals, Dragons Forever, Eastern Condors, The Victim, Warriors Two, and Encounters Of The Spooky Kind are just a smattering of his most memorable on-screen outings. The latter launched an entire subgenre after mastering the art of combining martial arts with mysticism to give rise to a slew of imitators that injected the established formula with a hefty dose of horror.
Not that he’s ever let the lofty pedestal he’s been placed on by so many go to his head, though, with Hung self-effacingly playing down his legendary status. “It caught me by surprise, but I’m very happy for this opportunity to let the Hong Kong audience be reminded of this fat old man who risked his life many times on film,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I don’t want to boast about any contribution, but I was part of the group of people who toiled for the film industry.”