Hong Kong 1990: From stuntman to King of Kung Fu

Chapter 72 Police and Gangster Action Films

Seeing that Hung Kam-po was still lost in thought, Tang Long couldn't help but interrupt:

"Brother Sanmao, at my age, I can only play the young Wang Wu at most. There aren't many stories to tell from that period."

If you really want to film "Wang Wu the Great Swordsman," you need to find an actor who is the right age and has the air of a chivalrous hero. I'm not suitable.

"This shouldn't have much of an impact, right?"

"Since you're planning to film real backgrounds and people, you still need to be mindful of this."

Although I can't act in it, I can try to write the script for you, and then you can see if you're satisfied with it.

Hung Kam-pao fell into deep thought, realizing that Tang Long's words made some sense, and sighed:

"Alright, the script will be yours to write. I really appreciate your scriptwriting abilities. I can only look forward to the next opportunity to collaborate."

"No need to wait until next time, I have a project here that we can collaborate on."

Hung Kam-pao was taken aback, then realized what was happening:

"You're not here to offer me a toast, are you? You really just want to collaborate with me, aren't you?"

"No, it's true that I want to cooperate with you, and it's also true that I'm offering you a toast."

He didn't seem to care; he was just joking.

"Tell me, is this your new project?"

"That's right, I'm preparing to shoot an urban police action film and I'd like to invite Brother Sanmao to play a role."

But he might not be the protagonist, but rather a major villain like in "Twin Dragons".

Even in the 1980s, Tang Long wouldn't have dared to say that.

However, with the box office failure of "Eastern Condors", Sammo Hung began to decline from his peak.

Subsequent films directed or produced by these directors never achieved the same level of success as those before.

The early to mid-1980s was the peak period for New City, forcing its arch-rivals Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers to join forces.

Shaw Brothers ceased production for various reasons, while Golden Harvest mainly relied on Sammo Hung to hold off New City.

At that time, even Jackie Chan's box office performance in Hong Kong was not as good as Sammo Hung's.

Over the past few years, as he has watched the younger generation rise one by one while his own career has declined, he has become somewhat disheartened.

He began to reduce his film appearances and gradually moved behind the scenes, mainly working as a director or martial arts choreographer.

"A villain?" Sammo Hung frowned.

Although he had lost his previous enthusiasm, he still felt somewhat awkward about suddenly being relegated to a supporting role for a young man.

Tang Long understood that Hung Kam-po hadn't completely let go of his pride yet, and said sincerely:

"Brother Sanmao, with your status, you no longer need to prove yourself by playing leading or supporting roles."

The role in my new project is tailor-made for you. Although it's a villain, it's not a stereotypical one; it will definitely leave a lasting impression on the audience.

Seeing Tang Long's expectant look, Hung Kam-po couldn't bring himself to refuse.

Moreover, he was indeed very interested in collaborating with this young man.

"Alright, I'll take the role."

However, I'll be quite busy next, as I'll be filming the martial arts film "Legend of the God of War," which Andy Lau is investing in, right after the Lunar New Year.

Then I also have a rehashed movie called "The Lucky Stars Meet the Ghosts," and I'm also going to make a movie about Wang Wu, the master swordsman, for Lo Wei.

Win's Entertainment also asked me to be the martial arts director for one of their martial arts films.

When will your movie start filming? I need to coordinate my schedule.

"I will also be filming Tsui Hark's 'Swordsman 2' after the New Year. After that, I will immediately start filming the new movie, probably in May or June."

Hung Kam-pao thought for a moment, then nodded:

"No problem in May or June."

Upon hearing this, Tang Long was overjoyed.

His biggest worry was not being able to get Sammo Hung to play the role of Wong Po, since he really didn't know who could replace him.

He felt that no one else was suitable except for Hung Kam-po.

"Brother Sanmao, it's a deal then."

Tang Long poured himself a full glass, added some for Sammo Hung, and then downed the glass in one gulp.

"Good alcohol tolerance."

Not to be outdone, Hung Kam-po also downed his drink in one gulp.

"Ah Long, can you write a script for me too? After filming 'Twin Dragons,' I don't know what to film next."

At this moment, Cheng Long, who was standing to the side, saw that Tang Long and Hung Kam-po had finished their conversation and suddenly interjected.

"Brother Long, you can write scripts yourself, why do you need me to write them?"

Jackie Chan's image as a kung fu superstar is so deeply ingrained that many people don't realize he is also an excellent screenwriter and director.

Many of his classic works were written and directed by himself.

Even Sammo Hung borrowed his ideas, once after hearing Jackie Chan tell an idea about the West and amnesia.

Sammo Hung misappropriated the money from Jet Li to make a film called "Once Upon a Time in China and America".

The film eventually grossed over 30 million Hong Kong dollars at the box office, which was in 1997, a time of decline for Hong Kong cinema.

Not to be outdone, Jackie Chan later created "Who Am I?" to try and outdo Sammo Hung.

"Who Am I?" grossed over HK$38 million and sold extremely well overseas.

The dramatic scene at the end where he slides down the glass curtain wall of the 21st floor of the Rotterdam Tower in the Netherlands is from this movie.

"I really don't have any ideas," Cheng Long said with a wry smile.

The Hong Kong film market is changing rapidly, with one high-grossing film after another, and he has always felt a sense of urgency.

But right now he really doesn't have any good ideas, nor has he seen a satisfactory script.

He would feel anxious if he was idle for too long.

Tang Long recalled that in 1992, when Jackie Chan dominated Stephen Chow's charts, it seemed that apart from "Twin Dragons," no other Jackie Chan movies were released.

"Brother Long, if you're out of ideas, you can continue filming a sequel to 'Police Story'."

The second film was released several years ago, so now is the perfect time to release the third.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Long's eyes lit up, and he immediately gave Tang Long a thumbs up:

"You're truly a sharp screenwriter; you're definitely the winner of this year's Best Screenplay award."

At the end of December last year, the nomination list for the 11th Hong Kong Film Awards was announced.

Tang Lung received his first Best Actor nomination for his role in "New Dragon Gate Inn".

But he knew he was just there for show, and that his nomination was only the result of Ng See-yuen's strong push.

They also benefited from the charity work they did through this film.

He had no expectations for winning the Best Actor award.

On the contrary, he was quite looking forward to the best screenwriter that Jackie Chan mentioned.

He received two Best Screenplay nominations for "New Dragon Gate Inn" and "Reign of Assassins".

"Brother Long, thank you for your kind words, haha."

After the wrap party, a celebration party for "Reign of Assassins" was held soon afterward.

"Reign of Assassins" stayed in theaters for another three days, with its final box office takings totaling HK$27.2 million.

Deng Guangrong then strongly suggested holding a celebration banquet.

Damn, it's rare to finally get a chance to hold my head high.

The embarrassing story of him being hospitalized due to the financial loss from "Days of Being Wild" has spread throughout the industry.

He desperately needed this celebration banquet to wash away his previous disgraceful behavior.

He wanted to prove to the outside world that his insight was still sharp.

Wu Siyuan, Xu Ke, and Tang Long had no objections to this, and the three of them did not want to spoil the fun.

Just before the banquet officially began, Cheng Xiaodong suddenly approached Tang Long with a serious expression and whispered:

"Ah Long, you were right, those gangsters really do dare to steal movie negatives."