In order from newest to oldest:
Chang Shan – Star of Of Cooks and Kung Fu, Seven Steps of Kung Fu and Shaolin vs. Lama
Meet one of kung fu cinema’s best loved stars, Mr. Chang Shan. Whether you know him as the white-haired villain from Ting Chung’s classics Of Cooks and Kung Fu (1979) and Seven Steps of Kung Fu (1979), or as the ferocious Golden Wheel Lama from Lee Tso-nam’s fan favorite Shaolin vs. Lama (1983), you know Chang Shan can play a menacing villain as well as throw some mean kicks around, all while remaining one of the nicest people you’ll ever get to talk to. | Continue reading →
Cynthia Rothrock – Star of Yes Madam!, China O’Brien, Millionaires Express and Righting Wrongs
Cynthia Rothrock is cult martial arts star who needs no introduction. Whether it be as a foreigner in a Hong Kong actioner, or as a female in a male-dominated Hollywood action flick, Cynthia was kicking ass long before the phrase “female led action film” became a marketable buzz word.
If you’re here, chances are you know all there is to know about her, so we decided to skip the same old interview questions and ask her what her “Top 10 Martial Arts Films of All Time” are. And her opinion counts because she’s Cynthia fucking Rothrock. Enjoy! | Continue reading →
Alan Canvan – Filmmaker behind Bruce Lee’s upcoming The Game of Death Redux
Alan Canvan’s The Game of Death Redux, which was released exclusively on Criterion Collection’s 2020 boxed set Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits, showcased 23 minutes of the 1972-era Game of Death footage that was presented closely the way Bruce intended, while at the same time, keeping in-tact some of the stronger aspects of the universally panned, pieced together 1978 film (known to fans as Game of Death ’78), such as John Barry’s acclaimed score, as well some of the film’s strong audio design. | Continue reading →
Philip Ng – Star of Undercover Punch and Gun and Birth of the Dragon
Born in Hong Kong, with a good portion of his youth spent in America, Philip Ng Wan-lung is an avid practitioner/teacher of various forms of martial arts. He’s already worked with some of the best in the industry, such as Ringo Lam, Donnie Yen, Corey Yuen, Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan. But it wasn’t until 2016 where Ng hit a huge turning point in his career with the controversial Birth of the Dragon, where he played the iconic Bruce Lee. | Continue reading →
Mike Moh – Star of Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist
City on Fire is proud to present an interview with actor/martial artist Mike Moh, who is widely known for his role as Bruce Lee in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Ryu in the series Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist and Street Fighter: Resurrection. We ask Moh a number of questions ranging from what his next martial art film role will be, to his controversial portrayal as Bruce Lee. We even asked him if he’d do a Bruceploitation film (who else would ask a question like that?) | Continue reading →
Leroy Nguyen – Director and star of Black Scar Blues and Silverback.
Leroy Nguyen is the director, actor, writer, editor and action choreographer of Black Scar Blues, his multiple award-winning 2015 independent debut feature. His latest film, Silverback – which took home two awards at the 2019 Urban Action Showcase – was just released last month, so I decided to catch up with him after giving it watch. And what was supposed to be a typical “tell us about your new film” interview turned into a revealing look into the mind of a unhinged artist who is not afraid to speak his mind, no matter what the cost | Continue reading →
Anthony Wong – Star of Hard Boiled and Bunman: The Untold Story.
