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Statistics :
11630 Movies
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1448 Studios
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12 DVD Reviews
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Hung Yan Yan

 
 
 
 
Other names : 熊欣欣
Xio Xin Xin
Xiong Xin Xin
 
Birthdate : 25/2/1962
Nationality : China
Workplace : China, France, Hong Kong, USA
Activities : Director (2), Producer (1), Executive producer (1), Action Director (29), Assistant Action Director (2), Voice dubbing (1), Actor (53), Brief appearance (1), Original Story (1), Stuntman (6)

Biography

“The Human Whirlwind” would be a fitting nickname for stuntman, fight performer and actor Xiong Xin Xin due to his incredibly fast and electrifying wu-shu acrobatics and fighting moves. His physical prowess and bravery as a stuntman and stunt-double had already brought him some level of repute when he was finally given opportunities to shine playing characters in movies. This revealed an actor with a raw and distinct presence even if he was called upon to play only villainous or supporting roles. He might have become a new Yuen Wah if it hadn’t been for an unfortunate change in H-K action cinema. At the end of the 1990s we saw not only a sharp decline in action filmmaking but also a shift away from performers with genuine skills to being supplanted in action roles by screen-savvy special effects enhanced actors.

Xiong Xin Xin was born in Mainland China in the province of Guangxi and started wu-shu training as a youth. He was taken from school at the age of 12 and placed in a martial arts training facility. In an interview Xiong had the following to say of this: ''It was never my choice. I didn't know anything about martial arts so it never crossed my mind. Maybe it was because I was always very active and liked sports, the coaches decided to give me a try.'' He trained from 6 a.m. for 8 straight hours every day. This went on for 12 years but led to him becoming a multiple award winning champion around the early to mid eighties.

He was discovered by HK master martial filmmaker Lau Kar Leung who hired Xiong as stunt-double for Jet Li the star of his upcoming made in Mainland China MARTIAL ARTS OF SHAOLIN (86). He says of this experience - ''I was Jet's double; in fact, I was everybody's double. I doubled for so many people I felt dizzy. My one thought then was, being an actor is such an easy job - all the work is done by the stunt double. Being famous is a wonderful thing.'' He moved to Hong Kong in 1988 and was soon working in films as a stunt-man and fight-extra in Lau’s TIGER ON THE BEAT 2 (90) as well as the action comedy by Lau’s younger brother Lau Kar Wing SKINNY TIGER & FATTY DRAGON (90) in which he also was one of the film’s action directors. Xiong quickly earned a great reputation as a stuntman.

Xiong became Jet Li’s stunt double again for the martial art revival movie ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA. Lau Kar-wing served as one of the movie’s action directors so it’s perhaps through him that Xiong got to work in this seminal production as well as introducing him to H-K cinema’s great maverick visionary filmmaker Tsui Hark. Tsui would be the most influential HK personality in Xiong’s subsequent movie career. Jet Li was of course a wu-shu champion in his own right but in his late twenties at this time he had passed his physical prime. A lot of the action was either deemed too dangerous or physically demanding for him to do at the required level of speed and acrobatic virtuosity; thus the use of a stunt-double. Xiong’s hidden involvement became especially invaluable after Jet Li badly hurt his ankle and some of the film’s action scenes actually featured far more Xiong than Jet, although the substitution was totally seamless. In particular, much of the famous warehouse action scene was performed by Xiong with Tsui than cutting to a stationary but dramatically poised Jet Li.

Xiong returned as Jet Li’s stunt-double for OUATIC’s follow-up, (92). He was also given a part as the White Lotus Sect’s fierce, fanatical and deceitful grand-priest Kun who for one of the movie’s two showdowns, challenged Jet Li’s Wong Fei Hung to a near aerial duel held on a balancing pyramid of tables. Xiong’s work as stunt-double though probably meant that he had to perform as both hero and villain back to back.

For the third OUATIC (93) entry, Tsui handed Xiong the marvellous part of Club Foot, the fierce high-kicking fighter who, as an enforcer, starts fighting Jet Li’s Wong Fei Hung but then after having been badly injured and tended to by his adversary, becomes his devoted disciple. Xiong was this film’s big revelation. Showcasing intense physical skills, a shaved, snarling mug as well as an implied brutality in his very body language, Xiong would have been a memorable villain but the redemption of his character added a deeper and more heartfelt aspect to him. Still a sidekick yes, but an unusual combination of part clown, hero and thug at the same time. Interestingly, while Tsui indeed occasionally put Xiong on wires, he minimized the use of slow-motion so as to not interfere with Xiong’s innate physical intensity and dynamism.

