Chang Shan
Biography
Though you may screw up your part and I don't care how good you might be, you'll never outshine this guy (unless the script calls for it). You can tell by the way he moved, that he had his craft down to a science. He has excellent Kicking ability that puts him in an elite class of (leg) fighters. I almost didn't recognize him in 7 Steps Of Kung Fu under all that silver hair and makeup or his brief appearance in A Fistful Of Talons.
He has some of the best kicks and punches for someone who probably should have been a major star. He had style and grace and his weaponry wasn't bad either, but for some reason, he wasn't used in films like he should've been. You could tell even in small roles (Ninja Hunter, A Heroic Fight) that you just couldn't over look his skills. Either, someone didn't want to be outclassed (because he definitely had the skills to do it) or he should have fired his agent. He was a star just waiting to happen, but it never did. Just take a look at Shaolin Vs Lama, The 5 Fighters From Shaolin, or Shaolin Temple Strikes Back and you will see a very talented individual. He should have had a following like villains before him Wang Jang-Li, Wang Lung-Wei, and Whang In-Sik just to name a few. Another Korean actor, with talents that exceeded just about anyone he fought onscreen (regardless of who they were). As good as he was, he almost always, ended up in so mediocre films. He was another example of an extremely talented performer, who wasn't always put in films that would showcase his talents. |