LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Jet Li: Hong Kong
built 221 days ago
One of the most popular stars of Hong Kong films of the early 1990s, the compact, charismatic Jet Li was at one time considered the heir to the late Bruce Lee. A child prodigy in martial arts, he excelled in the high-kicking "wu shu" style, winning several national championships and traveling around the world (including a 1974 US visit to the Nixon White House). Before turning 20, Jet Li made his film debut as a fighting priest in "Shaolin Temple" (1982), which was banned in Taiwan but proved popular throughout Asia. After two sequels, "Shaolin Temple II: Kids From Shaolin" (1984) and "Shaolin Temple III: Martial Arts of Shaolin" (1986), both of which showcased his talents, Jet made his directorial debut with the unsuccessful "Born to Defend" (... 1986).
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Now Jet Li was hot property. Swordsman 2 was another smash and everyone was after his signature. So vicious was the competition - and the Hong Kong industry is notoriously rough - that when Jet's personal manager was shot down in Kowloon, it was said to be because he'd refused to sign Jet over to the Triads. Instead, Jet formed his own production company, and scored again, this time with The Legend.
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In his first American film lead, Hong Kong sensation Jet Li plays an ex-cop who breaks out of the Chinese prison where he's been unjustly jailed and travels to Oakland, looking to avenge his brother's death. Li becomes romantically involved with Aaliyah, but the would-be lovers are caught on opposite sides of a deadly mob war waged by their fathers. Delroy Lindo, Isaiah Washington and Russell Wong ... star in this action-packed, urban-flavored "Romeo and Juliet" revamping. 110 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English Dolby 5.1, French; Subtitles: English, French; theatrical trailers; music videos; "making of" documentary; behind-the-scenes footage.
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Despite numerous offers from bigwigs like Oliver Stone and Quentin Tarantino, Jet Li took his time following fellow HK actors Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung and Chow Yun-Fat to L.A. At one time he was attached to a Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle and withdrew just before filming. At last, in 1998, after the Asian economy dropped and film production suffered, Jet Li appeared in his first American studio film, playing the seemingly unbeatable martial artist villain opposite Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the successful sequel "Lethal Weapon 4"รข€”Li provided much of the heavy action lifting in the aging franchise, staying stone-faced while Gibson fired corny jokes at him (That same year the martial artist had another major Hong Kong hit, Wei Tung's "Sat sau ji wong" playing a reluctant rookie hit man opposite a seasoned veteran played by Eric Tsang).
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Jet Li has been a film icon overseas for nearly two decades, appearing in over twenty action films within that time and portraying some of the most important figures of Chinese history along the way. Jet got his first big break in America when he starred as the main villain opposite Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in "Lethal Weapon 4." A quick fan base arose from his short and almost mute performance in the film, and Jet enjoyed instant success, thanks mostly to Jackie Chan's recent revival of the kung-fu action genre that Bruce Lee first made popular twenty years before. Jet has continued to release American hits like "Romeo Must Die," "Kiss of the Dragon" and "Cradle 2 the Grave" over the last ten years, but in 2004, the humble actor helped turn one of Asia's most successful films into one of the biggest American hits of the year when "Hero" was finally released in to theaters with the backing of famed director Quentin Tarantino. For those interested in watching some of Jet's earlier work, check out the "Once Upon a Time In China" trilogy or the action-comedy "Hitman" (aka. "Contract Killer) with Hong Kong funnyman Eric Tsang.
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Jet Li is Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hong, who relocates his martial arts school next to a brothel after experiencing financial problems. When he learns that several of the prostitutes are being kidnapped by nefarious members of the Boxer Society, Wong calls on his incredible fighting skills to stop the culprits. Gordon Liu ... stars. AKA: "Deadly China Hero." 110 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: Chinese Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English. In Chinese with English subtitles.
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