[2024.10.05] STUNTMAN'S TWIN DIRECTORS PURSUSE THEIR DREAMS AGAIN AFTER 17 YEARS

Twins directors Albert (left) and Herbert Leung (right) hope to pay tribute to film's behind the scenes heroes with STUNTMAN

Stephen Tung played the action director Sam Gor and Terrance Lau played action actor, both only took symoblic salaries

Philip Ng plays the action superstar in STUNTMAN and shows off his skills

The father and daughter scenes between Stephen Tung and Cecilia Choi touched many viewers.
courtesy of mingpao.com

Hong Kong's new generation twin directors Albert Leung Koon Hiu and Herbert Leung Koon Shun are true Hong Kong-made action movie fans. Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung Kam Bo, and Jet Li (Lee Nin Kit)'s hardore action films in the 1980s and 1990s inspired them, as they dreamed of becoming action superstars since childhood. The two brothers entered the industry in 2007 to participate in the movie TWINS MISSION (SEUNG JI SUN TAU), but the star journey was not bright at all. Instead they have become "one film actors"! However completely due to the words of their idol Hung Kam Bo, they never gave up their development in the film industry. Finally they reached to the director's position after 17 tough years, and through their directing debut STUNTMAN (MO TAI DOH), they connected the late martial arts superstar Bruce Lee, the 7 time Hong Kong Films Awards for Best Action Design winner Stephen Tung Wai, and popular movie stars Philip Ng Won Lung and Terrance Lau Chun Him to pay tribute to all the heroes behind the senes, express the hardships of stunt people, and hoped to get public support so that Hong Kong-made action movies and the stunt people industry would continue on.

Growing up, STUNTMAN directors Albert Leung Koon Hiu and Herbert Leung Koon Shun loved watching Hong Kong-made action films such as PROJECT A, POLICE STORY and EASTERN CONDOER, and once fantasized about becoming martial arts superstars. In 2007 they finally had the opportunity to enter the industry. After teaming up with their elders Sammo Hung Kam Bo and Yuen Wah in the movie TWINS MISSION (SEUNG JI SUN TAU), they fell from the high to the low like a roller coaster and no one cared about them. Albert said, "I thought that after making a movie, I could slowly develop in this industry. I didn't expect that after waiting for a long time we were stagnant, as no one asked us to perform anymore! Luckily the company I worked for before making movies was very good to me and allowed me to leave without pay, so I had to go back and continue to work. During this time I kept looking for performance opportunities, even working as extras. I have met many stunt people who debuted at the same time as us, they have become stunt coordinators, they curiously asked why we were extras? It was really embarrassing and uncomfortable, but I wasn't discouraged; I kept adding value, reading a lot of books on how to write scripts, editing, participating in the Fresh Wave and creating to improve my skills."

Herbert studied film and did not feel that it was a mistake to become an extra, at least he could continue to stay in the film industry. It was not until 2015 that from the Hong Kong Action Stuntmen Association president Chin Ka Lok's mouth he learned that the association held a stuntman training class, so the two brothers enrolled together, regained their love for martial arts, and started their careers as stuntmen. However they did not have much work, and still had to work part-time to make ends meet. They said that directing STUNTMAN not only paid tribute to stunt people and expressed their hardships, but also because Sammo Hung Kam Bo's spirit moved them when they co-starred in TWINS MISSION (SEUNG JI SUN TAU), "Big Brother Hung Kam Bo said that this kind of movie can no longer be made now. Although this industry is declining and the glory is no longer there, he would still continue to persist." Albert agreed with Hung Kam Bo and pointed out that in addition to the efforts of stars and action actors, action movies also needed the joint efforts of behind-the-scenes stand-ins and stunt people, etc. Every position was worth cherishing, and he did not want to see the loss of talent, "In this industry, it's impossible to have no stuntman. Local productions all need stunt people. I want to make this movie to let the audience know about a group of behind-the-scenes heroes who have worked silently for Hong Kong films. After so many year, how are their lives now? Some people have only worked as stunt people all their lives, what would they do when they do not have a job? Faced with a lack of employument among the young people who have entered the industry now, some have also changed careers to work in renovation or driving taxis."

