Blood Will Tell: For Immediate Release

Robert Rollins Pictures is pleased to announce in the Fall of 2014 director Robert Rollins will begin shooting his second feature film Blood Will Tell.

Blood Will Tell is a horror-tragedy.  The hero, TracyMarch, is a neuroscientist searching for the cure for a rare blood disease that has killed one of his children and stricken the other.  Cras Spem Ltd, Tracy’s employer, insists that he stop the blood project and switch back a marketable dementia drug.  In a last ditch effort to save his son Tracy starts injecting himself with the drug.  Once he has shown it is safe for humans he can do trial injections on his son. 

However, the drug in not safe.   Tracy pays little attention to the initial changes – increased strength, a sharpened sense of smell and preternatural hearing.  To his growing horror he realizes that he has developed a taste, and then, a need for blood.  Tracy’s compulsion drives him to desperate measures.  Animal blood gives him little relief, so he is forced to hunt humans. 

All of Tracy’s efforts to conceal his condition go horribly awry when a biohazard traps employees inside the Cras Spem Ltd building.  During the lockdown Tracy’s hunger starts to escalate.  When he learns the truth behind his drug’s failure, he loses all control.  What follows is a literal blood bath.  The wicked are butchered, but Tracy is too far gone to stop his killing.   Standing in Tracy’s path is Lani Bergman, his co-worker and lover.  Who will survive the final confrontation?

Blood Will Tell is about a blood drinker, but is far from a traditional vampire tale.  There are no sparkles, no capes, no bats, no enlarged canines and no delicate neck nips.  In spirit, Blood Will Tell is closer to “Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” than to “Dracula.”  Tracy is not a demon or supernatural creature, but a man, terribly altered by science.  His tragedy is that, in trying to do good, he has unleashed Hell.

Robert Rollins will direct Blood Will Tell from the original screenplay by Edward Fik and Robert Rollins; Craig Russom and Robert Rollins will produce; and Phil Martin is the movie’s director of photography.  Tracy March will be played Grant Landry who was featured in "The Lair," "Real Heroes," "Better Half” and in Robert Rollins’ first feature film "Dream Country.”

When the Universe decided to create a nearly perfect physical specimen, It put together athlete/actor Jim Kelly.  Born in 1946 in Paris, KY, Kelly's high school and college life was filled with organized athletics including basketball, football and various track and field sports.  After his freshman year at University of Louisville, however, Kelly quit collegiate sports and pursued martial arts, specifically Shōrin-ryū Karate.

Kelly continued his karate studies all his life starting a dojo in the 70's in Long Beach, CA which at the time was a hotbed of martial arts activity.  The fabled Long Beach Internationals, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2014, started there and reached a peak in the late 60's and mid-70's with notables like Bruce Lee in attendance.  Many martial artists worked in and around the area during the time that Kelly was redefining the sport by becoming one of the first African-American, world-recognized practitioners.  

Kelly came into martial arts at a time when the U.S. was in turmoil.  Black Power was in the hearts and on the minds of many young African-Americans and some of what manifested from that was using martial arts in a very martial way.  Organizations like the Black Panthers (originally called the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) used martial arts for physical training.  In reflecting that mindset, a scene in the film that started Kelly's career, "Enter The Dragon," shows his dojo adorned with black power symbology; and as Kelly's character later walks home from his dojo, he is hassled by the 'Heat,' two (white) patrol cops who racially profile him and want him to cower.  Kelly never cowered in film or life.  It was all on his terms and in doing so, he created a legacy that stands today and will continue long after his death.