After this excellent showcase, Xiong started receiving larger parts. In Yuen Woo Ping ’s HEROES AMONG HEROES (94) he was the traitorous Ching Dynasty prince, a part which naturally fitted his skills and appearance but the in Tony Ching Siu Tung’s WONDER SEVEN (94) he was a good guy again. Still it was Tsui Hark who continued to offer him the best opportunities. He continued to play Club Foot (now called “Seven” in the subtitles) for OUATIC Part IV (94) and V (95). When Jet was replaced by the much younger wu-shu trained Vincent Chiu Man Chuk it probably meant that Xiong served less as a stunt-double. Tsui Hark also utilized him as a cooking-blade spinning Chinese chef for his culinary entry CHINESE FEAST (95) the rival of one of the film’s lead stars Vincent Chiu Man Chuk again. The film actually started the trend of having Zhao and Xiong as each other’s opponents as Xiong’s shaved mug and smaller stature made him the perfect foil for the taller, well chiselled Zhao.

Both were antagonists again in THE BLADE where Xiong played the fierce tattooed bandit “Lung”. Their breathtaking whirlwind duel at the film’s end has been their best physical showcase ever done to this day. Besides playing an especially formidable villain, Xiong also served as one of the film’s action directors although his contribution went uncredited.

In 1996 Xiong again portrayed Club-foot/Seven in the OUATIC TV series and the following year he played him one last time in the final series entry with ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA AND AMERICA (98). The movie saw Jet Li return to play Wong Fei Hung again yet Xiong somewhat out-shined him with a more petulant acting performance and some frantic fighting, especially in the scene where Club-Foot/Seven tries to revive his Master’s memory by playing out some old-enemies. Sadly, this was to be the last substantial acting bit by Xiong to this day.

When Tsui Hark went to work in Hollywood, Xiong followed him briefly and in DOUBLE TEAM (98) he was used as a kicking assassin holding a blade between his toes and easily overshadowed Belgian born action star Jean Claude Van Damme in their fight. In fact, his few minutes of screen time were the highlight of the film for many.

Xiong returned to HK shortly afterwards. He served as action director on the Ching Siu Tung’s BLACKSHEEP AFFAIR (98) and served one last time as the villainous foil to the film’s hero Zhao Wen zhou in the film’s introductory scene. Both Tsui and Xiong then worked again together on TIME AND TIDE (2000) with Xiong serving double duty as both action- director and star’s stunt-double.

Xiong tried to start a Hollywood career by serving as action director in THE MUSKETEER (2001) in which he recreated the OUATIC famous acrobatic ladder scene. His ambition was to bring outlandish HK action style to America but with much less of the artificiality brought by wire-work and editing tricks. Unfortunately, it seems his intention was marred by the clumsy, pedestrian American way to shoot action.

At this writing Xiong is married to former actress Carrie Choi and they have one child. He claims he has learned English on his own by reading books. His bravery and genial disposition have made him one of the best liked and most respected players in the HK film industry.

Yves Gendron (2001)
 
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Filmography
 [ 2010 - 2000 - 1990 - 1980 ] 
 Alternate lists by alpha / genre / year
 
