Self-made and self-taught, the story of Martial Club - a YouTube channel created in 2012 by Daniel Mah and the brothers Andy Le and Brian Le - is truly inspiring. As kids obsessed with kung fu movies, they would copy the moves, create their own short films and upload them to the internet, purely as a way of expressing their passion for the martial arts. As their filmmaking and on-screen talent progressed - Brian, Andy and Daniel are all incredible performers, combining their martial arts skills with tricking, breakdancing, gymnastics and more - as did their following, and pretty soon, Hollywood came calling. The last few years have been a whirlwind for the Le brothers, including work as fight choreographers on the multi award-winning 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', which involved going toe-to-toe on-screen with the queen of kung fu cinema, Michelle Yeoh; then there was a TV commercial with Jackie Chan, work on the Marvel blockbuster, 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings', plus TV work in 'Into the Badlands' (Brian doubled the actor Nick Frost) and 'The Brothers Sun' (again with Michelle Yeoh). Their success is built on over a decades' worth of hard work and dedication to the craft of martial arts filmmaking; they have quite literally put their blood, sweat, and tears into producing some of the most exciting kung fu action you will find on the internet. Their latest short film, 'Shaolin Avengers', is a love-letter to the genre they cherish and its their most ambitious project yet. It shows them at the top of their game - creative, comedic, and highly charged. With plans to turn it into a feature film, it seems the inspirational story of Martial Club is far from over.

LINKS

Martial Club on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/martialclub

Martial Club on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martialclubofficial/

Andy Le on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andyle_official/

Brian Le on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianle_official/

'Shaolin Avengers' by Martial Club: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1K8OtHQuas

'Ip Man - The Intercepting Fist' by Martial Club: https://youtu.be/08akhqwjBwc?si=8KcRpZheGa-JWcfr

'Supreme Art of War' by Martial Club: https://youtu.be/-dzt7vski64?si=YKPt2dINl76qUhjO

'A Kung Fu Vampire Story' by Martial Club: https://youtu.be/y3PVTrVQvH0?si=mDFXfG8HDdfAgdUl

'Working with Jackie Chan' by Martial Club: https://youtu.be/JvV_Sa4Tnso?si=owF4jXmmfPsudzRf

'Luc Van Tien: Kung Fu Warrior' (2017) review on Kung Fu Movie Guide: https://bit.ly/LucVanTien2017

'The Paper Tigers' (2020) review on Kung Fu Movie Guide: https://bit.ly/ThePaperTigersKFMG

'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings' (2021) review on Kung Fu Movie Guide: https://bit.ly/ShangChiKFMG

'Everything Everywhere All at Once' (2022) review on Kung Fu Movie Guide: https://bit.ly/EEAAO2022

'Everything Everywhere All at Once' fanny pack fight scene: https://youtu.be/1UQ7yvfctOU?si=ijp8o4U7gmnzvfwr

'Everything Everywhere All at Once' trophy fight scene: https://youtu.be/O-gplbWy__Q?si=QFjLeMmIcBN7kPup

'Urban Ninja' clip on YouTube: https://youtu.be/D2kJZOfq7zk?si=kbebwtc4mkIUJ63G

'Turn Down for What' by DJ Snake and Lil Jon, directed by Daniels: https://youtu.be/HMUDVMiITOU?si=7Q5vJDld7k-3GF0d

Donate to the Kung Fu Movie Guide Podcast on PayPal: https://paypal.me/kungfumovieguide

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the second of our four live podcasts - co-hosted by the 'Life of Action' author, Mike Fury - we welcome back the British stunt coordinator and former Hong Kong stuntman, Jude Poyer. Jude's first appearance was on Episode 48 back in 2019. Now, in 2025, he is the action director behind Xavier Gens' violent French brawler, 'Farang' (aka 'Mayhem!'), and Gareth Evans' lauded co-collaborator, having worked with 'The Raid' director on his landmark UK crime series, 'Gangs of London', and the eagerly-awaited Netflix production, 'Havoc', starring Tom Hardy. In this wide-ranging conversation, Jude unveils his secret to coordinating a great action sequence, what it feels like to be kicked in the face by Yuen Biao, the difference between working in Hong Kong and the UK, and why he thinks Gareth Evans might be one of the best action filmmakers working in the industry today.