Films after "Enter the Dragon" came fast and furious for Kelly.  Called "Blaxploitation" (or Blacksplotation) by the mainstream media, these B-movies showed African-American leads like Richard Roundtree, Pam Grier and Jim Kelly kicking ass and taking names like their white counterparts Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson.  Kelly's films  like "Black Belt Jones" (1974) and "Three the Hard Way" (1974) (with Jim Brown and Fred Williamson) gave an entire generation of young African-Americans role models that looked and sounded like them but also combined an interest in the flying fists of the Far East.  In the same way that early rap reflected the culture of the streets at the time, these movies showed a world we barely knew - "The Ghetto" and all its pain and anger.  It was a dangerous place at times where desperation reigned, and violence came at you in several directions at once.  It made sense to make yourself stronger by learning how to fight and Kelly led the pack in his films.  Kelly looked like he could walk down any street and never be hassled.   Interest grew on a national level for what gave him this type of confidence - namely, the martial arts.  But the Ghetto was also a place of family, high moral values, and generational inspiration and Kelly strongly reflected that too.

There were action films and martial arts films before Kelly but none of them had leads who were as accomplished as Kelly and were African-American.  Kelly looked so good because he was the real deal winning several tournaments and training in many sports.  No actor at that time possessed his balletic power.  When he spun into a backkick, it was a kick you could believe in.  It wasn't the silly 'karate chops' of the James Bond films or the endless punches of any actioneer but rather a true martial warrior's execution.  He kicked, punched and moved like no other black man of that time.  And no one combined Kelly's  stature (he was 6'2",) his remarkable swagger - or that insane 'fro of his.  His language was the lingua franca of his culture - the vernacular of the 70's street dude who had spent his youth running into and from trouble but had then had found an outlet for his furious energy in karate.

The anger and pain Kelly experienced in his early life found control and mastery in the dojo.  There, under the guidance of many masters, he began to understand the importance of being able to mitigate his emotions, to channel those emotions in a positive way.  And by showing others by example his way, by being an African-American with mad karate skills, he inspired generations to become martial artists and to emulate the man who exuded quiet confidence but would kick your butt if you acted wrong.  Kelly was just so superfly; all quiet cool and frosty with a white-hot core of physical skills.

Kaiso Shawn Cephas, Soke of American Shorinji-te and CEO of Warrior-Priest Productions said of Kelly: "My father, Willard Cephas, is my martial arts role model and hero, but actors like Jim Kelly were our (the young black community) superheroes.  They did things we only dreamed of, drove cars (like souped-up Ferraris) we'd never seen before.  The idea of an African-American being the star of a movie - and being an accomplished martial artist - made us believe we could also do just about anything with our lives."

Kelly continued his multi-genre, race-breaking barrier ways by becoming ranked as number 2 in senior men's doubles rankings and reaching the state's top ten in senior men's singles in tennis!  This was in 1975 at the height of his prowess and it showed just how incredible a physical specimen he was but also, at a time when the 'face' of professional tennis was mostly white men, he shattered that color barrier.

You cannot under-estimate Kelly's contributions.  Like a lot of innovators he was the perfect man at a perfect time.  There were more famous, more accomplished actors but there was no one who combined Kelly's unique skill set.  He was young, beautiful, and badass but practiced a quiet calm and inner confidence that completely destroyed the stereotypes.  At a time when many of filmdom's villains were gangsta African-Americans here was a man who was the antitheses - he was/is a superb, positive role model and hero for generations of young men and women.

As he told Mr. Han in "Enter The Dragon" - "Man, you come right out of a comic book"  - Kelly indeed did.  But in all the positive, affirming ways that make those imaginary heroes so inspirational to us.

My article on "Enter The Dragon," which was the first of this martial arts film series I did, is HERE - the review talks about Kelly and his contributions to that film.  

But if you want to remember Jim Kelly, head to Netflix or Amazon and watch some of his movies.  And be inspired all over again.