Title    ( HK -  All )  Year Activity
 
 Trivisa 2016 Actor
 7 Assassins 2013 Director, Producer, Action Director, Actor
 Ip Man Final Fight 2013 Actor
 Kungfu Μaster, The 2012 Actor
 Million Dollar Crocodile 2012 Action Director, Actor
 Tai Chi 0 2012 Actor
 Tai Chi 2: The Hero Rises 2012 Actor
 Warring States 2011 Action Director
 Woman Knight Of The Mirror Lake, The 2011 Actor
 Butcher, The Chef And The Swordsman, The 2010 Action Director, Actor
 Don Quixote 2010 Action Director
 Shaolin 2010 Actor
 Vampire Warriors 2010 Actor
 Bad Blood 2009 Actor
 Coweb 2008 Director, Action Director, Original Story
 In The Blue 2006 Executive producer, Action Director, Actor
 Seven Swords 2005 Action Director
 Seven Swords Of Mount Heaven 2005 Action Director
 Sound Of Thunder, A 2005 Action Director
 Fils du vent, Les 2004 Action Director
 Funky Monkey 2004 Action Director
 Half Past Dead 2003 Action Director
 Star Runner 2003 Actor
 FearDotCom 2002 Action Director
 Extrem Ops 2001 Action Director
 Fist Of Fury : The Sequel 2001 Actor
 Musketeer, The 2001 Action Director
 Crazy Lips 2000 Action Director
 Time And Tide 2000 Action Director
 Simon Sez 1999 Action Director, Actor
 Blacksheep Affair 1998 Action Director, Actor
 New Shaolin Temple, The 1998 Actor
 Till Death Do Us Part 1998 Action Director, Actor
 Double Team 1997 Action Director, Brief appearance
 Once Upon A Time In China And America 1997 Assistant Action Director, Actor
 Black Mask 1996 Actor
 Tristar 1996 Action Director, Actor
 Wong Fei Hung Series : The Final Victory 1996 Actor
 Wong Fei Hung Series : The Headless General 1996 Actor
 Wong Fei Hung Series : The Ideal Century 1996 Actor
 Wong Fei Hung Series : The Suspicious Temple 1996 Actor
 Blade, The 1995 Action Director, Actor
 Chinese Feast, The 1995 Actor
 Fist Of Fury 1995 Action Director, Actor
 Fist Power 1995 Actor
 Little Drunken Masters, The 1995 Actor
 Supreme Warrior 1995 Voice dubbing
 Wong Fei Hung Series : The Eight Assassins 1995 Actor
 Once Upon A Time In China V 1994 Actor
 Other Side Of The Sea, The 1994 Actor
 To Live And Die In Tsimshatsui 1994 Actor
 Wonder Seven 1994 Action Director, Actor
 Heroes Among Heroes 1993 Actor
 Millionaire Cop 1993 Action Director, Actor
 Once Upon A Time In China III 1993 Actor
 Once Upon A Time In China IV 1993 Actor
 Dragon Inn 1992 Actor
 Forced Nightmare 1992 Actor
 Once Upon A Time In China II 1992 Actor
 Royal Tramp 1992 Actor
 Bullet For Hire 1991 Actor
 Lee Rock 2 : Father And Son 1991 Actor
 Once Upon A Time In China 1991 Assistant Action Director, Actor, Stuntman
 Musical Vampire, The 1990 Actor
 Skinny Tiger & Fatty Dragon 1990 Action Director, Actor
 Stage Door Johnny 1990 Actor
 Tiger Cage 2 1990 Stuntman
 Tiger On The Beat 2 1990 Action Director, Actor, Stuntman
 City Cops 1989 Stuntman
 Ghost Ballroom 1989 Actor
 Tiger On The Beat 1988 Stuntman
 Yellow River Fighter 1988 Actor, Stuntman
 

 Article    Review    Poster/Gallery    DVD Captures    Trailer    DVD Captures/Trailer  
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Gallery
 
 Hung Yan Yan pictures :  (Hide)
Black Mask
Fist Of Fury
Once Upon A Time In China V
Once Upon A Time In China V
To Live And Die In Tsimshatsui
Heroes Among Heroes
Once Upon A Time In China III
Dragon Inn
Bullet For Hire
Skinny Tiger & Fatty Dragon
Skinny Tiger & Fatty Dragon
Stage Door Johnny
City Cops
Yellow River Fighter
The Woman Knight Of The Mirror Lake
 
 Other Hung Yan Yan pictures :  (Hide)
Shaolin (1)
Double Team (1)
Once Upon A Time In China And America (5)
The Blade (9)
The Chinese Feast (1)
Once Upon A Time In China V (3)
Heroes Among Heroes (2)
Millionaire Cop (2)
Once Upon A Time In China III (3)
Once Upon A Time In China IV (1)
 
More pictures in the gallery
 
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Article Links (French only)
 Secondary Article Links (French only)   (Show)

 
Interview Links   (Hide)  
 
 Interview Hung Yan Yan on Coweb (preview)
HK talents > Film directors > Other directors
Author(s) : Arnaud Lanuque
Date : 11/11/2008
Type(s) : Interview
Page(s) : 1  - index
   
 
 
 Secondary Interview Links   (Show)

 
DVD Review Links (French only)   (Show)  
 Secondary DVD Review Links (French only)   (Show)
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