HKCuk interviews Jude Poyer

Jude being handled by Jet Li in Hitman

London-born Jude Poyer is a lifelong fan of Hong Kong cinema. He has appeared as a stuntman and actor in over twenty films and numerous TV commercials, fighting the likes of Jet Li, Chiu Man-Cheuk, Yuen Biao and Jean Claude Van Damme. He has also worked for such acclaimed action directors as Sammo Hung, Stephen Tung Wei, Tony Ching Siu-Tung and Corey Yuen Kwai.

We at HKCuk are proud to present a brand new interview with Jude, he talks about his views on HK cinema at present and what he’s getting up to in the near future. Please enjoy…

HKCuk: Did you always want to become a stuntman? What other career do you think you would have chose?

Jude: When I was a youngster the only career I seriously saw myself doing was acting/performance. I still enjoy non-action acting. I like drama and characterisation. However, as I got into action acting, especially after moving to Hong Kong, I got more and more into the challenges of being a stunt performer. I still get a thrill from doing my job, and from training in new skills and trying to better myself.

I have done a lot of other work: writing, film criticism, editing, camerawork etc. However, I reckon I'd go insane if I tried to do a "regular" job.

HKCuk: When did you get into Hong Kong cinema? Was it when Bruce Lee was sweeping the nation, when the trashy American ninja movies were popular, Jackie Chan appearing all over the shop, even some people have admitted they became interested in Hong Kong cinema after seeing Sammo Hung in Martial Law, do you fall into any of these categories or did you find your fix another way?

Jude: It was the ninja craze of the mid Eighties! My brother rented a Sho Kosugi movie. Soon after, we were training in Karate. I watched a lot of cheesy ninja films, saw Bruce Lee (along with Li and Le), and a few years later really got into Jackie, Sammo and the other great HK filmmakers.

HKCuk: How big is your Hong Kong dvd, vcd, video collection? Would you mind listing a few of your favourites?

Jude: Cool question! I've never been asked that in an interview before. Sadly, I've no idea how big it is (in terms of numbers), but let's just say a) you forgot to mention Laserdiscs among those formats and b) my wife often jokes that we could open a rental business to challenge our local Blockbuster!

Favourites? mmm that's hard to choose. I do love to dim the lights, fire up the amp and projector and have big screen viewings of Shaw Brothers classics like "Eight Diagram Pole Fighter", or maybe a golden-era Sammo or Yuen Biao film. I just re-watched "Carry on Pickpocket" the other day.

HKCuk: What was the last film you watched that really impressed you?

Jude: I can't think of one at the moment, which can't be a good thing!

HKCuk: Are you planning on recording more commentaries for upcoming dvd releases?

Jude: The short answer is NO. If someone asked me, I'd certainly consider it. Sadly Hong Kong Legends (who I did most of my commentaries for) have had some changes in staff and disk content.

HKCuk: Have you ever thought about publishing a book on Hong Kong cinema or stuntwork?

Jude: Yes. I contributed a chapter about stunts for Stefan Hammond's "Hollywood East" book about 6 years ago. The chapter was, I gather, quite well received.

HKCuk: What are your views on the recent Korean cinema boom?

Jude: To my shame I must admit I've not seen many Korean films. I liked "Bichunmoo" and cried in "Taegukgi". I think Korea, like Thailand, produces films which remind us what Hong Kong once did...so for me it's bittersweet (excuse the awful pun).

HKCuk: How did you get involved in Downtown Torpedoes?

Jude: A casting agent put me forward for the job. I was hired. That simple. Other films had more detailed/demanding casting processes. Not that one. Sometimes you have to perform fight moves for the action director. As time went on, and I got to know more stunt people, sometimes that wasn't required and I was just hired.

HKCuk: What was your experience like with Jet Li on Hitman?

Jude: I'd been in Hong Kong just over a year, was 19 years old, had already worked with Van Damme on a Sammo/Tsui Hark film and here I was being directed by Tung Wei in an action scene with Jet Li! I was very happy. I had posters of Jet on my wall back in London when I was younger. I've said this before, what struck me most about shooting that scene, which wasn't very flashy actionwise, was how impressive Jet was as an actor. He could really "turn it on" for the camera.

HKCuk: How long were you on the set of Purple Storm and what was your experience like?

Jude: I was on the set for one morning. In the scene we shot, Daniel Wu is shooting at me and gets me in the arm, then he gets shot and falls over a balcony. Luckily his partner in crime catches him.