Jim Kelly Filmography:

Melinda (1972)
Enter the Dragon (1973) as Williams
Black Belt Jones (1974) as Black Belt Jones
Three the Hard Way (1974) as Mister Keyes
Golden Needles (1974)
Take a Hard Ride (1975) as Kashtok
Hot Potato (1976) as Jones
Black Samurai (1977) as Robert Sand
The Tattoo Connection (a.k.a. E yu tou hei sha xing, Black Belt Jones 2) (1978)
Death Dimension (1978)
The Amazing Mr. No Legs (1981)
One Down, Two To Go (1982)
Stranglehold (1994)
Macked, Hammered, Slaughtered and Shafted (2004)
Afro Ninja Destiny (2009)
Afro Ninja (2009)

"Fearless," the story of China's martial arts master Huo Yuanjia, is actually called "Jet Li's Fearless" - and so it is.  Without the multi-talented Li the film would be much, much less than it is.  This was also supposedly Li's swan song - his last wushu film but I would never take that seriously given how many actors have an almost genetic need to be on stage and Li's martial arts skills are masterful still.  And in fact, he's done several more films that involve him as a martial artist since that pronouncement in 2006.  Part of what was going through his mind at the time might be gathered from this essay on his website: HERE

Li, (real name: Li Lianjie) who was a martial arts prodigy and became a national champion in China, has always been a gold standard of martial arts acting and abilities.  He's the real thing.  He moves with lethal grace and seems as comfortable in his skin as any man or woman alive.  His fights always seem real (until they put a wire on him and fly him across rooftops) - a result of his training with the Beijing Wushu Team which trains and does demonstrations at demonic speed and ferocity.

Li had his American film debut in "Lethal Weapon 4" in 1998 but he was already a star in Asia from his first film in 1982.  From the age of eight, he trained in wushu, a Chinese style of martial arts with roots in kung fu.  As part of the insanely good Bejiing Wushu Team (as was martial arts superstar Donnie Yen,) Li won dozens of medals and awards as a young man and migrated to film stardom in film series such as "Shaolin Temple"  and "Once Upon a Time In China" which details the life of Master Wong Fei Hung.   

Li is a deeply spiritual man which leads no doubt to his uncanny ability to seemingly be above everything happening in a film role and yet be entirely engaged.

As in the role of Huo Yuanjia, the wushu master in this film.

"Fearless" is a (very loose) examination of the life of Huo Yuanjia, a martial artist who fought foreigners in staged bouts for the national pride of China at a time when the British and Americans were changing the country's cultural identity and had proclaimed on more than one occasion that China wasn't significant as culture or people.  This was just after the Boxer Rebellion (1901) and before the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912.  Although the film doesn't necessarily point to either of these events specifically, it does play up the malaise affecting China during this time and implies that Yuanjia's bouts restored the pride of the nation to a point where China was able to establish itself as a republic.  It does seem obvious enough that the filmmakers felt that Yuanjia had a lot to do with becoming a polarizing force for the nationalism that led to China finally throwing off the growing foreign imperialism at the time.

The film opens non-linearly at an epic bout late in Yuanjia's life.  Yuanjia must fight with fists, sword, and spear/pike and defeat all of his opponents to be declared winner.  One against four doesn't seem fair but this is the deal. Now Yuanjia has to face his last opponent, a Japanese karate master named Tanaka (actor Nakamura Shidō II.)  

At the start of this bout, the film then flashes back to when Yuanjia was a child.

As a young boy, Yuanjia worships his father's martial arts skills.  Banners proclaiming the elder master's successes adorn the walls of Yuanjia's ancestral home.  Yuanjia is so smitten with the idea of becoming the world's greatest fighter that he convinces a childhood friend, actor Dong Yong, to do his homework for him so he can practice wushu.

 Yuanjia also picks fights (and loses) with other young boys as he proclaims his father's wushu is best. 

