No, that is not a spelling error in the title. I do not normally post obituaries but the news at Variety this morning about the passing of Hong Kong cinema legend Corey Yuen is equally tragic and bizarre.
Yuen, one of the more inconspicuous Hong Kong cinema legends, preferring to work behind the scenes on directing and action choreography, passed away - back in 2022. Yuen passed away on an undisclosed date that year due to complications from Covid-19.
His death was initially kept private at the request of his family. But on Monday, the news was revealed on Chinese-language social media by fellow action star Jackie Chan, who paid tribute to Yuen and others in the industry who had died.
Yuen, like his contemporaries Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao and Yuen Qiu, trained at the Peking Opera School. Martial arts cinema fans will know that they became known as the Seven Little Fortunes, every one of them making their mark in the industry over the decades.
In Asia, Yuen directed “Ninja in the Dragon’s Den,” the Stephen Chow-starring “All for the Winner” and its sequel “Top Bet” with the late Anita Mui.With Li, Yuen directed “Fong Sai-yuk,” “Fong Sai-yuk II” and “The New Legend of Shaolin.” His close association with Li later took Yuen to Hollywood.He provided action choreography and martial arts material for six Li films in the U.S., including “Romeo Must Die,” “Kiss of the Dragon” and “The Expendables” as well as for 2000’s “X-Men.” Yuen directed “So Close” and co-directed “The Transporter,” both released in 2002. He was the fight choreographer on its sequel “Transporter 2,” alongside his stunt and action team.
Films that Yuen made are part of the very foundation that ScreenAnarchy was built on way back when we started. The films they made fueled our enthusiasm to cover and write about action cinema from Hong Kong and the surrounding Asian and Southeast Asian region for years to come.