From 1992 to about 1995 I, along with a bunch of my friends at the time, were really into action movies; whether they be the latest Jean Claude Van Damme movie, or Sly Stallone action movie, I always wanted to watch these movies over anything else.
Whether this is the influence of movies like Die Hard (1988) or the Lethal Weapon series is subject to debate, but what can’t be under debate is the cultural influence of Hong Kong action movies of the early 80s to late 90s.
For me, action movies were at their height during the late 80s and early 90s, and one man beyond all others was king of action; Jackie Chan.
To me and my friends, Jackie, Sammo Hung, Jet Li and many others seemed to be leagues ahead of what was coming out of Hollywood at the time.
Of course, we can’t forget the influence of Bruce Lee, and the female contingent such as Moon Lee, Cynthia Rothrock, Michelle Yeoh and so many others.
I can remember watching Jean Claude Van Damme’s Bloodsport or Kickboxer, and whilst I was impressed, I knew that the movies coming out of Hong Kong around this period was far more dynamic, fun and engaging.
I was introduced to Jackie Chan through a relative and from watching some specials around Christmas 1992 when Channel 4 used to show them around 1AM in the morning; I, like many others, was hooked.
Even now, I get a nostalgic feeling watching these movies; even documentary-clip shows like Cinema of Vengeance (1994) or when Jonathan Ross did a behind the scenes look in Son of the Incredibly Strange Film Show (1989) makes me quite nostalgic for a period of time I don’t think we’ll get back again.
When I first got into Impact! magazines I remember they would reveal a little bit behind the curtain, got exclusive interviews and posters that you wouldn’t get at HMV or any other UK store.
Back when Bey Logan used to be the editor of Impact!, I can recall he used to share so much knowledge and behind the scenes tidbits, I wondered why he never went on BBC’s MasterMind.
I made the mistake of getting rid of my copies of Impact Magazine about 10-15 years ago; and I wish I kept them around — I even thought, it’d be a cool series to do a podcast or video series upon.
Maybe if I have the funds to reclaim my old collection and rekindle my memories of a time I really enjoyed.
Interestingly, most of today’s action movies – from super hero movies to movies like The Raid all can trace their lineage back to this period.
I hope some day to do a podcast or interview series on this subject some time soon.