Wu then made history with his bombastic military epic Wolf Warrior 2, which he wrote, produced, directed and starred in. His white-clad assassin from SPL almost eclipsed his adversary - and the film's star - Donnie Yen in their iconic alleyway fight, and it paved the way for Wu's own directorial debut, Legendary Assassin, a criminally under-seen kung fu Key Largo riff. The 47-year-old Beijing native cut his teeth in Hong Kong, but it wasn't until he returned to mainland China that Wu struck gold. It wasn't until 2005's SPL (also known as Kill Zone), and his partnership with director Wilson Yip Wai-shun, that Yen found critical and commercial success - as well as hard-fought global recognition. After finding early recognition opposite Jet Li in Once Upon a Time in China II, he spent most of the '90s fronting lacklustre martial arts vehicles or choreographing fights for other, less capable stars.
Undeniably Asia's most successful action star right now, the Ip Man and Rogue One star has scored a string of recent home-grown hits and Hollywood blockbuster appearances.īut it was an agonising road to the top for Yen, who turns 58 in July. © Provided by South China Morning Postĭonnie Yen in Ip Man 3 (2015), directed by Wilson Yip. Joe Origins.īoth of these films arrive hot on the heels of the James Wan-produced reboot of video game favourite Mortal Kombat, starring a few of Asia's hottest martial arts talents.Īs news breaks that action veterans Donnie Yen Ji-dan and Hiroyuki Sanada have both been cast in John Wick 4 - arguably the high water mark of ongoing action franchises - we have come up with a list of our top 10 favourite Asian action stars working today. Meanwhile, Henry Golding, the British-Malaysian heartthrob from Crazy Rich Asians, also pivots to action hero in July's Snake Eyes: G.I.
Simu Liu is poised to become the next big Asian martial arts star with the imminent release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, in which the China-born actor stars as Marvel's first Asian superhero alongside Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Michelle Yeoh. It wasn’t until 2005’s SPL that Yen found critical and commercial success – as well as hard-fought global recognition.
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