In 1978 he achieved his first directing credit on the seminal Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow, starring Jackie Chan, then quickly followed with the similar Drunken Master. The films were smash-hits, launching Jackie Chan as a major film-star. He went on to work with such figures as Sammo Hung in Magnificent Butcher (1979), Yuen Biao in Dreadnaught (1981), Donnie Yen in several films including Iron Monkey (1993), and Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh in several films including Tai Chi Master (1993) and Wing Chun (1994).

His work, particularly his action choreography on Fist of Legend (1994), attracted the attention of the Wachowski brothers, who hired him as the kung-fu choreographer on The Matrix (1999). The success of this collaboration, plus his action choreography on the following year’s hit Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, made him a highly sought after figure in Hollywood. He went on to work on the Matrix sequels and Kill Bill (2003). It’s been 12 years since Yuen Woo-ping, celebrated international master of movie martial arts, directed his own movie instead of choreographing action for someone else but now he is back with his martial arts epic True Legend (aka Su Qi-Er).

The film stars Michelle Yeoh and Man Cheuk Chiu as the leads as well as co-starts David Carradine and Jay Chou.