'Mortal Kombat' star Shou leaps into directorial debut

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

When Robin Shou was helping to choreograph the 1995 movie "Mortal Kombat," he was advised not to make the fight sequences "too Hong Kong-y or too Jackie Chan."

Robin Shou, right, who began as a stunt man in Hong Kong, made a name for himself in "Mortal Kombat" films. Now he's taking a turn as director in "Red Trousers." Tai Seng Entertainment

It was a lesson not just for the film's director and producers, but for a Hollywood film industry just waking up to the commercial possibilities of Hong Kong-style action choreography.

Shou is in Hawai'i this week to promote his directorial debut, "Red Trousers," at the Hawai'i International Film Festival.

The innovative documentary offers audiences a glimpse into the lives of Hong Kong stunt performers whose work helped paved the way for host of big-money Hollywood action projects.

For Shou, who began his film career as a stunt man in dozens of Hong Kong action films, the film is an opportunity to acknowledge the hard work and sacrifice of his mostly anonymous peers.

"I don't think they've ever gotten the recognition they deserve," Shou said. "They did things that had never been done before, like plunging 40 feet onto a car or flying in the air and landing on (their) back on a hard concrete floor. It's hard work and it can be a hard life."

Shou was born in Hong Kong but spent his formative years in California. He had trained in kenpo karate, but fell in love with wushu after seeing the Beijing wushu team perform in Los Angeles.

"Jet Li was a part of the group at that time and the things they did just blew me away," Shou said. "I fell in love with the kicks, the spills, the artistry of the whole thing."

Shou studied wushu in Hong Kong before returning to the United States to study civil engineering at Cal State-Los Angeles. He lasted a year as a soil engineer before his real future availed itself.

During a vacation in Hong Kong, Shou met up with a producer who needed someone to play an assassin in an action movie.

Shou's work in that movie led to a spate of other offers from producers who appreciated his martial arts skills.

"They'd ask me, 'Can you bounce off that wall and roll down 15 flights of stairs?' and I'd say, 'Sure, I can do that!" Shou said.

Shou said that while the 1980s were a boom time for Hong Kong action films, working conditions weren't always ideal, and the pay wasn't usually equivalent to the risks the stunt men took.

"It wasn't that there weren't safety standards, but they just didn't have a lot of the resources they have in the U.S., like air bags or other safety equipment," Shou said. "When we hit the ground, we hit the ground."

At the time, stunt men typically took home $55 for a full day of stunt work and go-fer duties. Shou made more money because he was also called on to act, playing an assortment of anonymous bodyguards and assassins.

Shou made a name for himself in the United States with the "Mortal Kombat" films, but he wasn't thrilled at the types of offers that followed.

"They only wanted me to play Asian gangsters — yakuza or triad types," he said. "At that point, I decided to just stop everything an concentrate on something that had real value for me."

That something was "Red Trousers." The film gets its name from the traditional garb of Beijing Opera School students. Many of these students were sold by their families and forced under contract to study the martial arts. The red trousers they wore became a symbol of their servitude.

"Red Trousers" is a combination mini-movie and documentary. "Lost Time," an action short about a renegade assassin, operates as a film within the film.

As the action unfurls in the "Lost Time" segments, Shou cuts away to documentary footage showing how the stunts are staged.

The first-time director hopes that the film will give audiences an appreciation for the quality of performance produced by "old-fashioned, down-and-dirty" stunt work, as opposed to the otherworldliness of CGI effects.

As for those big Hollywood productions, Shou tries to keep an open mind.

"I think 'Kill Bill' is O.K. because it's an homage to the old Shaw Brothers movies," he said. "I really enjoyed 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' because there was an actual story, and the action supported the story. But 'Charlie's Angels' ... I just couldn't believe Drew Barrymore on wires doing a triple kick," he said. "I thought that was overdoing it. It took something that was beautiful and unique and embellished it to the point where it became hokey. It ruined the artistry."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 535-2461.