Directing a film for the first time, they felt that the biggest challenge was the race against time. Because the film was the First Feature Film Initiative project, the production budget was only HK$ 8 million and it had to be completed within 19 days. If the date was missed, a domino effect would occur and be out of control. Herbert said, "13 out of 19 days involved action scenes, and 6 days werer big action scenes. Everyone saw that there were many complex action scenes in the film, which was very risky. So for several street scenes, such as shootouts and jumping off the bridge in Tsim Sha Tsui East, before the shoot we would pray for no rain. For the two opening action scenes in the 1980s, we also struggled with whether to shoot them or not. If we did they would take 3 days and a lot of money to shoot, but without these memories the story could not progress; and the audience would not know how powerful the Tung Wai played 'Sum Gor' in the stunt world back then and why he suddenly retired."

Tung Wai has faded out of the scene for many years. Strongly inviting him to return, Albert said that was because one day when he and Herbert were working on the script in a coffe shop in Tsim Sha Tsui East; they saw the bronze statue of Bruce Lee being placed next to a bunch of trees after the Avenue of Stars renovation. He wondered why it was moved to an out of sight spot, and whether action movies had been forgotten and not valued? Suddenly he remembered that a scene between Tung Wai and Bruce Lee in ENTER THE DRAGON. If Tung Wai stood in front of the bronze statue of Bruce Lee, he felt that it would be very significant. So through the action director Kong Tao Hoi they invited Tung Wai to perform. Although he agreed, he alwys said at every meeting, "If I would really do it, it would be like this......" Albert said, "During this time I was very afraid that Tung Wai wouldn't to take the role. (Tung Wai is so experienced, has he given a lot of advice during filming?) Every actor would have an opinion. They are all so professional, they have their own creations and ideas; if they have opinions, we would discuss the story together. We have this story but our views might not be definitely right, we have to accept other people's opinions. For example Ng Won Lung was originally set to play the villain, but Tung Wai felt that it would be better for him to play the villain. After the discussion, I felt that his idea was right."

As for the participation of Philip Ng Won Lung and Terance Lau Chun Him, whose popularity has soared with TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED IN (GAU LUNG SING JAI JI WAI SING), Herbert said that it was purely a coincidence. He laughed and said, "I didn't know that the two of them would become popular during the shoot, we just got lucky! My Papa and Ng Won Lung's papa belong to the same Choy Lee Fut school, so I have known Ng Won Lung for a long time. He is very nice, very supportive of our two brothers. He knew that this film has applied for the First Feature Film Initiative, and has agreed to perform even before reading the script. We met Lau Chun Him during the early martial arts training for TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS, noticed that he was smart and could pick up ll the moves quickly. He was serious bout acting and had both dramatic and action skills, so he is very suitable for the role of Lung Jai in STUNTMAN." He thanked Tung Wai, Ng Won Lung, Lau Chun Him and Choi Sze Wan for their generous help, and only taking a symbolic remuneration. If they received their full salaries, there would not be enough money for filming.

Speaking of the audience appreciation shows, many female viewers said that they have watched it twice or more; not because they liked the action scenes, but because the father-daughter relationship between Tung Wai and Choi Sze Wan moved them. Twin directors said that the original conception of this father-daughter relationship came from their experience as action actors. They met many seniors in the Sammo Hung Stunt Team and the Jackie Chan Stunt Team. Due to work they were estranged from their families. They also considered that the audience may not be interested in the stunt business, so they added elements of human relationships, "A stuntman once shared his conversation with his daughter. The daughter felt that Papa has contributed so much to Hong Kong action movies, but not many people knew him. We were very moved when we heard that, because stunt doubles are the unsung heroes; you can't see their faces in front of the camera, everyone is focused on the leads. In fact, every behind-the-scenes staff, including PA, assistant director, etc., each position has its purpose, so we added these to the film."

As for whether the character "Sum Gor" was their portrait? They said, "Our experiences are reflected in Lung Jai's side. His family was against him joining the industry, so he never gave up in order to pursue his dream. Sum Gor also has a little bit of our shadow. He recalled that he experienced huge ups and downs when he first entered the industry, and after 17 years he finally got the opportunity again." They have suffered a lot, but they are not disillusioned. Instead, they felt lucky because not everyone could have a second chance to pursue their dreams after 17 years. They were grateful to everyone for helping to realize their dreams.