At the age of 14, I took the plunge in to the world of my favourite director, John Woo. The adrenalin rush seemed to last for days after watching the best pure action film ever made: Hard Boiled. The unending coolness of Chow Yun Fat and emotional depth of Tony Leung leapt off the screen, and both are on my list of Top 10 Actors. The villainous actor made less of an impression, however, and he has said he doesn’t like the film | Continue reading →
Jesse V. Johnson – Director of Triple Threat and Savage Dog
There’s an old adage that goes ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’, and Jesse V. Johnson’s latest action extravaganza, Triple Threat, comes loaded to the brim with cooks, and ones that can fight at that. Thankfully though, Johnson runs a tight kitchen, and against the odds the British stuntman turned director has delivered a dish that gives a plethora of martial arts talent their own individual moments to shine | Continue reading →
Scott Adkins – Star of Ip Man 4 and Accident Man
Scott Adkins is a name that likely needs no introduction to fans of action cinema. After getting his start in Hong Kong featuring alongside the likes of Jackie Chan and Stephen Tung Wai, Adkins really found his footing once he collaborated with director Isaac Florentine on Special Forces in 2003. It was a partnership which led to him taking on the iconic character of Uri Boyka, in the 2006 unrelated sequel Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, a character which for many of his fans has become inseparable from the man himself. | Continue reading →
Herman Yau – Director of Bunman: The Untold Story and Shockwave
With dozens of credits as a cinematographer and director, Herman Yau is one of the most prolific filmmakers ever to have worked in Hong Kong cinema. His most notorious films have come in the horror genre, especially the extreme classics Bunman: The Untold Story and Ebola Syndrome. A return to this shocking cinema comes in the guise of The Sleep Curse, and a reunion with the legendary Anthony Wong. We had the chance to sit down with him, and pick the brain of a director who has come up with some of the most shocking images ever on screen. | Continue reading →
Sonny Sison
– Fight choreographer/actor of BuyBust and Maria
As someone who’s been working in the action movie industry for over 25 years, it’s safe to say that action director Sonny Sison has seen it all. In a career that spans from the Power Rangers to Iron Fist, Sison has gradually developed from his beginnings as a stuntman, to a respected action director, working with the likes of Mark Dacascos, Koichi Sakamoto, Dwayne Johnson, and Johnny Yong Bosch. | Continue reading →
Marko Zaror – Star of Redeemer and Savage Dog
Since initially beginning in the industry as a stunt double for the Rock in 2003’s The Rundown, Zaror really got action fans attention when he headlined the martial arts actioner Kiltro in 2006. Made in his native Chile, the pairing with director Ernesto Espinoza would prove to be one that’s built to last, as they’d go onto make Mirageman, Mandrill, and Redeemer together. | Continue reading →
Kurando Mitsutake
– Director of Gun Woman and Karate Kill
If you’re not familiar with the name Kurando Mitsutake, it’s about time you should be. His first two feature length productions – Samurai Avenger: Blind Wolf, and Gun Woman – have both been released in the States, and his latest movie, Karate Kill, as of the time of writing is just weeks away from also hitting the shelves on Blu-ray and DVD. | Continue reading →
Eric Tsang – Star/director/writer of Infernal Affairs and 7 Assassins
On the back of the great success of his wonderful and moving new film, Mad World, Eric Tsang appeared at the 19th Far East Film Festival in Udine. Prior to the screening he was presented with the Golden Mulberrry Lifetime Achievement Award, a fitting tribute to one of Hong Kong’s great filmmakers. Alongside such memorable roles as Hon Sam in Infernal Affairs, Tsang has worked as a director, producer, presenter and screenwriter throughout The Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema. | Continue reading →
Jimmy Henderson, Loy Te, Jean-Paul Ly, Tharoth Sam – Cast and crew of Jailbreak
This year’s 19th edition of Far East Film Festival offered a special treat for the fans of martial arts cinema. The long-awaited hit title Jailbreak, titled as Cambodia’s very first martial arts movie was scheduled for screening on the opening day of the festival. Coming to Udine to promote the movie was the Jailbreak team: director Jimmy Henderson and producer Loy Te, as well as the film’s stars Jean-Paul Ly and Tharoth Sam. It is there that we got the chance to enjoy a private talk with these special guests. Here’s what they had to say | Continue reading →
Pedring Lopez – Director of Maria and Nilalang
It was a particularly humid day in October when I found myself strolling through the streets of Makati in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, to meet with up and coming director Pedring Lopez at his post-production house located in Legaspi Village. Having cut his teeth on the haunted house tale Binhi, Lopez soon found himself on the international radar thanks to his follow-up, the action/horror hybrid Nilalang. | Continue reading →
