Recently, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao unexpectedly reunited at a wedding in Hong Kong (China), nearly 40 years after their last film together.
Images of three once-famous martial arts stars remind viewers of the golden age of Hong Kong (China) cinema.
Hong Kim Bao, 74 years old this year, has to sit in a wheelchair due to an old knee injury but is still healthy. Jackie Chan, 72 years old, intimately puts his arm around his brother's shoulder. While Yuen Biao, 69 years old, still maintains his agility. The three were once considered the "iron triangle" of Hong Kong (China) martial arts comedy films.
Jackie Chan, Hong Jinbao and Yuan Biao were originally brothers and sisters of the "Seven Little Fortunes" training class, and appeared together as children in the Peking Opera drama "Little Dragon Girl, Three Battles with the White Snake".
But it was not until 1983, with the movie "Ky muu Dieu Ke Ngu Phuc Tinh", that the trio truly made a mark on the screen.
From 1983 to 1988, the three co-starred in 6 famous works including "Ngu Phuc Tinh", "Plan A", "Mobile Restaurant", "Phuc Tinh Cao Chieu", "Phuc Tinh Ha Nhat" and "Phi Long Manh Tuong". Their harmonious collaboration became their own brand.
However, "Phi Long Manh Tuong" in 1988 was the last time the trio played the main roles together. The disbandment did not stem from personal conflicts but mainly from changes in career orientation and the film market.
Before making "Phi Long Manh Tuong", Hong Kim Bao had invested heavily in "Phi Ung Phuong Dong" but the film failed in revenue, causing Gia Hoa Film Company to lose faith in him.
However, the film studio still needs the appeal of the "iron triangle" in the Tet film season, so they invited Hong Kim Bao to come forward to implement the project. Out of affection for his brothers, he accepted, even having to temporarily stop his own film "Quỷ mộng cước", causing his company to suffer a loss of about 8 million CNY.
After "Phi Long Manh Tuong", the path of the three gradually separated. Jackie Chan entered a period of strong development in Hollywood, aiming for the international market and building the image of a global action star. Sammo Hung focused on the role of director, producer and supporting Hong Kong film projects. Yuen Biao wanted to develop independently, while gradually withdrawing from the martial arts blockbuster film genre.
Later, Gia Hoa film studio devoted all its efforts to Jackie Chan, giving him big projects and top-notch salaries. For example, "Plan to Fly" and "Dai nao pho Bronx" are both international blockbusters starring Jackie Chan alone.
When resources and orientations no longer intersect, gathering all three becomes difficult and costly.
After the "Iron Triangle" disintegrated, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung still collaborated in some films, but mainly Jackie Chan played the main role while Sammo Hung appeared in supporting roles. Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao rarely reunited.
In 2017, Jackie Chan regretted recalling the period when he and Hong Kim Bao, Yuan Biao and Jet Li competed on screen. According to him, the era of brothers competing and creating classic martial arts scenes has passed.
Today, when all three are old, the collaborations of the "Iron Triangle" are just memories of a golden age of Hong Kong (China) martial arts films.