Several years later Yuanjia's father is dead and he is head of the household.  His wife has died from illness but his mother and young daughter fill his life with joy.  He is carefree, treating the family business with seeming disdain and fighting all challengers in the town square - then drinking and partying afterward in his childhood friend's restaurant.  His goal is to never lose a fight and he is indeed undefeated except for one lone fighter (Qin Lei) who he has never challenged.  As his reputation grows, Yuanjia becomes increasingly arrogant and angry until he refuses to allow any disagreement with his wants and needs despite that his business is failing and he has no balance in his life.  He continues to seek the title of Master of Tianjin, the village from which he comes but the only opponent of note he hasn't fought is the man who was spared by Yuanjia's father years before, Qin Lei.  Yuanjia still harbors a resentment and anger toward Qin Lei and finds a reason to challenge him when Lei supposedly harms one of Yuanjia's students.

The fight he picks with Qin Lei is epic and amazingly choreographed - as were all the fight scenes in this film including one on a platform thirty feet in the air.  Li's skills are still sharp and extensive.  He leaps, spins, kicks and punches like a man twenty-five years his junior.  In his forties when this film was made, he seems ageless - another reason why I can't see him retiring from this type of film anytime soon despite his claims to be done with wushu/martial arts films.

Yaunjia batters and kills his opponent and in retribution, his family is then murdered by Quin Lei's godson.  This sends Yuanjia on a multi-year journey of anguished doubt and personal crises.  He ends up nearly dead in a mountain village, falls in love with a young blind girl named Moon (actress Betty Sun) - sort of - and returns to his ancestral home to begin his penance for killing Qin Lei.

But the city of Tianjin, like all of China, has changed. It is now filled with foreigners who march through the streets and determine the rights of the citizens.  The Chinese men and women have been beaten down, told they are less than human, and controlled by the American, British and Japanese forces who covet their vast resources.  Li's character is determined to change all that through a series of fights with these foreigners and also by establishing the Chin Woo Athletic Association (originally, The Jing Wu Athletic Society) in Shanghai which will train Chinese fighters in the wushu way, promoting Chinese nationalism.

In the last epic battle, the one that opens the film, Li must face his last opponent, the Karate master Tanaka who is shown as having both skills and honor.  The Japanese fighter's manager, however, isn't so honorable and poisons Yuinjia during the bout to guarantee a win.  Dying, throwing up blood, Li's character insists on finishing and although he apparently loses the bout because he is too weakened to continue, the Japanese fighter declares him the winner.  "I know it in my heart," he says.

Yuanjia's death (basically) propels China into the events that become the establishment of the Republic of China and although dead, his spirit goes back to the mountain village to be with the woman who renewed his soul and with whom he fell in love.  

Fade out on happy, smiling (ghostly) Yuanjia and Moon.

So, a dramatic story, insanely good martial arts, compelling historical events, and characters who grow and change - all hallmarks of a good film.  And indeed, "Fearless" is considered to be a strong contender for one of the top ten martial arts films ever made.

The problem is, not a lot of it is true.  Which was not really a problem for me, but was apparently for the family of Yuanjia who sued the filmmakers after the film was released.

A lot of Yuanjia's history detailed in this film is just false.  He wasn't middle class, his family was never murdered (just ask his direct descendants) sending him on a sojourn of personal crises, and some of the sequence's of how the Sports Club were established were just a product of the writers' (two of them) imagination.  There was no soul-searching sojourn and no beautiful, blind woman who restored his spirits.  Yuanjia's death was somewhat mysterious but it didn't happen at a bout like the one in the film and there was only rumor that the Japanese had anything to do with it.  Yuanjia suffered from childhood illnesses (in the movie it's severe asthma) - it's likely that that had something to do with his death, and not some surreptitiously substituted poisoned tea.  Also, some of the fights with Western opponents just never happened for one reason or another, and there is no way that Yuanjia fought four opponents at one time for all the marbles.

Of course, not knowing the history behind this seminal character, I bought into all of it without reservation.  But I guess it would be like someone writing a history of an inspirational American athlete like Jesse Owen and making him white and from the Hamptons.  If accuracy is a determiner then this films fails.  If spirit is the goal then this film is certainly successful and inspirational and tells a tale of the times when China rose from a country-wide malaise to become a superpower when superpowers were measured not by nukes but by people and national pride. 