Nobuhiko Obayashi – Director of House and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Nobuhiko Obayashi’s film House is rightfully regarded as one of the craziest and most singular films ever made, and I would say no other movie comes close to its beyond-surreal vision. Obayashi’s debut, made in 1977, would kickstart a career of eccentric, hilarious and visually wild films. Obayashi was present at the Udine Far East Film Festival where I managed to secure a short, one-on-one interview with him, which was a joy from start to finish. Enjoy! | Continue reading →
Sammo Hung – Star/director of Magnificent Butcher and Eastern Condors
Sammo was everything I’d hoped he would be: funny, kind, warm and a true gentleman in the purest sense of the word. Despite being in a collective interview, it was an experience words cannot describe. My friends Matija Makotoichi Tomic and Goran Grey managed to get a one-to-one with him, which is also included in this exclusive interview. Without further ado, here’s the interview for one of the true legends of martial arts cinema. | Continue reading →
Tony Jaa – Star of Ong Bak and SPL II: A Time for Consequences
I recently had the pleasure to conduct an interview with Tony Jaa, one of the stars of the upcoming Kill Zone 2 (also known as SPL II: A Time for Consequences), which in and of itself is a spiritual sequel to 2005’s modern martial arts classic, Kill Zone (SPL). As someone who has seen the film, I can’t say enough good things about it, as it is one of the best Hong Kong productions in years. It even matches the artistic highs of Infernal Affairs and the original SPL. Therefore, it was a great opportunity to lob some questions at Tony in order to learn more about the film as well as his experience making it. | Continue reading →
Donnie Yen, Mike Tyson – Stars of Ip Man 1-4 and Kickboxer: Retaliation
I had the pleasure of participating in a round table interview amongst other journalists with the stars of Ip Man 3, Donnie Yen and Mike Tyson, at a press junket in Los Angeles, California. With only a limited amount of time at our disposal, me and the other journalists got to ask about two to three questions each to the actors. Afterwards, we all had the immense pleasure of taking pictures with the two stars, an opportunity and experience that I will never forget. | Continue reading →
Scott Adkins
– Star of Ip Man 4 and Accident Man
Cityonfire.com presents an interview with Scott Adkins, the mega-talented star and martial artist from Undisputed 2-3, Assassination Games, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning and Wolf Warrior.
In this exclusive interview, Adkins talks about his newest film, Close Range, as well as his upcoming projects, Boyka: Undisputed and Hard Target 2 – plus much, much more. | Continue reading →
Won Jin – Star/Fight Choreographer of The Scorpion King and The Suspect
Living in the UK, most of my kung fu movie watching came in the form of picking up the latest release from the Hong Kong Legends label, which at the time was going through its own golden era. This particular year saw them release a title by the name of The Scorpion King, from 1992. It was a production which featured some familiar names, such as Chin Kar Lok and Lau Kar Leung, and some not so familiar, namely, a certain Korean gentleman called Won Jin. | Continue reading →
Masaharu Take – Director of Unsung Hero (In the Hero) and 100 Yen Love
Beginning his career as an assistant director, Masaharu Take has gone from strength to strength as a director with a singular and unique voice. I managed in the few minutes following to secure an interview with him as he was in town for a few days. A very calm, collected customer, he proved to be an authority on Japanese film and expressive about his creations. | Continue reading →
Shin Su-won – Director of Pluto and Madonna
In a man’s world, director Shin Su-won has created a distinct voice for herself within the Korean film industry, and by all accounts her latest movie, Madonna, should further establish her name as a considerable talent on a global level. Su-won was in serious demand during her brief visit to Sydney, but I was lucky enough to sit down with her for 20 minutes before the screening of the movie, to catch up and do my own delving into her career so far. | Continue reading →
Kim Sung-ho – Director of Into the Mirror and How to Steal a Dog
In 2003 it seemed the country could do no wrong when it came to movies – Park Chan-wook made the seminal OldBoy, Bong Joon-ho directed the classic Memories of Murder, Kim Jee-woon adapted the horror A Tale of Two Sisters, and a director by the name of Kim Sung-ho made his debut with Into the Mirror. Armed with a black coffee, Kim Sung-ho and myself took a seat in a café on the main road in Sydney city, and got down to business. | Continue reading →
Sakura Ando – Star of Love Exposure and 100 Yen Love
