It was nice to get so many people who had made an impact in my life involved in one project!  Even Jason Ho, the guy who introduced me to Wong Kar Wai's Chungking Express came to help as Director of Photographer and brought his cool camera, his glide cam, some lights from the school he taught at and his professionalism working overseas in Japan and other parts of the USA.  In addition Moua Lee, a veteran filmmaker offered to use his camera and help shoot some secondary action...it was all very exciting!  I had seen how Ken and German the guys from Hit Hut arranged action sequences and I really wanted to see what I could come up with.


Filmmaker Jason Ho (right) and Moua Lee (below right) film on!  Two pros two cameras! Nice!!





In Ego Claw My Lord (Alex Do) fights all ages, races, and sex

These were the BRICK props my wife Julia Kong made, they were awesome! She also did the set designing.

Real life Hong Kong and Canadian Sifu Simon Lui plays the Grandmaster observes his skilled student from a distance

All and all this was a great fun little project to get my feet wet again returning to Minnesota and it was a homage to all the martial artist and enthused out there!  Check it out after the JUMP!  Hope you like it as much as I enjoyed making it! Enjoy!

  Coming back from Hong Kong, after awhile, it felt time to move on to another movie!  I had been inspired to do a 70's era chop socky cool cop movie something like Gordon Park's Shaft!  Something, cool, but more funny and not all about being badda##.  I loved the recent hit Black Dynamyte "Dynamyte! Dynamyte!"  I thought and though but couldn't come up with a story, then something else developed on it's own.

  A couple of things came together at the same time: 1) My wife's interest in catastrophic end of the world nature destroy all movies (ex: 2012, Day After Tomorrow) 2) Some conversations I would overhear about the martial arts and which one was the best. Who was the best?  3) I wanted to make something for Alex Do, a martial artist, instructor, and enthused action movie guy.

At first I started thinking of the cool fight scene in Ip Man, where Ip Man (Donnie Yen) takes out like 13 Japanese martial artist - I just loved that!  And that's how it began!  I saw a first of many bodies flop into frame!  Let's start the movie at it's highest point with a cool fight scene only it would be one man, highly skilled, taking on many!  But his reasons where not evil just cocky or confident.  I would write something that could showcase all the martial artist I had build relationships with through the years and some whom I had met recently.  Thus became of Ego Claw.  That's right...Ego not Eagle Claw!



 I wanted to get back with my best friend and filmmaker Kang Vang who had just completed his latest feature Fallen City and who loves the martial arts, I showed him the script and he was very excited to co-direct it with me! 

First was 2 Saturday's worth of rehearsing at Alex and his now instructor Sifu Simon Lui's clinic.  A room full of martial artist playing together, man nothing could get better then that!




Having the talk before we began while Alex Do (right) and Kevin Jepsen (left), a great martial artist await the next steps.

I asked Alex to take the lead and be both Lead Actor as well as Martial Art Choreograpehr

  This was the first scene I ever wrote for The Good Guy and originally it took place outside of the Hong Kong Jockey Clubs, particularly the one I saw in Cheung Sha Wan.  Lots of men, would have their newspapers ready, listening to the race on the radio, I thought what a great visual.  All these grown men, desperate to make some money to turn their lives around. I thought for my main character Charles, putting all his hope on ever turning his life around from the life he used to live based on one night's bet was very possible.  I didn't shoot it on the street like I had planned, because of all the cops and people who I knew would hastle us, but we got a great restaurant for our opening and it just happened the race was on the night we were filming, so we used this to our advantage.



 I remember calling Charles the day before the shoot telling him how I felt something was missing from the opening.  I felt that I needed to show who his character was and I only had a small time frame to show it in before the action in the story truly takes place. We talked and I asked him for his thoughts about it.  I wanted to show how he's made poor decisions and tonight he tries to redeem himself but I didn't know how.  That's when Charles suggested the phone call to his wife or the mother of his daughter.  Even up to the point before we rolled camera Charles and I were tweaking the dialogue, but one thing that is great about working with a professional, he knows how to show up!





  Benny Wong was the third and final Director of Photographer on TGG and he was the one I originally had approached to helm this project.  We had worked together on some freelance gigs with Patrick Kong, my brother in law and became good friends. I always admired his work and really saw it for TGG.  Due to some unfinished editing projects he had going on he couldn't dedicate all three days, but loaned us all his equipment at no charge and finally got out on our last day of the shoot, we were more then happy to welcome him to our production.








  All and all it was a real fun shoot.  I was worried that all the food everybody was eating was going to charge my wife and me an arm and maybe a leg. I always joked that I'd be out back doing the dishes for Peter, the owner but hey anything for the movie...right? 




I'm learning sometimes when you make your movie, things happen and just go with it, because it could turn to a great surprise.  Like when Peter who was selling these great fine red wines from France offered to open up a few bottles for our movie!  I was excited!  My wife and I love wine and to see it put in our movie for him...heck why not!  This is why I love making movies! Doing something you love and having lots of fun while doing it!



We finished up that night with the shots of Charles walking out of the restaurant and onto the streets.  Oh boy!  This was my dream come to life, shooting a film on the real streets of Hong Kong, the energy, all the people!  I'll never forget this production, it was my signature before departing Hong Kong and returning back to the US! 

  The first night ended with a visit from the local Hong Kong Police Force, good thing we were finishing our last shot before they came and after they came out of their truck we politely told them we weren't fighting and just shooting a little movie.  We got our shot anyway before the night ended.


  The next day was shot just a block away from where we were the first night. Got to be honest here, after the night before with cops, I was not too thrilled to have to get out here again and this time wear a robber's mask and punch the crap out of a student, but once we got filming I just said hell with it, let's make our movie!

  This scene involved Charles approaching Phillip the Businessman (Ben Eppel) about to jump him for his money but then both of them stop put when they witness an incident across the street!