John Salvitti Pays Tribute To His Mentor, Donnie Yen In A New BTS Look At SPECIAL ID
Lee B. Golden III
Today we have a brand new featurette for the upcoming mixed martial arts cop thriller, Special ID, directed by Clarence Fok. The footage is a tribute to lead action star coming directly from the YouTube account of multi-faceted actor, fight choreographer and Martial Arts Hall Of Fame inductee, John Salvitti.
Featuring music by Eminem from the inspirational soundtrack of the 2002 hip hop drama, 8 Mile, the reel is a brilliant compilation of behind-the-scenes gems that take you directly to the set of the upcoming action thriller starring international action star Donnie Yen, with Salvitti front and center. For the unengaged, Salvitti is a long time friend and partner of Yen, with roots in Hong Kong cinema dating back to roles in such films as In The Line Of Duty 4, Tiger Cage, Crystal Hunt and Cheetah On Fire. According to The Stunt People blogger and independent filmmaker Eric Jacobus, it was Salvitti‘s influentual expertise in mixed martial arts that played a heavy role in Yen’s innovative choreography in recent years, varying from the hand-to-hand combat and grappling techniques you see in the German TV action series, Codename: Puma and the 2002 vampire sequel thriller Blade 2, to the 2007 smash hit, Flash Point.
Catch the highlights here, and enjoy the featurette at the bottom of the page below Salvitti‘s description. And stay tuned for even more of his work in Yen‘s next film, director Teddy Chen’s Last Of The Best, which releases next year.
Special ID also stars Jing Tian, Hanyu Zhang, Qi Daji, Andy On and Ken Lo and will release domestically on October 18 before its forthcoming U.S. release by Well Go USA.
DESCRIPTION:
Special Identity work behind the scenes by John Salvitti as a dedication to mentor Donnie Yen.
“The best I’ve worked with! Started me in the Hong Kong industry 25 yrs ago! Bro’s over 30 yrs!!!” Oscar winning DP Peter Pau (Crouching Tiger) captured true artistry in every frame as our DP on Special Identity!
Special Idenity Production Notes : Peter Pau was very pleased to have John Salvitti work on the film with Donnie Yen as he did in Flash Point, creating mixed martial arts (MMA) scenes that show a deep passion and love for the Arts. John Salvitti said, “I’m honored that a true artist/autore as Peter Pau is, took notice of my work. This one’s for our martial art bro’s and sis’s out there, my parents, my wife shoko and daughter Maya. Time apart and sacrifice.”
