Wirefu

From Karate, Kungfu, Wrestling, Mixed Fighting Information Source

Wire Fu is the term commonly used to refer to films that feature the use of wire work to execute acrobatic stunts or high flying martial arts. Because of this, films with flying warriors and mid-air fight scenes were now possible. This technique is commonly used in modern Wuxia films and in the recent Hollywood blockbuster The Matrix Trilogy.

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History

Tsui Hark's A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) is generally credited with kicking off Hong Kong's wire-enhanced return to martial arts filmmaking following the '80s dominance of modern action films and comedies. Wirework was all the rage and action directors like Yuen Wo-ping, Ching Siu-tung, Corey Yuen Kwai, and Stephen Tung Wai emerged as the new martial arts film elite. Wuxia films of this era pushed pre-CGI effects and wire-enhanced action choreography to the extreme while experimenting with horror and fantasy elements in films like The Bride with White Hair (1993) and Butterfly Sword (1993).

After the success of Swordsman (1990), wuxia elements were combined with kung fu to create a new style of martial arts film called wire fu. Not considered true wuxia films, Once Upon a Time in China (1991) and Iron Monkey (1993) were leading examples of this new hybrid.

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