"Fearless" is a solid and entertaining film.  If you compare it to most martial arts films, it shines above most.  A few like "Ip Man" made years after and considered to be in that small club of important martial arts films, also stand out as being about something more than fighting and surely were inspired by this movie.  Through martial arts, these men (and women) find pursuits and goals beyond themselves, putting aside their egos and fighting for a reason beyond that ego.  That's a great story to tell and one that is uniquely Asian (although the idea of inspirational athletes certainly is not.)

Jet Li is a marvel to watch in this and other of his films and is and has been a major star for decades.  My only hope is that he continues to display his enormous skills on screen and doesn't seriously retire.  He has been seen in several Chinese action films and, if course, "The Expendable" series but perhaps nothing in the depth (martial arts-wise) of "Fearless" since he made it.. 

Li's vast filmography is available everywhere including this film on Netflix streaming.  

For an extra, special treat check out the promotional video of the Beijing Wushu Team on Wikipedia - you can see where all that skill and mastery that Li displays in all of his films came from.  HERE

Yeoh and Rothrock - Girls with guns!  Oh, yes, Madam!

"Yes, Madam" AKA "Police Assassins" is a ground-breaking 1985 Hong Kong film staring two stalwarts of martial arts filmmaking.  Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock who were in their 20's at the time, portray police detectives from different worlds: Yeoh from Hong Kong and Rothrock from Scotland Yard.  

In a buddy-cop teaming that smacks of brilliance, the dark-haired beauty (who was a former Miss World Malaysia) and the perky, blond American (a karate forms champion at the time) team up to bring down a bad guy, Mr. Tin (James Tien) who is seeking a microfilm document that will prove he is guilty of murder and conspiracy.

Okay, another not-so-complicated story but one which reaps bounties of fun.

The film was produced by legendary filmmaker Sammo Hung (what isn't in Southeast Asia?)  and it's fast, furious and, as mentioned, fun, which is a hallmark of a lot of Hong Kong films made by Hung and his producing partners.  As is his habit, Hung also has a small part playing the "old man" (sifu) to three losers who are trying to get enough money to get him to a proper home by various illicit means which becomes dangerous as Mr. Tin and their efforts become intertwined.

"Yes, Madam" refers to Michelle Yeoh's title as police captain (like the Brits who call their female DCI's 'Mum' - as in The Queen Mum.)  In the opening scene, she single-handedly stops an armored car robbery by kicking, punching and shooting all the bad guys.  In a few cuts you can see it's not Yeoh doing all the stunt work but she always did in subsequent films using her ballet training and physical prowess to great effect.  This was her first major role as a lead actress and it rocketed her to the stratosphere of film where she still thrives today as a legit actress and martial arts actress.  She's had major roles in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" "Tomorrow Never Dies" "Memoirs of a Geisha" and as the voice of Soothsayer in "Kung Fu Panda II."

"Yes, Madam" was also Rothrock's big break.  This, her third film but first major role, showed her martial arts prowess - and her natural beauty (and kickin' bod) did the rest to make her a go-to action girl when someone needed the real deal.   After "Yes, Madam" Rothrock did several more Hong Kong actioners before becoming the American equivalent of Bruce Willis or Sly Stallone.  It's led to a film career of 50+ features plus hundreds of public appearances all over the world.  

I found out first hand what a rabid fan base Rothrock has.  One of the films I wrote, "Fast Getaway II" features Rothrock in a bad girl role that continues from the first Fast Getaway film.  The film company wanted to feature other actors so I wrote her part to reflect that.  The film is fun and actioney but Rothrock's fans took me to task for leaving her in a hotel room for a great portion of the film; although she did have a martial arts fight with her lover in the room in their underwear - that should count for something, right?  See the clip HERE.

