Bruce Khan (Bruce Khan) grew up idolizing his idol Bruce Lee. And, just like his movie hero, Khan hopes to achieve something revolutionary: to create a Korean action film that will attract the attention of the world public.
“There are no martial arts films in Korea that can be exported abroad,” - He speaks Khan. “I hope to create a Korean action movie that is both realistic and practical.”
The 41-year-old fight director, actor and stuntman has devoted decades to martial arts. He complains about the rapid increase in the number of unrealistic jump kicks and acrobatic stunts in action films.
“I focus on fast, sudden and powerful strikes,” he says. “Movies with Bruce Lee were hits despite him using only three different kicks: a side kick, a spin kick, and a spinning heel kick.”
Khan said that his admiration Bruce Lee served as an incentive for his constant training.
“When I was a kid, most cinemas showed Jackie Chan movies, but I only saw the ones I starred in. Bruce Lee. Final scene from “Fist of Fury”, in which Lee’s character jumps with a kick into a hail of bullets, has always remained in my head.”
Born in South Korea in the city of Gwangju, Khan began training in martial arts in high school and eventually earned fifth dan in hapkido. Later, in addition to training Muay Thai, judo and Gayeoktugi (Korean kickboxing), he decided to earn a belt in taekwondo.
There were several Korean action movie stars in Hong Kong in the 70s, such as Kicker Casanova Wong, Chinese-Korean “star” Teng Tao Liang (Delon Tam) and muscular Dragon Lee. But Khan admitted: “I didn’t notice anyone except Bruce Lee".
After graduation Khan continued to practice martial arts and, while serving in the army, joined the taekwondo. Then he became team captain in Korean Hapkido Association.
Due to a back injury, he had to put his activities on hold for two years, but soon after, in the late 90s, he “broke through” into show business.
“I studied under a Korean director, but I didn’t want to be a stuntman because they didn’t make martial arts films in Korea.”
However, the director sent him to a Hong Kong studio that needed a stuntman for the film. “Future Police”. Khan told them that he was not a stuntman, but he could kick well. He accepted the job and met in Hong Kong with Sammo Hungg. They soon became friends.
In 2002, Khan, taking advantage of the advice Sammo Hungga, moved to Hollywood and began training at a kickboxing school for stuntmen, focusing more on fast and powerful kicks.
“I kicked so hard that they paid attention to me. Then other stuntmen started coming up to me and asking me to help them with their blows.”
Such popularity prompted Khana to establish a training center in Studio City, California. Then Khan He spoke almost no English, but after the center opened, his knowledge of the language improved noticeably.
In 2003 year Khan returned to Korea and got married, but soon moved back to Hong Kong, where he worked as an assistant fight director for a film Jackie Chan "Medallion".
He later returned to the training center and took up work related to motion capture technology for video games, specifically the game "Rise to Honor" с Jet Li (PS 2).
Having played a serious role in the 2005 action film "The Last Eve", Khan He added acting to his fighting skills. The film received several awards at B-film festivals, as well as an award at the New York International Film/Video Festival of Independent Films. For the second time he will collaborate with the director "The Last Eve" Young Man Kang, designing fights for the film "Kimchi Warrior".
Despite his film work, Khan says that he is, first of all, a fighter, and that is why in Seoul, near Hongik University, he opened a martial arts academy called "Superkick".
“If mysticism is excluded from martial arts, they will represent pure science,” he says, emphasizing the practical and scientific principles used in the training.
“I think realism is important in martial arts, but realism can have artistic elements. Movements and gestures can be beautiful.”
Author: Peter Kim
Source: koreatimes.co.kr
Translation: EvilDollaR
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Tags: biography, Bruce Lee, Bruce Khan, Jet Li, Sammo Hungg
Tags: biography, Bruce Lee, Bruce Khan, Jet Li, Sammo Hungg
Well done Khan!