With a list of credits that includes Hong Kong action cinema classics including John Woo’s The Killer & Hardboiled, Jackie Chan’s Supercop, Thunderbolt, CZ 12and Police Story 2013, Donnie Yen’s Special ID and Iceman Cometh, Gordon Chan’s The Final Option not to mention Zhang Yimou’s Flowers of War, as well as International hits including Transformers 4, Michael Mann’s upcoming Cyber, Mission Impossible 3, and Gareth Evan’s acclaimed The Raid 2: Berandal, Hong Kong stunt maestro Bruce Law (Law Lai-yin) has made quite the name for himself both locally and internationally.
Born in Guangzhou, Bruce arrived in Hong Kong aged 8 months old. He began training in martial arts at an early age, immersing himself in Taekwondo as well as various Chinese martial arts style including Shaolin Kung Fu and Choy Li Fut, before making the move into Thai Boxing.
A lifelong interest in fast cars and bikes, gave Bruce the invitation to join Jackie Chan’s Police Story as a stunt biker, and launched his cinematic career but whereas the majority of Hong Kong stuntmen are known for their martial skills, Bruce brought a whole new skill set to the industry, along with a desire to learn and by 1988 had formed his own production house, Bruce Law Stunts Unlimited.
Being a stuntman not only requires physical strength and ability, but also courage and knowledge of what you are being asked to perform, and how to ensure your safety and the safety of others. Bruce took it upon himself to learn everything, to find ways to minimize dangers but yet maximize the effect He started to learn about explosives, special equipment, and with his ready knowledge and skills in automobiles, it did not take him long to become a well rounded action director.
In a career spanning nearly 30 years so far and with no signs of slowing down, Bruce has brought his skillset to more than 280 movies, documentaries, TV series and commercial productions as a stunt performer, coordinator, pyrotechnic expertise, special effects, action director and director with multiple nominations as Best Action Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
Highlights of his career include multiple projects for John Woo from The Killer & Hardboiled to Woo’s latest epic The Crossing, which Law is currently working on through several collaborations with Jackie Chan including Police Story 3: Supercop which saw him doubling Michelle Yeoh jumping a motorcycle onto a speeding train, CZ 12 and most recently Chan’s Police Story 2013. Law provided the vehicular action sequences for two recent Donnie Yen movies Iceman Cometh and most notably Special ID, where his automotive action was showcased to full effect.
1998 saw Law stepping behind the camera to not only choreograph all the action but to also direct Extreme Crisis, a fast paced action thriller starring Shu Qi, Julien Cheng and Kenya Sawada. The film features a number of high octane action sequences including one where he blew up a number of expensive cars in the middle of Hong Kong’s Charter Road where the headquarters of HSBC, the Bank of China are based, and close to the central offices of Hong Kong’s legislative council. Law got his shot, but the incident was almost mistaken as a terrorist plot when the newspapers ran with eyewitness reports. The film saw Bruce nominated for Best New Director at Japan’s prestigious Yubari International Film Festival.
Law has also found his skills in demand on a number of International projects over the years including Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible 3 which saw Law being brought in to help the films special effects unit for the China shoot, as well as The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor which saw Law working alongside a multi national crew as Special Effects Supervisor. Law handled the car stunts for Keanau Reeves directorial debut Man of Tai Chi, oversaw the action and stunt work for the Hong Kong shoot of Michael Mann’s upcoming Cyber, as well as Michael Bay’s Transformers: Age of Extinction when it shot in Hong Kong.
Law and his team also travelled to Indonesia to stage and coordinate the car stunts for Gareth Evan’s internationally acclaimed The Raid 2, and will next be seen in John Woo’s epic war movie The Crossing, Jiang Wen’s Gone with the Bullets, and Donnie Yen’s upcoming Kung Fu Jungle.
