3 of Jet Li’s 1990s action movies fusing guns and kung fu – before the Chinese martial artist left Hong Kong for Hollywood

Jet Li made his name in Hong Kong through period kung fu films set in old China, but as this movie trend waned, he reinvented himself as a modern action star

We look at three 1990s Hong Kong films he acted in, including a Wong Jing comedy that made fun of Jackie Chan and a sci fi film where he channelled Bruce Lee

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Jet Li (right) in a still from the 1996 action movie Black Mask, in which he wore a mask à la Bruce Lee in “The Green Hornet”. The Chinese martial artist reinvented himself in the 1990s from a period kung fu film star to a modern action hero. Here are three of his films that epitomise this transition. Photo: Eureka Entertainment

Published: 5:15pm, 3 Mar 2024Updated: 9:47am, 16 Mar 2024

When the boom in period martial arts films tailed off in 1993, producers realised they needed to reinvent Jet Li Lianjie’s image.

Li was still one of Hong Kong’s top three stars, but he had made his name in kung fu films set in old China. Modern crime thrillers looked like a good path forward, but Li’s strength was wushu – martial arts as a sport – so how could his kung fu deal with guns?

Li decided that the best way forward was to simply start using firearms in his films, although he still squeezed in a lot of unarmed kung fu when writers could find a place for it in the plot.

Li’s reinvention as a modern action hero was surprisingly successful, and the contemporary actioners he made in Hong Kong before he decamped to Hollywood – alongside a few superior period kung fu pieces like Fearless – proved very entertaining.

Below we look at three of Li’s contemporary action films from the 1990s.

1. High Risk (1995)

This cheeky action comedy from lowbrow super-producer Wong Jing was controversial when it was released. Wong had reportedly clashed with Jackie Chan while directing the star’s City Hunter, and allegedly used High Risk (also known as Meltdown) as a way of making fun of him.