Chopsocky (orchop-socky[1]) is acolloquial term formartial arts films andkung fu films made primarily byHong Kong action cinema between the late 1960s and early 1980s. The term was coined by the American motion picturetrade magazineVariety following the explosion of films in the genre released in 1973 in the U.S. after the success ofFive Fingers of Death.[1][2] The word is a play onchop suey, combining "chop" (as inkarate chop referring to a strike with the edge of the hand) and "sock" (as in apunch).
Chopsocky movies are usually characterized by overblown storylines, over-the-top special effects (particularly exaggerated and sometimes bizarre sound effects during the actual fight scenes), and excessive violence. The genre is also known for its clumsydubbing. Although the term "chopsocky" is commonly used as a name of martial arts cinema by the general media, the word can be disparaging as well. Another common meaning is a generalization for martial arts movies from Asia or Hong Kong in particular, without necessarily having the negative connotation.Variety magazine, the originator of the term, defined "chopsocky" simply as a martial arts film with no negative connotations.[3]
Hong Kong action cinema's international impact initially came in the form ofmartial arts films, especially 1970skung fu films and most notably those ofBruce Lee.[4] His earliest attempts at introducing his brand of Hong Kong martial arts cinema to the West came in the form of Americantelevision shows, such asThe Green Hornet (1966 debut) andKung Fu (1972 debut).[5] The "kung fu craze" began in early 1973, with the unprecedented overseas box office success of Hong Kong martial arts films.[4] It spread across Asia and then Europe, with Bruce Lee becoming established as the biggest box officemovie star of the genre, before the craze reached North America by early 1973. The films were initially called "martial science" or "Chinese boxer" pictures, while the martial artist protagonists were referred to as "chow meinspies" or "superhero Chinese" agents, drawing comparisons to the earlierSpaghetti Western craze.[6]
King Boxer (Five Fingers of Death) starringIndonesian-born actorLo Lieh was the first Hong Kong film to top the US box office, paving the way for Bruce Lee's breakthrough withThe Big Boss (Fists of Fury) topping the US box office. In May 1973, Hong Kong action cinema made US box office history, with three foreign films holding the top three spots for the first time:Fists of Fury,Lady Whirlwind (Deep Thrust), andFive Fingers of Death. Lee continued his success withFist of Fury (The Chinese Connection), which also topped the US box office the following month.[4]
Kung fu film releases in the United States initially targetedAsian American audiences, before becoming a breakout success among largerAfrican-American andHispanic audiences,[7] and then among whiteworking-class Americans.[8] Kung fu films also became a global success, acrossAsia,Europe and thethird world.[8] This eventually paved the way for Lee's posthumousHollywood film breakthrough with the Hong Kong and US co-productionEnter the Dragon (1973). Hong Kong martial arts cinema subsequently inspired a wave of Western martial arts films and television shows throughout the 1970s–1990s (launching the careers of Western martial arts stars such asJean-Claude Van Damme,Steven Seagal andChuck Norris), as well as the more general integration ofAsian martial arts into Westernaction films and television shows by the 1990s,[5] such as theYuen Woo-Ping choreographedMatrix trilogy.
Sascha Matuszak ofVice saidEnter the Dragon "is referenced in all manner of media, the plot line and characters continue to influence storytellers today, and the impact was particularly felt in the revolutionizing way the film portrayedAfrican Americans,Asians and traditional martial arts."[9] Kuan-Hsing Chen and Beng Huat Chua citedfight scenes in Hong Kong films such asEnter the Dragon as being influential for the way they pitched "an elemental story of good against evil in such a spectacle-saturated way".[10]
In Japan, themanga andanime franchisesFist of the North Star (1983–1988) andDragon Ball (1984–1995) were influenced by Hong Kong martial arts films, particularly 1970s kung fu films such as Bruce Lee'sEnter the Dragon and Jackie Chan'sDrunken Master (1978).[11][12] In turn,Fist of the North Star and especiallyDragon Ball are credited with setting the trends for popularshōnen manga and anime from the 1980s onwards.[13][14]
Similarly in India, Hong Kong martial arts films had an influence onHindimasala films.[15] After the success of Bruce Lee films (such asEnter the Dragon) in India,[16]Deewaar (1975) and later Hindi films incorporated fight scenes inspired by 1970s Hong Kong martial arts films up until the 1990s.[17] Hindi cinema action scenes emulated Hong Kong rather than Hollywood, emphasising acrobatics andstunts and combiningkung fu (as perceived by Indians) withIndian martial arts such aspehlwani.[18]
Hong Kong martial arts films such asEnter the Dragon were the foundation forfighting games.[19] TheStreet Fighter video game franchise (1987 debut) was inspired byEnter the Dragon, with the gameplay centered around an international fighting tournament, and each character having a unique combination of ethnicity, nationality and fighting style.Street Fighter went on to set the template for all fighting games that followed.[20] The earlybeat 'em up gameKung-Fu Master (1984) was also based on Bruce Lee'sGame of Death (1972) and Jackie Chan'sWheels on Meals (1984).[21]
The success of Bruce Lee's films helped popularize the concept ofmixed martial arts (MMA) in the West via hisJeet Kune Do system. In 2004,Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) founderDana White called Lee the "father of mixed martial arts".[22]Parkour was also influenced by the acrobatic antics of Jackie Chan in his Hong Kong action films,[23][24] as well as the philosophy of Bruce Lee.[25]
First there were "spaghetti westerns" made in Italy, and then the Spanish got into the act and they became "gaspacho westerns."
Now, there's going to be an invasion of "chow mein spies." It's the newest rage, the superhero Chinese agent, who takes on 84 adversaries at one time and pounds them into the ground — without a dangerous weapon, except his hands and his feet.
They're coming here under the label of "martial sciences," an umbrella label that takes in all of the oriental arts of self-defense, such as karate, jujitso, kung fu and so on.
They're made in Hong Kong and the biggest hero of them all at the moment, surely the biggest box-office attraction there, is a face pretty familiar to American television audiences. Remember Bruce Lee, the swift, agile oriental chauffeur in "The Green Hornet"?
(...) Lee already has starred in three Chinese boxer (another label) pictures and there are several dozen others available to the international market. They reportedly are sweeping the European market and have just started to infiltrate the American scene.
Warner Brothers has just released one called "The Five Fingers of Death" and, with Fred Weintraub as producer, is now involved in the first American-Chinese production of a martial-science picture, a film that stars Bruce (Kato) Lee.
