Bruce Khan runs Super Kick Martial Arts Academy near Hongik University in Seoul, in addition to pursuing his action film dream. |
By D. Peter Kim
Contributing Writer
Bruce Khan grew up idolizing kung fu icon Bruce Lee. And like his hero, Khan hopes to achieve something revolutionary: a Korean martial arts movie that appeals to worldwide audiences.
``Korea has no martial arts films exportable abroad,'' Khan said. ``I hope to make a Korean martial arts movie that is both realistic and pragmatic.''
The martial arts choreographer, actor and stuntman, 41, has decades of experience in the fighting arts. He laments as unrealistic the proliferation of flying kicks and acrobatics in martial arts demonstrations and action movies.
``I stress fast, short and powerful kicks,'' he said. ``Bruce Lee's movies were hits despite him using just three kicks: the sidekick, the roundhouse kick and the spinning heel kick.''
Khan said his admiration for Lee kept him training. ``When I was a kid, most movie theaters played Jackie Chan movies,'' he said. ``But when videos came out, all I watched were Lee's movies.''
``The final scene in `Fist of Fury' when Lee's character throws a flying kick into a hail of bullets, stuck in my mind.''
Born in the southern city of Gwangju, Khan began martial arts training in middle school. Starting with hapkido, he eventually earned a fifth-degree black belt in the discipline.
He went on to earn advanced belts in taekwondo, in addition to training in Thai kickboxing, judo and gyeoktugi (Korean kickboxing).
Korea in the 1970s also had a number of action stars in Hong Kong, such as master kicker Casanova Wong, Chinese-Korean star Tan Tao Liang (Delon Tam) and the brawny Dragon Lee.
Khan, however, said, ``I noticed no other action star other than Bruce Lee.''
After finishing high school, Khan remained in the martial arts, joining a taekwondo demonstration team while doing his military service and later leading the demonstration team of the Korea Hapkido Association.
Back problems caused him to shelve martial arts for two years, but his showbiz break came afterwards in the late 1990s.
``I trained under a Korean action director, but didn't want to be a stuntman since Korea didn't make martial arts films,'' he said.
The director, however, connected Khan with a Hong Kong studio that needed a stuntman for the movie ``Gen -X Cops.'' Khan said, ``I told them I wasn't a stuntman but that I could kick well.''
He took the job and met action star Sammo Hung in Hong Kong. The two eventually became friends.
In 2002, Khan moved to Hollywood on Hung's advice and started training at a kickboxing school for stuntmen. There, Khan's quick and powerful kicks drew attention.
``While I was kicking focus mitts, I kicked so hard that other guys would watch me,'' he said. ``I then got asked by the other stuntmen to help them with kicking, and then more started to ask me.''
His newfound popularity prompted Khan to set up Action Cinema Training in Studio City, California, where he trained stuntmen in martial arts for one year. Khan spoke little or no English at the time, but said his language skills greatly improved after opening the center.
Khan returned to Korea in 2003 to get married, but soon left again for Hong Kong to work as assistant fight choreographer in Jackie Chan's movie ``The Medallion.''
Khan later returned to Action Cinema Training and then branched out into motion capture work for video games, including the popular ``Rise to Honor'' featuring Chinese action star Jet Li.
Landing a major role in the 2005 B-action flick ``The Last Eve,'' Khan finally got to act in addition to showing off his skills. The film won awards from the B-Movie Film Festival and the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival.
He will also serve as martial arts choreographer for the upcoming movie ``Kimchi Warrior,'' his second collaboration with ``Last Eve'' director Kang Young-man.
Despite his film work, Khan said he is first and foremost a martial artist, and that this is why he opened Superkick Martial Arts Academy near Hongik University in Seoul.
``Martial arts are basically a science after all the mysticism is removed,'' he said, stressing practically and scientific principles in training.
``I think realism is important in martial arts, but realism can involve artistic elements. The motion or movement can be beautiful.'' For more information, call (02) 338-5469 or visit www.superkick.co.kr.
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