Beginning with 2008’s Love Exposure, actress Sakura Ando’s career trajectory has been mightily impressive. She has worked with two of the biggest contemporary Japanese directors, Sion Sono (Why Don’t You Play in Hell?) and Takashi Miike (13 Assassins), and continues to develop as a great leading lady in Japanese cinema. I knew that Miss Ando was going to attend the Edinburgh Film Festival, and was in the process of attempting to get an interview with her when I bumped into her at a Film Festival party. | Continue reading →
Hwang Jang Lee – Star of Drunken Master and The Invincible Armour
Four decades ago, Hwang Jang Lee burst onto kung fu movie screens with his thunderous kicks, and for the next 20 years he didn’t stop kicking. In September 2014, thanks to the efforts of Ricky Baker and Toby Russell, Hwang headed to the UK for the first time to attend the SENI Strength & Combat Event in London. During his brief visit, I was able to land a private one-on-one interview with the master himself. | Continue reading →
Alain Moussi– Star of Kickboxer: Retaliation and Kickboxer: Vengeance
Cityonfire.com presents an interview with Alain Moussi, the rising star of Stephen Fung’s upcoming Kickboxer remake! Moussi, who currently holds a 5th degree Black Belt in NX Jiu-Jitsu, also worked as a stuntman on X-Men: Days of Future Past, Pacific Rim, Brick Mansions and White House Down. In this exclusive interview, Moussi talks about Kickboxer, future projects (well, sorta!), and his favorite movies and filmmakers of all time. | Continue reading →
Don “The Dragon” Wilson – Star of Bloodfist and Ring of Fire
We’re proud to present our exclusive interview with the legendary Don “The Dragon” Wilson. The 11-time World Kickboxing Champion talks about his prolific action movie career (30 titles and counting!), his personal favorite titles, his thoughts on remakes, and much more! Judging from the interview, we have a lot more to look forward to from the Martial Arts Hall of Famer, including a film called Blood Raid, which may be his answer to The Expendables. | Continue reading →
Ryoo Seung-wan – Director of Veteran and The Berlin File
Korean filmmaker Ryoo Seung-wan has carved a memorable path through genre cinema, earning the attention and acclaim of action fans worldwide. Early works, such as the special effects-heavy superhero film Arahan and the Tarantino-esque City of Violence, featured a one-two punch of humor and martial arts action. Recently, the busy filmmaker was kind enough to answer some of Cityonfire.com’s burning questions. | Continue reading →
Gareth Evans
– Director of The Raid 1-2 and Merantau
We had the privilege of interviewing Gareth Evans, the writer and director of 2009’s Merantau, 2011’s The Raid and the highly anticipated The Raid 2: Berandal, which is due for release in 2014. In this Q&A session, we decided to ask him questions ranging from: What his favorite martial arts film of all time is; Who he would love to work with; His thoughts on directing a Die Hard flick and a lot more! You’ll be surprised with his answers. | Continue reading →
Keith W. Strandberg
– Writer/Producer of the No Retreat, No Surrender series
In 1985, Ng See Yuen (Drunken Master), Seasonal Film’s founder, handpicked an aspiring writer named Keith W. Strandberg to produce a screenplay to No Retreat, No Surrender, a film that introduced Corey Yuen’s groundbreaking choreography to Hollywood and jump-started the career of JCVD. In this in-depth interview, Keith talks the films’ stars, interesting on-set incidents and much more. | Continue reading →
Robert Lee – Star/recording artist of Lady Killers (and yes, he’s also Bruce Lee’s brother)
The following interview took place in the Temple Discussion (cityonfire.com’s now defunct Bruce Lee site) on 3/15/01 between regular vistitors of the site. All of the questions and answers were compiled by JT. Original chat session has been slightly edited for a tighter, easier read. | Continue reading →
Loren Avedon – Star of No Retreat, No Surrender 2-3 and King of the Kickboxers
If you were in contact with martial arts films in the early 90’s, you probably know Loren Avedon. While Van Damme and Seagal were breaking box office records on the big screens, Loren was nearly breaking every bone in his body delivering “Hong Kong-style” action films to our local video stores. Starring in classics such as Corey Yuen’s No Retreat No Surrender II and Lucas Lo’s King of the Kickboxers, it’s obvious that Loren was ahead of his time and very underrated. | Continue reading →
Bob Wall – Star of Way of the Dragon, Enter the Dragon and Game of Death
In 1999, long before this site was known as City on Fire, I had the opportunity to do a phone interview with the one, the only: Bob Wall, a Karate expert who appeared in 2 1/2 films with Bruce Lee: 1972’s Way of the Dragon, 1973’s Enter the Dragon, and of course, the unfinished 1978 film, Game of Death. In addition to Bruce Lee, his circle of friends in the martial arts community include Joe Lewis and Chuck Norris. His treachery has disgraced us and always will. | Continue reading →
