How Hong Kong actor Chan Koon-tai, Bruce Lee’s counterpart, wowed with his kung fu skills

Hong Kong’s Shaw Brothers Studio made Chan their answer to Lee in the 1970s. Here are 2 films that put his martial arts prowess to good use

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Chan Koon-tai in a still from Man of Iron (1972). The Hong Kong actor, known more for his kung fu skills than his looks, became a big star in the 1970s.

Published: 4:15pm, 2 Nov 2025

Hong Kong actor Chan Koon-tai may not have been the best-looking of Chang Cheh’s “second wave” of martial arts heroes in the early 1970s, but unlike his colleagues, he had studied martial arts before embarking on his film career.

Chan had trained in the “Monkey and Axe Hammer” style since he was seven and was a regional kung fu champion. His exceptional martial skills saw directors put him to good use on the screen.

Man of Iron (1972)

This old-school kung fu movie is a follow-up to Chang Cheh’s spectacular The Boxer from Shantung, the gangland story that had made Chan a star earlier in 1972. In this film, set 20 years later, Chan returns as a different character who is very similar to Boxer’s pugnacious anti-hero.

Co-directed by Chang Cheh and Pao Hsueh-li, who also co-directed Boxer, the story is much leaner than the original and does not possess its epic sweep.

Man of Iron is more of a standard one-against-many revenge tale, but its straightforward nature makes for an unencumbered watch and provides a good enough framework to display Chan’s top-notch kung fu skills.

Back in 1972, Shaw Brothers studio wanted to capitalise on Chan’s kung fu prowess to set him up as a rival to Bruce Lee, who was signed to Shaw’s competitor Golden Harvest.

“They thought I could be a rival to Lee, as I was an action star with real-life martial arts training,” Chan said in the Hong Kong Film Archive’s Oral History series.

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