In 1970s Hong Kong, a stubborn young stuntman named Ah Long gets his first leading role in a low-budget martial arts film, only to discover that the "movie" is a cover for a real gang war—and his only weapons are his wits, his bruises, and a broken fan.
" The Crimson Blade ," Uncle Li says, coughing. "Lead role. Low budget. Director fled with the money. They need someone cheap. Desperate."
The climax of The Crimson Blade is scheduled for a midnight shoot at the old Kowloon Wharf. The script says Ah Long’s character faces twenty assassins and wins by using the environment—ladders, ropes, fish barrels. But Ah Long arrives to find no camera crew. Instead, The Viper’s men are loading crates onto a boat. And Mr. Ko has a real gun. jackie chan 1st movie
He casually corrects the thug’s stance, using the broken fan to tap the knife aside. The thug is so stunned that he drops the weapon. Ah Long, oblivious to his mortal danger, bows and says, “Let’s try that again—but with more feeling .”
In the last row, Ah Long watches himself. He has a bandage on his hand and a new business card in his pocket. It doesn’t say “Stuntman.” It says “Action Director.” In 1970s Hong Kong, a stubborn young stuntman
The Viper, watching from the shadows, is intrigued. He doesn’t kill Ah Long. Instead, he laughs and tells Mr. Ko: “Keep the kid. He’s good for cover. But the last scene? He doesn’t walk away.”
Ah Long (18, played by a young Jackie Chan) is a nobody. He tumbles out of the China Drama Academy with bruised knuckles and a heart full of dreams, but the film studios only want him for one thing: to get kicked, thrown through fake glass, and land on cardboard boxes. Low budget
Ah Long reads the script. It’s terrible. His character, "Flying Sparrow," has three lines, a broken fan as a weapon, and loses every fight until the last five minutes. But it’s his . First billing. His name: Jackie Chan .