This episode was recorded live at the Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford, UK, on 12 November 2024, following a screening of the crazy Hong Kong superhero film, 'The Heroic Trio' (1993), directed by Johnnie To, produced by Tony Ching Siu-tung, and starring Michelle Yeoh, Anita Mui and Maggie Cheung. Screening as part of the British Film Institute's Art of Action season - in association with the Independent Cinema Office and Film Hub South East - we also discuss the film and its impact, as well as sharing our thoughts on the lasting legacy of the 'golden age' of Hong Kong action cinema.

LINKS

Jude Poyer on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reelpowerstunts/

Jude Poyer on X: https://twitter.com/ReelPowerStunts

Jude Poyer on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReelPowerStunts

Jude Poyer's website: http://www.reelpowerstunts.com/

Jude Poyer on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0694706/

Jude Poyer on Kung Fu Movie Guide Podcast, Episode 48: http://kungfumovieguide.com/kfmg-podcast-s04-episode-48-jude-poyer/

Mike Fury on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themikefury/

Mike Fury's website: https://www.mikefury.net/

'The Heroic Trio' review on Kung Fu Movie Guide: http://kungfumovieguide.com/the-heroic-trio/

'The Heroic Trio' trailer: https://youtu.be/zhrYrExHi2s

Buy 'The Heroic Trio' on Blu-ray: https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/7155-the-heroic-trio-executioners

Visit the Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford: https://uppcinema.com/

Learn more about the BFI's Art of Action season: https://www.bfi.org.uk/art-action

A huge thank you to Independent Cinema Office (https://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/) and Film Hub South East (https://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/film-hub-south-east/)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our first live episode - recorded at the wonderful Depot Cinema in Lewes, UK - we welcome back the actor and martial artist Katrina Durden, who first appeared on Episode 12 of the podcast back in 2017. From her work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 'Doctor Strange' (2016) and Joey Ansah's fantastic 'Street Fighter' web series, to roles in TV's 'Strike Back', 'Heads of State' starring Idris Elba and John Cena, and the upcoming 'Red Sonja' reboot, Katrina has been kicking-ass in action movies for over a decade. In this special live episode, podcast host Ben Johnson is joined by friend of the show and author of 'Life of Action', Mike Fury, to discuss Katrina's journey from London to Hollywood, her inspirations both on-screen and off, and her experiences working in action movies.

This conversation took place after a rare screening of the 1967 Taiwanese wuxia classic, 'Dragon Inn', directed by Chinese auteur King Hu, showing as part of the BFI's Art of Action season. Ben, Katrina and Mike discuss why the film is so important in the history of martial arts and 'wuxia' cinema, and how it continues to inspire generations of filmmakers. This conversation took place on 7 November 2024 and is the first of four live shows recorded as part of the BFI's Art of Action season, organised in association with the Independent Cinema Office and Film Hub South East. A huge thank you to everyone who came along to the show and the wonderful staff at the Depot Cinema in Lewes.

LINKS

Katrina Durden on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katrinadurden/

Katrina Durden on Kung Fu Movie Guide Podcast, Episode 12: http://kungfumovieguide.com/kfmg-podcast-s02-episode-12-yolanda-lynes-david-cheung-katrina-durden/

Katrina Durden profile on Kung Fu Movie Guide: http://kungfumovieguide.com/profile-katrina-durden/

Mike Fury on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themikefury/

Mike Fury's website: https://www.mikefury.net/

'Dragon Inn' review on Kung Fu Movie Guide: http://kungfumovieguide.com/dragon-gate-inn/

King Hu profile on Kung Fu Movie Guide: http://kungfumovieguide.com/profile-king-hu/

'Dragon Inn' trailer, courtesy of Eureka Entertainment: https://youtu.be/ySSUsV_qGS8

Buy 'Dragon Inn' on Blu-ray: https://eurekavideo.co.uk/movie/dragon-inn/

Visit the Depot Cinema in Lewes: https://lewesdepot.org/

Learn more about the BFI's Art of Action season: https://www.bfi.org.uk/art-action

A huge thank you to Independent Cinema Office (https://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/) and Film Hub South East (https://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/film-hub-south-east/)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.