Stallone, Schwarznegger, Van Damme, Norris were the four cornerstones of 80’s action cinema. Where some dominated the cinemas, others dominated VHS and home cinema.
At the same time, half way across the world, in Hong Kong, action cinema had a massive boom period; from 1980 to mid 90s. This is widely considered the peak of the Hong Kong action cinema boom.
The HK action cinema scene was different, it was faster, flashier and more dynamic. Whereas Hollywood beat HK cinema on almost every vertical; on action set pieces, on spectacle, on budget, on muscles and on star power; for me, it didn’t have the same style or visual.
So what were the differences?
1. Pacing and Rhythm
I think cannot emphasise rhythm, it’s central to almost every HK action movie. The pace is also faster, much sharper, with a rhythm that matched the physicality of the performers.
2. Framing
Framing was absolutely key. Directors like Lau Kar-leung, Jackie Chan, and Sammo Hung choreographed with the frame in mind – action was designed to play within the frame of the camera.
Action sequences made sense, things in the background were important. If you saw a staircase or glass window in the background, a sequence would lead to that.
Whereas, in Hollywood there would be lots of quick cuts, generally, you couldn’t follow the action (except in big action set pieces).
3. Choreography
Action was performed by skilled martial artists, many of the actors came from an opera or kung fu background.
Choreography was intricate, physical, and felt dangerous; sometimes they were!
Precision and timing were everything.
4. Poetry
I think this is more for the John Woo movies, which focused on heroic bloodshed, slow motion, operatic gunplay. Whilst I didn’t enjoy all of Woo’s movies, the style was unique enough to differentiate it from Hollywood action that used gunplay as a means of destructive force.
Whether you liked HK cinema or preferred Hollywood action, there was something for everyone.