Corey Yuen (1951-2022)

When establishing a list of Hong Kong’s best filmmakers, Corey Yuen’s name will almost certainly appear near the top of the list. Born Ying Gang-Ming in 1951, he became best friends with Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Biao at their Peking Opera School. As members of the “Seven Little Fortunes” troupe, Yuen et al. were trained in martial arts as well as acrobatics, tumbling, and dance — all skills that would later establish them in the Hong Kong film industry in the ’70s, ’80s, and beyond.

Although Yuen starred in numerous films, such as Secret Rivals 2, Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain, and Eastern Condors, he was more famous for his work behind the camera. His resume as a director and martial arts choreographer includes Drunken Master, Yes, Madam!, Righting Wrongs, Dragons Forever, Fong Sai-Yuk, The New Legend of Shaolin, and My Father is a Hero — to name just a few. In addition to his Hong Kong work, Yuen made the jump to Hollywood with Kiss of the Dragon, The One, and The Transporter and gave Jean-Claude Van Damme his first break in 1985’s No Retreat, No Surrender.

Sadly, Corey Yuen died in 2022 as a result of COVID but his death was kept a secret at his family’s request. It only became public knowledge this week after Jackie Chan posted a tribute on his Weibo account.

In honor of Yuen, I’ve posted some of the best examples of his unique brand of martial arts mayhem. Few things are as enjoyable as classic Hong Kong action, and Yuen’s work is a big reason for that. Every single one of these clips puts a huge smile on my face.