Whang In-Sik
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Biography
Coming from a rich family, this Hapkido expert, was one of a handful of Koreans to star in Chinese (kung-fu) films. Born in Sonchun (now North Korea), at about (14) years of age, he started formal Hapkido training, under master Choi Yong-Sool. He achieved his blackbelt at age (16), under master Chi Hon-Joi, who would later appear (and fight) with him in the film Bruce Lee & I. The things that he could do with that Leg-leg, often put other kickers to shame, who struggled to get by with both legs.
Another "Left-legged" kicker (others being Tan Tao-Liang and Kwan Yung-Moon). One of his students, actually, trained Dragon Lee in their art. Whang, himself, thought kung-fu star Billy Chong had a lot of talent and possibly a big future in kung-fu films, when he worked with him on A Fist Full Of Talons. If you've seen Jackie Chan's hit The Young Master, then you know this man, has tremendous skills and is no slouch when it comes to using them. His cold facial expressions (definitely) came in handy, when playing villains. Even when he looks happy (ever see him smile?), he has this vicious look on his face.
He once stated that, he liked playing villains (because of the way he looked), as villains were very important to the story's ending. He's everything you could ask for in a villain, and so much more. He had such a repertoire of techniques and skill, easily overshadowing his co-stars. Look at the film Dragon Lord. He beat Jackie to a pulp and though, he was defeated in the end, look at the punishment he dished out - the kicks, the punches. The only person, that I didn't see him steal the action from in a movie, was Bruce Lee (Way Of The Dragon).
He was most vicious in The Skyhawk, taking on Samo Hung, Carter Wong, and the late-great Kwan Tak-Hing. He got to show us, just how dynamic his kicks really were, as they even overshadowed his acting. I really liked him in When Tae Kwon Do Strikes, as an evil Japanese, who battled Angela Mao, in a stunning display of kicking prowess. He's gotten the chance to play a few good-guy roles, in the films Hapkido and The Tournament, which only added to his persona, as a martial-art's legend.
Without a doubt, he was one of the genre's top talents, when it came to unbelievable kicking ability. It's just a shame, that we did get to see those kicks, going up against some of kung-fu's other kicking-machines such as Wang Jang-Li and Wang Lung-Wei. For some reason, bouts like those never happened as much as fans wanted them to. Yet, in the end, it's what you've done that counts, and he has left an indelible mark on the kung-fu genre.