Martial arts film buffs and action fans alike who take a particular interest in the 80’s and 90’s niche of classic Hong Kong action cinema might be familiar with long time best friends, comrades in film and brothers in life, actors Vincent Lyn and Bobby Samuels. Both carry a memorable shared legacy in Asian action cinema, with such respective credits as The Blonde Fury, Red Wolf, and the 2001 Roberto Lopez film, Blazin’ to name a few. And on May 16,, the two will take the stage once again at New York City’s Museum Of The Moving Image for Journey to the East: The Tao of Kung Fu and Stardom, a Q & A discussion panel held as part of the museum’s monthly Fist and Sword series.
Kung-fu cinema in Hong Kong has been shaped by its pantheon of legendary actors, who have become as synonymous with the genre as its filmmakers. This discussion with selected film clips, moderated by Fist and Sword co-curator Warrington Hudlin, features two martial artists who were born and raised in the West, and through their extraordinary skill, determination, and risk-taking, became part of a pioneering lineage of action stars in Hong Kong. Bobby Samuels is the first African-American inducted into the Hong Kong Stuntman’s Association. His prolific film career—spanning fifteen features over two decades—began in 1990 when he moved to Hong Kong. He has worked with legendary directors and choreographers such as Sammo Hung and Yuen Woo-ping. Vincent Lyn is an action star, model, author, and Grammy-winning musician. He discovered his Ling-Gar kung-fu family lineage when he went to Hong Kong to connect with his half-Chinese heritage. There, he quickly rose to stardom, starring in over 25 feature films. Jackie Chan called Lyn one of the best fighters he has ever worked with; they were both featured in the spectacular climatic battle sequence in Operation Condor (1991). Vincent Lyn will sign his book Kung Fu in the Real World: The Ling Gar Legacy (2011, Budo International Publishing Co.) in the Moving Image Store following the discussion.
