Kung-Fu Kid

Bruce Lee

My dad and I used to follow Grasshopper's exploits in the western world via the immortal 70's television series Kung-Fu. It starred the late David Carradine. Yes, the same guy who'd resurface almost three decades later as Bill in Quentin Tarantino's fourth film.

Inside the dark Times theater in Quiapo, Manila, I sat still for almost five hours watching Bruce Lee's triple feature - The Big Boss, Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon. Upon leaving the movie house, I can't help but imitate Lee's moves.

One late evening, my aunt and I watched The Prodigal Boxer starring Meng Fei on RPN 9 if my memory serves me right. It was way past my bedtime yet I was right in front of the boob tube cheering the lead character to beat the hell out of his tormentor played by Shoji Karada.

I was awed by the kicking mastery exhibited by Delon Tam in The Boxer's Adventure and from then on, I became biased to the northern leg style. Tam's student, John Liu also caught my fancy in The Invincible Armour as well as in The Dragon, The Hero.

I used to take long walks after school along Rizal and Claro M. Recto Avenue where you have this endless rows of movie houses like Cinerama, Roben, Main, Podmon, Hollywood and Avenue to check out movie stills and watch the trailers in those black and white television sets just outside the lobby.

I was that passionate with kung-fu during my elementary days.

But by the time Jackie Chan and Jet Li hit the big time, I was already a teenager and completely lost interest in this Chinese form of martial arts as music and basketball became my favorite pastime.

Through the years, I'd like to believe that my taste in cinema has profoundly improved but even up to now, whenever Jean Claude Van Damme's Bloodsport and Ralph Macchio's Karate Kid are on, I still watch them. Come on guys, wouldn't you?

Hiyaa!