So the setup is: I'm against a wall and bullets are supposedly hitting it - actually there were small squibs (explosives) in the (fake) wall. They go off, then one goes off in my arm to simulate me getting shot. In the released film, my blood squib was cut out...I believe because it made Daniel's character look unsympathetic. In the finished cut, it looks like I shoot Daniel.

When Daniel went over the balcony, he was well rigged up to a climbing rope and pulley, but even so, it was scary.

HKCuk: How did you find your fight with Yuen Biao in A Man Called Hero? And how long did that take to shoot?

Jude: I think we did it in one afternoon. That's including the dialogue scene beforehand (if memory serves me). Biao was a gentleman and a talented, generous performer.

That fight was unusual by Hong Kong standards because the way it was shot was very "western" in style. I don't mean cowboy western - I mean it was shot in long takes with multiple cameras covering different angles. Andrew Lau, the director, is also an accomplished cameraman, and that was how he liked to shoot.

Usually, in Hong Kong films these days you shoot shorter sequences for specific angles, and overlap maybe the end move for the next angle. So shot A might be moves 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Then you do shot B beginning with move 5, then 6 and so on. Movement 5 is your cutting/editing point. When it's done that way, it's easier to do precise, attractive moves with a good tempo.

HKCuk: Due to the decline in the popularity of Hong Kong films do you feel that the quality of them have declined in recent years or are they as good as ever?

Jude: I may sound like a grumpy old man, but "they don't make them like they used to"! I don't get excited about forthcoming new Hong Kong films because I might get bitterly disappointed. Once in a while a decent HK film comes out, like say "Infernal Affairs" or "SPL". But are they masterpieces? Twenty years ago, it seemed like Hong Kong was producing loads of films and many were masterpieces. Now, very few Hong Kong films get made, and most aren't to my taste.

I should add that I don't think any of the films I've worked on are classics, AND that I think I'm very lucky to have worked on films like "Hitman" with Jet and "Blacksheep Affair" with Tony Ching Siu-Tung. Those kind of films were already in decline when I arrived in HK in 1996.

HKCuk: Out of all the action directors you have worked with, who was the most demanding?

Jude: Ridley Tsui has very high expectations of his stuntmen, but I think that's because he has high expectations of himself. He was one of the best, most daring Hong Kong stuntmen, so he can "talk the talk" cos he's "walked the walk". I think you'll find, though, that many stuntmen are very demanding of themselves. We wouldn't be in the trade if we wanted an easy life.

HKCuk: Who would be your ideal action director?

Jude: I think a good action director needs to empathise with the stuntguys and understand their concerns as well as their skills. He or she should be creative, safety conscious, and open to new ideas.

I believe an action director/stunt coordinator should have a knowledge of camerawork and editing and as many other areas of filmmaking as possible. If you know about make up, wardrobe and props, you might make a lot of departments' lives easier and contribute towards a smooth shoot.

HKCuk: With the current hype on Tony Jaa would you ever agree to being on the receiving side of a flying elbow or knee from the Muay Thai Warrior?

Jude: Absolutely. Tony Jaa is ace, and I'd happily receive (one or two) knocks from him. If Sammo wanted to boot me, I'd feel honoured too!

HKCuk: Being a stuntman is naturally dangerous, what's the worst injury that you have received on set?

Jude: I've not received any serious injuries. On every film, I expect bruises and superficial cuts. That goes with the territory, as do aching joints! I fractured a finger on "The Medallion" which is the only broken bone I've suffered, and that was doing something which on camera looked like nothing...

HKCuk: Where would you like your career to take you?

Jude: I'm no longer living in Hong Kong. That's because I realised that if I stayed there, with the industry in the sorry state that it is, I'd be doing fewer of the same parts and not really progress any more. It's my hope to put what I've learned in the East to use in the West, and be busy as a stuntman and coordinator.

HKCuk: What are your current and future projects?

Jude: I've done a few stunt and acting jobs since returning to the UK, and I am about to start performing on a UK based studio film soon (but I’m not yet allowed to name it). I am also looking forward to directing 2nd Unit and coordinating the action for FIXERS, a forthcoming British film starring Jeff Wincott.

HKCuk: Many thanks Jude and we would like to wish you the best of luck in the future.

Jude: Thank you!

This interview was conducted on the 25th of August 2006. Pictures courtesy of Jude Poyer & HKCinemagic.