Yeoh and Rothrock are inspired casting.  Before "Lethal Weapon" these two characters were the Riggs and Murtaugh of Asia.  One blond, one dark haired; one Asian, one Caucasian; both with differing approaches to police work.  Rothrock's character prefers beating confessions out of suspects while Yeoh "Madam" is a kindler, gentler police woman.  According to Wikipedia, the producers were looking for an actor to play opposite Yeoh but wanted a male martial artist.  They contacted a demonstration team that included Rothrock and were so impressed by her stunning forms (and form!)  they hired her, changed the role, and the rest is Hong Kong film history.

Their styles, martial arts-wise, were also different with Rothrock's power and precision being her hallmark and Yeoh's lithe grace showing her dancing and acrobatics skills.  Although neither at the time was necessarily a martial arts expert, both had mad skills that made their physical acting wholly believable.  Both have continued their training since this movie and I wouldn't want to face either in a ring.

Hong Kong films like this, with female leads in action roles, are truly ground-breaking.  Western filmmakers didn't dip into this well of physical talent often enough in the 70's and 80's.  You had your Ripleys ("Alien") and your Princess Leias ("Star Wars") and the occasional "B" movie that featured the revenge-oriented girl or perhaps a black widow, but it was rare indeed to see women this gorgeous and this talented in martial skills on any screen in any venue.

The flexibility in Hong Kong filmmaking is something to be admired and still lacking in our Western world.  To cast two waifish, beautiful women in traditionally male roles would have been unthinkable; and, for the most part, still is.  Name a female action star of Yeoh or Rothrock's stature - you really can't without starting with these two who have been reflecting those roles since the early 80's.

This film shows a lot of what made Hong Kong moviemaking such a force.  Even though there are a lot of jokey fight scenes, they are brilliantly choreographed.   One in particular in a tiny apartment shows the ingenuity of the filmmakers utilizing simply everything they could to create some awesome moments.  I'm always so impressed with these men and women who not only create these scenes but who have to act in them.  They are backbreaking at times and I can well imagine that a good medic on set is a necessity as the stunt men and women hurl themselves into space to land on objects that have no yield.  If you've ever watched a Jackie Chan film and stayed through the end credits, you can see outtakes of poor Jackie missing things, falling wrong, and even occasionally breaking a bone as he, like the industry he helped grow, lands on unbendable objects to entertain us.

Although "Yes, Madam" launched seven other "In The Line Of Duty" films (two more with Yeoh) I'd love to see Rothrock and Yeoh revisits these roles today.  Everything else is being rebooted - this would be a great one to re-imagine. with these two reprising their roles years later.  Perhaps this time on American soil.  But please have Sammo Hung involved since he seems to be the glue that holds a lot of these funny actioners together.

Women in martial arts films has opened the door to women in MMA these days.  Lisa King (the Black Widow) fights real bouts with other tough women.  There is no doubt that without the influence of these films, female fighters wouldn't exist.  Attitudes were changed, options explored because women like Yeoh and Rothrock showed that they were capable of holding their own, at least on the screen, with the bad boys of martial arts.  Like scifi films that inspired young men and women to become scientists and then go on to make real the wonders they had read about and saw, imagining female fighters on screen has led to them becoming real in the ring.

I had to special order "Yes, Madam" from a vendor on Ebay - it's not widely available.  But with over a hundred films between them, Yeoh and Rothrock are everywhere to be found.  In fact, Amazon has tons of free offerings for all Hong Kong films if you have Amazon Prime.  But even if not, $1.99-$2.99 is cheap to experience these wonderful examples of a genre of film that we, as Americans, still don't do well - the exception, perhaps, being "Rush Hour (the first one.) 

Here is a link to the ending fight scene in "Yes, Madam" which just leaves you breathless!   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz-4WIFhA6U - it was almost thirty years ago and still nothing like it has been seen on American cinema screens.  

Simply amazing.