Kung Fu Movie Guide Podcast

When Jimmy Wang Yu died on 5 April 2022 at the age of 79, Jackie Chan took to his social media accounts to pay his respects, stating that "the contributions you've made to kung fu movies and the support and wisdom you’ve given to the younger generations will always be remembered in the industry." But Wang Yu's legacy is a complicated one. Despite being a huge Hong Kong martial arts star in the 1960s and 70s, his international status has now been overshadowed by his contemporaries - especially Bruce Lee - and his infamous off-screen antics have, particularly in Asia, threatened to overwhelm his cinematic contributions. However, he unquestionably remains one of kung fu cinema's most influential figures; Shaw Brothers' first martial arts star whose break-out role in the wuxia classic, 'One-Armed Swordsman' (1967), helped it to become the first Hong Kong film to gross HK$1m at the box office. His pioneering directorial debut, 'The Chinese Boxer' (1970), is credited for being the first empty-hand kung fu movi