Lo Wei was one of Hong Kongโs most renowned directors in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but disparagement from Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan tarnished his reputation.
Lee hated the way that Lo, who directed The Big Boss (1971) and Fist of Fury (1972), tried to take credit for his success. Chan disliked the way Lo tried to turn him into a clone of the deceased Lee in films like New Fist of Fury (1976).
Below, film historian Frank Djeng discusses how it could be time for Loโs voluminous body of work to be re-evaluated.
Do you think Loโs work has been overlooked?
Yes, I think itโs time to reassess his accomplishments. He was one of Shaw Brothersโ most prominent directors between 1964 and 1970, directing close to 20 films there.
His The Golden Buddha (1966), which is a really fun James Bond-style film, was the first Shaw movie to take HK$1 million, and Lo was the first to be called a โmillion-dollar directorโ.